Operational Ethics in Decision Making: A Commander's Challenge.

Abstract

An operational commander has the responsibility for making critical decisions during campaigns and major operations to achieve operational or strategic objectives. These decisions often present the commander ethical challenges. The commander must rely on his operational ethic to resolve any dilemmas prudently and judiciously. The operational ethic synthesizes the mutually supporting, interwoven qualities of commitment integrity, humanity, wisdom and moral courage. This paper examines the operational ethic of General H. Norman Schwarzkopf during the Persian Gulf War. While not a paragon of the operational ethic, this student believes General Schwarzkopf's intent was for an ethical conduct of the war. Future commanders need to be students of history who possess a character comprised of the qualities outlined in this paper.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 12, 1997
Accession Number
ADA325027

Entities

People

  • Rhetta R. Bailey

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Command And Control
  • Education
  • History
  • International Law
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Security
  • Students
  • Training
  • United States
  • War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Economics
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.