Character Development of U.S. Army Leaders: A Laissez Faire Approach

Abstract

The generation and application of military force often presents military leaders with moral dilemmas that are unique to the profession of arms. As the Army fully implements its doctrine of mission command, Army leaders will be expected to make difficult and consequential decisions in ethically ambiguous situations, but to do this with even less guidance and oversight than they experience today. In this environment, the quality of a leader's character, who they are as a person, and thus their ability to make correct and independent discretionary judgments, matters even more than in the past. Drawing heavily on current Army doctrine and data, this paper examines the Army's approach to the development of personal character in its leaders. This paper also evaluates the effectiveness of these efforts, provides summary conclusions, and offers recommendations for action.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA589452

Entities

People

  • Brian M. Michelson

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Army Personnel
  • Criminals
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Guidance
  • Judgment
  • Personality
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • Thinking
  • Training
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Strategic Security Studies