Colonel Roush's Constitutional Paradigm

Colonel Roush explains the constraints and principles by which we must live as military personnel. We must not contradict the President’s expressed desires, must follow regulations and laws as well as use the allocated funding properly as ordered by Congress, must act in accordance with judicial rulings, and must follow the supreme law of the land, including anything expressed in the Constitution and international law. Serving the Constitution is done through following the four sequential principles of the Constitutional Paradigm: following the hierarchy of constitution, mission, service, command, shipmate, self; resolving conflicting loyalties; resigning if loyalties cannot be resolved; disobeying if the situation is egregiously offensive. Simply, the Constitution is our highest loyalty. Dr. Hartle explains the importance of military ethics by emphasizing the commitment to the Constitution and the moral basis of a commission. Military personnel must fight to support individual liberty and must be dutiful and honorable in their service. At times, this profession requires great sacrifice, so a military officer must be self-disciplined and obedient in order to fulfill his duties and be willing to make sacrifices. A military officer must be honorable, showing great integrity, or subordinates will not obey demands of …show more content…
If they begin to conflict, they must be resolved immediately. In the military, the constitutional paradigm must be followed and in it, self is at the bottom; consequently, family matters are below those of the command. Because people are passionate about their families, this will likely cause many conflicts. The command must take priority; however, a person may find relief by consulting his or her chain of command. If a person is unable to accept the demands the military takes on time or anything else that could disrupt a family, then resigning might be the only