Relationships in the Army
Abstract
We fully support any measure that would allow relationships to exist between officers and enlisted personnel in today's Army. In basic terms, the Army defines professional relationships as those that contribute to the effective operation of the Army. Conversely, unprofessional relationships are those that detract from the authority of superiors or result in, or reasonably create the appearance of favoritism, misuse of office or position, or the abandonment of organizational goals for personal interests. If a couple allow their acquaintance to interfere with their profession at arms, then we feel they are not exhibiting the true traits of a professional soldier and should be dealt with accordingly. The Army's interdiction of one's personal preference of intimacy is a clear violation of their human rights. Leaders must be counted on to use good judgment, experience, and discretion to draw the line between relationships that are "destructive" and those that are "constructive" (DA PAM 600-35, p. 1). Personal relationships between officers and enlisted soldiers in the US Army have long been a topic of great discussion and sometimes contention. Some argue that allowing such relationships breaks down the moral fabric of the Army and contributes to a reduced level of readiness throughout the ranks. In 'Corporate America', Judy Olian, Dean of Penn State University's Smeal College of Business and a specialist in strategic human resources management, referred to a 1998 Society of Human Resource Management survey of more than 600 human resource professionals. She found that some feel that these relationships caused lowered productivity among parties to the romance or that the romance might create an air of unprofessionalism in the workplace. In the summer of 1998, the Pentagon announced a new policy that ended the Army's long-standing policy of allowing officers to date and marry enlisted personnel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 18, 2005
- Accession Number
- AD1111875
Entities
People
- Corey Woodard
- Elizabeth Holman
- Eric Haus
- Rodney L. Quarles
Organizations
- United States Army Sergeants Major Academy