To Tell the Truth: The Challenge of Military Leadership
Abstract
The story of Regulus, while certainly apocryphal, nevertheless illustrates a fundamental tension of military leadership -- the moral imperative for military leaders to tell the truth, even when that truth has dire consequences for the teller. In our study of strategy and military operations we examine the proposition that no strategy is stronger than its moral foundation, and that, in a democracy, strategic success or failure will ultimately be defined in moral and ethical terms. Morality and ethics are too large and complex subjects to be addressed in this paper. My purpose here is to focus on the need for military leaders to speak the truth, the tension this need causes when faced with opportunities for ethical abuse and the implications this need has for strategy. It is my thesis that a successful strategist must have a well-developed moral and ethical foundation to guide him, not only in his personal life but also in his professional duties. A failure to see, know and speak the truth, regardless of personal consequences, is a sure path to ruin and disaster.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 24, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA441979
Entities
People
- Ronald H. Henderson Jr.
Organizations
- National War College