Unethical Orders in the Military

This paper is going to discuss Ethics and Ethical Theories. It will include an introduction to ethical theories, virtue ethics, and care ethics. There will be sections discussing absolutism versus relativism, consequentialism versus deontological ethics, and lastly, free will versus determinism. It will also include a discussion about the study of morality and identify which of the approaches (Scientific, Philosophical, or Theological/Religious) are closest to my own personal beliefs. There will be a discussion regarding the three sources of ethics

When u take that oath you are making a promise to the military to be a solider and that means to obey all military orders. Greater orders mean bigger consequences. Military members who fail to obey the lawful orders of their superiors risk serious consequences. To obey someone means to comply with or fulfill the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of that specific person. We are taught as children to obey our higher-ups. Starting from our parents, teachers, managers, police officers. When a soldier doesn't follow the orders they are given in not only hurts themselves but it hurts the team and the goals of the mission. When the mission objectives are hurt by not following orders this weakens everything that is necessary to win the war. Actual knowledge does to need to be shown if the individual reasonably should have known of the duties. it is important to obey the orders given are to be combat effective, disciplined, and just to be a good member of the military. Everything you do not only reflects on you, but your superiors in your section, Company, Brigade, Division, and the

However, they were bound to their duty; overriding their commanding officer's orders would have placed their career at stake.

Ethics matter in any kind of business or organization, but they are especially significant when it comes to the US Army (Blackburn, 2001). The reason behind this involves the chain of command and the risk to life and limb that are such large parts of military life. When a soldier in the Army has no ethics, he or she can cause trust and respect problems with other members of his or her unit. The US military is a stressful organization for most people involved with it, and people's lives are on the line frequently. Issues like PTSD and other medical problems are commonplace for those who leave the military and must adjust to civilian life, so it is very important that those who are in the Army work with their colleagues and higher-ups to get the help and support they need during and after their service. There is more to ethics in the Army than the problems that military individuals can face, though.

If not maintained, “Subordinates, peers, and superiors lose trust in a member of the Army Profession whose conduct fails to meet the standards of these criteria. More important, a greater loss of trust in the

Article 92 of The Uniform Code of Military Justice covers failure to follow orders. The consequences for violating article 92 can very depending on rank, time in service, accomplishments, work example, behavioral history, and most importantly the chain of commands opinion of the offending solider. The minimum punishment for failure to follow orders can be a verbal counseling possibly joined with a corrective action such as writing essays or carrying more weight and negative effects such as a written counseling statement probably combined with a corrective action, a letter of reprimand removed upon reassignment, permanent letter of reprimand, or the maximum being article 15. Given factors such as listed previously, the article 15 can have varying degrees of severity. From minimum to maximum, these are the article 15s one can get for failure to follow a lawful order. Summarized Article

Training Soldiers to cultivate values such as loyalty and selfless service has always fostered the discipline needed to fight and win against overwhelming odds since the days of phalanxes and maniples. Moreover, establishing clear standards for military forces in both conduct and expertise has been a fundamental component of maintaining well-trained units. Yet the truly unique aspect of our modern professional Army is its ability to maneuver and prevail within operational environments brimming with moral ambiguity. There were plenty of moral difficulties during the wars of the 20th century, but the rise of insurgencies and terrorism has led to unforeseen ethical dilemmas. Interestingly, the paper highlights that “today’s operating forces after nine years of war, exhibit more the traits of a profession than the force-generating, or institutional, side of the Army (CAPE, 2010).” This seems to indicate a kind of moral reasoning which can only be developed through ethical dilemmas under the duress of combat. As technology grows and the battlefield shifts, so must the Army Ethic to adapt to conflicts where the most ethical decision is not immediately

Following orders in the Army is one of the most important things a soldier has to perform. Orders are to be performed in the most excellent way possible within the standards of the Army. If a soldier doesn’t follow orders not only he could hurt himself but he can hurt his peers and hurt the mission. When people enlist in the US Army they are sworn in. Part of that swear is to follow the orders of those appointed over them, either non-commissioned officers or officers. Following orders is enforced by the chain of command and it instills discipline. Every single soldier is important to win the war, that is why is essential that all soldiers follow orders without question except for when an order is illegal. Not following orders could create a

I really do agree with you, Tyler. One of the biggest issues I had be in the Army is when a leader would tell you that there is this one stander, but they themselves do not do this one stander. Often when a soldier is get in trouble one of the leaders would punishes the group of the solider that was with the individual, and not the leader that trained them. If someone is going to lead me in to a situation, I need to have confidents in their ability to lead. I need to feel comfortable that I can trust them otherwise they become a distraction. Too many time in the Army I got in trouble for me being to blunt when a leader was acting unethical. I but in order to be viewed as a professional you have to act like it all the

During a Pentagon news brief on February 7, 2014, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stated, “Ethics and character are absolute values that we cannot take for granted. They must be constantly reinforced. It is the responsibility of all of us — all of us who ask for the trust and confidence of the American people — to ensure these values are imbued in all our people and we all live up to them.” Confronted with inappropriate emails detailing sexual activities; military personnel from recruiters to generals and admirals and department of defense employees taking advantage of their positions of trust; to massive adultery scandals with Air Force and Navy nuclear officers; right down to the top Army prosecutor for sexual assault cases being suspend

The military can only function if orders, when given, are obeyed. And, as much as we would like to trust in the honesty and integrity of the human spirit, of the men and women who made that oath, put their lives on the line for their country, and fight to keep our brothers and sisters free, the sad truth is that there are many out there that, if not given a clear set of rules, a clear set of punishments for transgressions, will not follow the rules, will not care about the punishments, will not be productive, efficient members of the military machine.

There are a variety of different ethical systems that have developed of the course of millennia. However, even though the subject has been covered so thoroughly, it is still heavily debated. The varieties of ethical systems that are in existence look at various ethical problems from different perspectives and can be applied differently in different circumstances. Because of the subjective aspects to applying ethics, they can be as much an art as they are a science. Ethics are something that must be practiced and really cannot be perfected. In this way, studying ethics is a continual process that does not really stop. This paper will argue that ethics are the most important subject that an individual can pursue.

Ethics can generally be understood as the branch of reasoning and knowledge concerned with developing rules for proper conduct. As is clear from even the most cursory examination of any ethical dilemma, there are never completely-agreed upon ethical solutions or principles. Going still further, there are actually no agreed-upon methods for determining what ethical goals or principles should exist. That is, not only are different things seen as ethical by different scholars and individuals, but the means for determining what is and is not ethical also vary considerably. The following paragraphs provide a brief overview of three prominent and fairly common ethical perspectives.

The question about ethicality has always been ambiguous. How to decide whether a human being act ethically correct? The Nature and Human Values book edited by Sarah Jayne Hitt and Courtney Holles explains three philosophical theories regarding the ethics. The theories gives a general idea on how philosopher approach this matter to decide what kind of act is considered ethical and how to determine it. Even though the theories contradict each other in some aspect, it helps us to understand the general idea on what is considered as an “ethically correct” act.

During my time in the military there were many accounts of ethical and unethical decision making. When in uniform we are often forced to make quick decisions to get the job done. Like many organizations we also have our own code of ethics, morals and principles that we follow. The problem with this is that in times of need we often can make decisions that were unethical but got the task completed. We also must factor in the many differing opinions on what is ethical and what is not.