Divided Loyalties: Civil-Military Relations at Risk
Abstract
In this paper, the authors focus their attention on the topic of loyalty. Their aim is to generate discussion about the topic in forums both formal and informal. It is their contention that military leaders, particularly field graders and flag rank officers, face loyalty dilemmas for which training and experience have not prepared them. This is not a new phenomenon. An Air Force historian relates the reaction of then Air Force Chief of Staff General Ronald F. Fogleman to H.R. McMaster's book "Dereliction of Duty." In his book, McMaster details how the joint chiefs during the early days of the Vietnam crisis allowed President Johnson to misrepresent their views of the crisis to Congress, thus contributing to the nation's decades long involvement in Southeast Asia. Fogleman's comments to the historian are revealing: Fogleman calls attention to instances in which loyalty to the individual Service takes precedence over loyalty to the nation. The authors agree with Fogleman that the loyalty is misplaced and is bad for both the Service and the nation. To illustrate some of the dilemmas and "fault lines" in military loyalties, they devised a scenario concerning this issue and asked a variety of legal experts and ethicists to comment on it. Based on the responses, they look at some of the legal boundaries that confine loyalties, and some of the ethical considerations that military leaders must be prepared to confront. Then they discuss why the military currently faces challenges in this area and make recommendations for how the military services can define an ethic of loyalty that serves the highest good. None of these recommendations include a step-by-step guide to follow when confronted with loyalty dilemmas. The authors don't purport to have easy answers because there are none. What they will do is raise some of the questions individuals need to ask themselves when arriving at their own answers to loyalty questions. (10 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 25, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA420538
Entities
People
- Laura A. H. Disilverio
- Stephan J. Laushine
Organizations
- Air University