Breaking Ranks: Dissent and the Military Professional

Abstract

There are circumstances under which a military officer is not only justified but also obligated to disobey a legal order. In supporting this assertion, I discuss where the tipping point lies between the military officer's customary obligation to obey and his moral obligation to dissent. This topic defies black-and-white specificity but is nevertheless fundamental to an understanding of the military professional's role in the execution of policy. It involves complex issues - among them, the question of balance between strategy and policy, and between military leaders and their civilian masters.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA536591

Entities

People

  • Andrew R. Milburn

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • District Of Columbia
  • Education
  • Geneva Conventions
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Education
  • Military Operations
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Political Science
  • President (United States)
  • Students
  • Supreme Court
  • United States
  • War
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design