Dick Couch writes a thought-provoking book, A Tactical Ethic: Moral Conduct in the Insurgent Battlespace, which details a growing problem in the United States military, i.e. maintaining ethical and moral behavior on and off-duty. His supporting arguments are society emphasizes behavior not conducive to promoting positive ethical behavior, malignant personalities in the ranks spreading negative behavior, and the ambiguity of the asymmetric warfare fought today. He provides anecdotal evidence supporting the US military’s methodology to combat these trends. However, his true strength lies in the combat stories of ethical dilemmas related to him through soldiers serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and advice given for junior officers and…
Career Research Assignment In the military you serve and protect our country foreign and domestic. You also get to take the skills you learned and apply them to other jobs. With the military you get to travel for free. Another thing with the military you don’t have to go in to the front lines.…
Application of the Ethical Lenses Utilizing the three ethical lenses to apply the ethical reasoning, in regards to the rules, the Uniform Code of Military Justice is the foundation of military law in the United States. There are twelve subchapters in which subchapter ten refers to punitive articles. Under those punitive articles, Article 107 talks about false statements. A few Soldiers will not think about possible facing punitive actions when they make the conscious decision to cheat when completing training.…
As senior leaders in the Army we are entrusted to be stewards of not only army property, but also the soldiers we have the responsibility to mentor and lead in a positive direction. In this paper I will discuss some of the ethical and moral challenges I face and how this module reinforced an obligation to set the standard and lead by example. In Joseph Doty’s Military Review, Character verses Competence, he states that the Army does a great job putting out PowerPoint briefings and setting aside time for all soldiers to receive their REQUIRED training, but falls short developing the moral and ethical character. Ethics can’t be taught by showing a slide or by having required readings and certificates; it must be shown with the example of senior leadership and followed up by enforcement.…
In an excerpt on the lessons learned from Vietnam, Gabriel Schoenfield writes, “[T]he fundamental decisions taken by McNamara and the administrations he served, if not the means by which they were carried out, appeared entirely reasonable at the time” (J-2). This statement references the chain of command in the military in which soldiers must follow their superiors in all orders; it refers to the justification of a war on a large scale. However, Marlantes challenges this notion by introducing the idea that soldiers themselves must individually determine their willingness to fight. While discussing an interview from war philosopher Robert G. L. Waite, Marlantes narrows the…
The Army slogan growing up as a kid was be all that you can be that was right up until I enlisted then it changed into Army of one that was short lived, because just four years later in 2006 the slogan changed to Army Strong and it still stands a decade later. The core question is have you ever wondered how the Army was started and what it was founded on. First, I want to speak on the short lived slogan Army of one. I think that it was changed so fast because an Army is built on a team working together.…
Have you ever thought about being a military leader? You’re reading the right passage. Here is someone you can look up to, one of America’s greatest leaders, Colin Powell. Today in history Colin Powell is known to be a kind, smart, generous, and brave human being. Powell’s successful career is proof of his hard work and diligence.…
Yet, an overemphasis on competence in our daily and annual training and a lack of a robust character development has led to what I frame is a 'crisis of character' in our force today. The development of the character of our force is a daily endeavor and cannot live solely in classroom periods of instruction less we continue to fail in our responsibility to foster our profession and return quality citizens to society after their service. The Marine Corps is an awesome warfighting organization with a storied heritage, tradition and legacy as America’s expeditionary force, yet those familiar with its history, or for that matter…
The United States Army has been around for over three centuries. In that time, there have been millions of people over time who can say that they were soldiers at one point in their lives. At least half of these soldiers can say that they or someone they know were deployed in a combat environment. In their case, having common sense is vital to living and can be the difference between victory and defeat on the battlefield. Common sense for a soldier is fire discipline, knowing who is at their flanks and the mission itself right down to the last private with the understanding that when your direct supervisor, whatever rank he/she is, gets taken out it is up to one of the soldiers under that person’s command to step up and complete the mission.…
While sitting in a C-17 aircraft with an M4 in my hand and a full ruck of battle gear under my foot, I realize I am going into war for real. Even with the extremely loud airplane engine screaming in my ears, I can’t stop thinking how only three weeks ago my life had suddenly taken a drastic turn. It feels like a dream, yet it is so real. Thinking back, I could see a fresh new soldier just comes out of training standing in front of an in-processing desk with a lot of expectations about his new unit.…
During the past decade of war, we as soldiers have seen numerous styles of leadership and command. These leadership styles have been the result of mission commands reactive measures to best adapt to the operational environments currently face. Ongoing operations in Afghanistan and again in Iraq have been complex, involving constant interactions between civilians, enemy organizations, and friendly forces as well as interaction with other factors which affect the mission such as terrain, time, and local political dynamics. While on the battlefield, many commanders face challenges with making immediate decisions that drive and or turn the tides of conflict at the tactical and operational level. Simply giving subordinates task and purpose is not enough for effective mission command.…
The following year a plan written to outline strategies and goals for the conflict was written. The plan, named NSAM highlighted that the U.S. would support Vietnam as long as needed, however it included this major key point, “the South Vietnamese must win their own fight [emphasis added]” (274). Even though it seemed to be a major focus point, McNamara adds that this policy in the later years of Vietnam was continually failed to be upheld (274). Seasoned Vietnam combat veteran Philip Beidler lamented in “The Invisible ARVN: The South Vietnamese Soldier in American Representations of the Vietnam War” that while they are never much mentioned in historical accounts, the ARVN; the South Vietnamese forces, once totaled double the amount of U.S.…
Combat Leadership Qualities. 11. Leaders inspire soldiers with the will to win. They provide purpose directions and motiration in combat. Leaders determine how maneuver, fine power, and profection are to be used against enemy.…
During the middle of my second year in JROTC, I earned a promotion to the rank of platoon leader. Although excited to begin, I had to face the hard challenge of speaking in front of people, establishing my own authority, and battling my own indecisiveness. During my installation as a platoon leader, I made a collection of minor mistakes, particularly in where I stood, how to march in, and what to do with my platoon. When giving commands, I had a severe stutter.…
When I was tasked to write my philosophy, I pondered on what I should discuss. As I thought back on what means the most to me and how I will lead my troops, I had to refer to my personal mission statement that I wrote for myself after I became a parent many years ago: Through the test and trials of life; endure, stay focused, stay encouraged and be reminded that joy comes in the morning. Never forget the morals and values that were instilled in me. Make sure my children possess and maintain those very values. To learn from the past but not live in it.…