CSAF V. CNO: Core Values and Their Career Ending Impact
Abstract
As Congress, civilian leaders, and the public demand more accountability from service members and our military leaders, the Washington politics can involve cannibalistic witch-hunting at the highest levels. The pressure to be perfect, the one mistake service, can take its toll on all members of the armed forces; from the airman and seaman to the service chief himself. Leadership is a key factor in this equation and how they guide their subordinates (and themselves) can be just as important. I will focus on two leaders, General Ronald R. Fogleman, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, (1994- 1997) and the late Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda, Chief of Naval Operations, (1994-1996). These two men rose to the highest position within their respective services because of exceptional job performance and their caring for people. However, their own personal values, in which they had been trying to instill within their personnel, increasingly clashed with the political institutional values, and built up to a culminating point. The core values these leaders expanded during their watch bled over into the political arena impacting their effectiveness as service chiefs. The causal effects range from interservice rivalry to cutthroat news media tactics. The focus is not on the methodology in which they ended their military careers, but in the why. It can be argued that the politics of a service chief is nothing new and something to be expected. Perhaps, the extent of the politics and the interrelated personalities of such civilian and military leaders are underestimated. Further, the public criticism is also not new and should be expected at that level. Is quitting the answer or should commanders fight for what they believe is right no matter what?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA398708
Entities
People
- John J. Sproul
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College