Analysis Of Samuel D. Maloney's Ethical Theory For The Military Professional

The United States Air Force is comprised of 313,722 personnel. These personnel all have varying backgrounds and both positive and negative values and motivations for being in the world's greatest Air Force. With such diversity, there will be situations that challenge the first Air Force Core Value, "Integrity First." All Airmen will either find themselves in or be pressured into a situation that will challenge their ethics. Knowing how to decipher your way out of any ethical traps is the crux of Dr. James Toner's six tests and is the concept I value most from module 6. Being able to navigate ethical dilemmas is an important facet of a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). Without this skill NCOs risks being taken advantage of and failing to

The 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, a unit known as the Rakkasans, were conducting Operation Iron Triangle in 2006 in Iraq when soldiers killed eight unarmed Iraqi men. The US military severely reprimanded the Commander of the Rakkasans, COL Michael Steele, for the unethical command climate his leadership allowed to exist within the unit at that time. This unit will need a new commander that can set and maintain an effective, ethical command climate through his leadership. That new commander should resolve the issues that led to the reported war crime in order to establish a culture that perpetuates an ethical command climate.

Second, the Army is governed by two related ethos. On the first day of initial training Soldiers are taught the importance of the seven Army values and begin to memorize the Soldier’s Creed. Like doctors and lawyers, “the military is an expert group, charged by its client to conduct work governed by a professional ethic” according to Lieutenant General Robert Caslen. A recent study commissioned by the Army found that 93% of Soldiers share their personal with the one set by the Army. Again, according to Caslen “the Army Values have sustained our institution through some of our most difficult years and will continue to be the foundation of our profession.”

The essay identifies an ethical dilemma in the United States Army Aviation Branch. It seeks to identify the root cause of the problem using the ethical lenses of rules, outcomes, and virtue provide by the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic. Modern Army Leaders face an ethical dilemma, specifically in low-density Military Occupational Specialties, of completing the mission and enforcing the standards of Army Regulation 600-9. Units deploying or conducting critical training need Soldiers or pilots holding crucial skills. These Soldiers must comply with the body composition standards outlined in the regulation. There are no exceptions. Concrete experience obtained through interviews provided examples of the dilemma. The concrete experiences also provided the leaders action when encountering an ethical dilemma. The root problem produced two courses of action. The courses of action entered the ethical lenses. The impact on the force and recommendation to correct the root cause were given. Leaders must build, implement, and enforce a rigourous Physical Readiness Training program. They must also monitor and participate in the program.

Ethics matter in any kind of business or organization, but they are especially significant when it comes to the US Army (Blackburn, 2001). The reason behind this involves the chain of command and the risk to life and limb that are such large parts of military life. When a soldier in the Army has no ethics, he or she can cause trust and respect problems with other members of his or her unit. The US military is a stressful organization for most people involved with it, and people's lives are on the line frequently. Issues like PTSD and other medical problems are commonplace for those who leave the military and must adjust to civilian life, so it is very important that those who are in the Army work with their colleagues and higher-ups to get the help and support they need during and after their service. There is more to ethics in the Army than the problems that military individuals can face, though.

While these three points are extensively discussed and dissected, it is apparent that the key factor that makes us professionals is the ethical standard that we must hold every individual soldier, from the lowest private to the highest general, to. One of the major points that are missing is what happens when the ethical standard is breeched and how it is dealt with.

The fact that mobilizations have increased so fast causes employers, especially small business, a hard time meeting the requirements associated with federal laws and maintaining profitability for their investors and worker stability for their other employees. Soldiers also have a hard time with their finical stability, whether from their private businesses or employers. Using the ethical lenses of Rules, Outcomes, and Virtues, Reserve Sergeants Major can help answer ethical challenges related to mobilizing Reserve Soldiers and the impacts they cause on Soldiers and their employers.

The inconsistent application of Army standards leads to unethical decisions on a daily basis. Despite an emphasis on Army values at all levels, military leaders open themselves up to make unethical decisions when they don’t adhere to set standards. Despite the Army having clear standards on height/weight, APFT, the tattoo policy, and reporting requirements, leaders often take it upon themselves to ignore the standard or create their own. Leaders have the responsibility to maintain and enforce standards which are driven by regulations. If military leaders

The following are the key ethical decision points shown in Platoon. In each of them soldiers make decisions with large ethical ramifications. For each example, where the

Every organization, both large and small, will typically have a well-defined set of values that they wish to espouse. This is the template for a successful, trained work force. These values will guide individuals during the decision-making processes that they will encounter. This blue print helps to ensure the integrity of the company and the individual, as well. Our Army today is no different. We can find our values and creeds everywhere we turn. One quick trip to a company or battalion headquarters will yield all the information a Soldier ever needs to assist them in making ethical choices. We hang posters touting the seven Army values on every wall. Units will prominently display the

The U.S. Army Leadership Field Manual clearly states that Army leaders and soldiers alike must uphold ethical standards of behavior in war. It also states that "unethical behavior quickly destroys organizational morale and cohesion it undermines the trust and confidence essential to teamwork and mission accomplishment. Consequently doing the right thing forges strong character in individuals and expands to create a culture of trust

Military personnel operating in combat missions must maintain mental and situational awareness of their area of operations. This includes a complete understanding of their physical and doctrinal training. Besides accomplishing their mission, soldiers must also consider the rules of engagement and the personal and professional ethics, values and morals that factor into their decisions in high stress environments (Allen, 2013). Well planned missions will never be executed perfectly. Due to human nature, soldiers may be faced with an ethical dilemma.

The meaning of ethical and moral for me is an ideology standard to analyze the consequence. Also, it could be a regulation to limit a person’s outside behavior and inside thought so that he/she has a guidance to find out the correct direction, and to solve the perplexity. In my opinion and personal experience during the military, I prone to believe the consequentialism. Because I ponder that the assignment of the leadership and stewardship is to provide a valuable advice and organize the orders from higher level. They have to focus on every detail, and concentrate on the variable situation. For what? For achievement and decreasing casualty in the battlefield. The most valuable work in the battlefield is not only winning the war, but also securing the soldiers’ life. Therefore, organizational- level leaders should perform the right thing and modify the errors with ethic in response to the critical and emergence environment. In short, they are enabler and shaper. They follow their personal virtue to do their duty, and obtain the expected

General Patton once said “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men (A quote by George S. Patton Jr, n.d.)” He did not know that would describe both his positive example of visionary leadership and his inability to practice ethical leadership all at the same time. His performance during World War II offers great examples of his visionary leadership by utilizing inspirational motivation, idealized influence, and overall embodying transformational leadership. Despite his influence, he illustrated a lack of ethical leadership by falling into the ethical dilemma of competing values and not using the 5-Step Ethical Decision Making Process. General Patton was a visionary leader that showed a lack of ethical leadership, which motivates me into being a better leader in the Wing Inspector Generals (IG) office. To do so, a better understanding of his visionary leadership is required.

For this paper, I interviewed a colonel in the group commander position. His ethical leadership style is very much what I would like to emulate as I mature and grow up through the ranks within the Air Force. It was through his explanation of his challenges as a leader, thus far, that I really grasped how difficult it is to have compassion, but also to do the right thing. Leadership can be a delicate dance. As implied by the transformational leadership style, you must balance relating to your subordinates while morally setting yourself apart so that they might commit themselves to the mission while you drive the vision for that