The Army's Professional Military Ethic in an Era of Persistent Conflict
Abstract
The purpose of the Army's Ethic is stated clearly in Field Manual (FM) 1, The Army. It is "to maintain [the Army's] effectiveness." The implication is as clear as it is true-without such an ethic, the Army cannot be effective at what it does. As is well-documented in the literature of professions, their ethics provide the primary means of social direction and control over their members as they perform their expert duties, often under chaotic conditions. For the Army profession, its evolving expert knowledge in the moral-ethical domain is what enables the profession to develop individual professionals- Soldiers and their leaders-to fight battles and campaigns 'effectively and rightly," as expected by the client the profession serves. Without such good, right, and just application of its expertise, the Army will lose its lifeblood-the trust of the American people. But how do the leaders within the Army profession think about their Ethic? With what language, models, and pedagogy is it discussed and taught in Army schoolhouses and units? And how is the ethic understood to relate to Army culture, both to the culture's functional and dysfunctional aspects? When professionals dissect their ethic, for example, are they analyzing the ethic of the profession or that of the individual professional; is the ethic they are discussing defined in legal or moral terms, etc.? Lastly, how, and how well, do the individual professionals within the Army-officers, noncommissioned officers, and civilians alike-internalize the Ethic in their daily lives such that the Army's leadership is seen consistently on duty and off duty, 24 hours a day, to "walk the talk?".
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA507814
Entities
People
- Don M. Snider
- Kevin Toner
- Paul Oh
Organizations
- United States Army War College