The Importance of Following Orders Essay

The American military prides itself on its devotion to loyalty, honor, brotherhood, and patriotism. Those in the military place the lives of their fellow men and country above all else. It is the most intense example of selflessness and self-sacrifice. This extended commitment to God and country is made possible through codes, vows, and unquestioned obedience. If a lieutenant is given an order, he will follow through with it because the lives of countless depend on his obedience. A soldier’s actions always contribute to the overall action of the military and work towards the greater good. If an order is questioned and not obeyed, the lives of those in his squadron will be endangered

The law, rules, regulations, and policies, regulate discipline and good order within the Army, specifically, Titles 5, 10 and 32 of the United State Code (USC). According to ADRP 1-0, “The Army Ethic is the evolving set of laws, values, and beliefs, embedded within the Army culture of trust that motivates and guides the conduct of Army professionals bound together in common moral purpose.” (p. 2-3). In addition to laws, Army civilians and service-members are required to abide by, and act in accordance with Army Regulations (AR’s), and published policies and local directives. If it were so simple that the Army can publish guidelines, and everyone would follow them, then we would not have this issue.

The day-to-day connotation of the term “obedience” is different than that of military lingo. While in the real world morality trumps obedience at a specific point, in the military, soldiers are expected to obey their authority despite their personal opinion on the order. In fact, the Chain of Command is the official term used to describe the hierarchy each individual has over one another. Those who are not familiar with the graveness of the Chain of Command typically do not understand how soldiers can carry out some of the orders that they do. However, in a soldier's perspective, the consequences of disobeying the orders given to them are much worse than the act itself.

Army leaders make decisions that affect the lives of their Soldiers. Rule oriented obligations, goal oriented aspirations, and situation-oriented decisions are challenging. There is tension as leaders balance them.

Furthermore, Milgram conducted an obedience experiment in the article to further show how humans are prone to obedience even when it violates their moral code and sense of ethics (77). Similarly, Erich Fromm author of “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” raises the question in the article why does society perceive obedience as a virtue and disobedience as a vice (123). Therefore, “A Few Good Men” sheds light on the dramatization of following orders of a corrupt military Colonel and fractures the thought process on whether disobedience is worth the consequences; and to what extent can a individual use scapegoating to justify one’s blind obedience when the order conflicted with morality. To continue, the movie “A Few Good Men” depicts Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey as blindly obedient of a corrupt military colonel; which forces blind obedience onto the two marines forcing them to violate their morals.

Now who in the armed forces does following orders apply to? Well if I’m not mistaken everyone in armed services has to follow the orders and directions given to them. Unless you’re the Commander in Chief, then you can make the orders. This brings us back to the chaotic vision we imagined earlier. So whether you’re in a position of authority or the on the receiving end of the given order it’s very important to follow orders. It’s an essential part of working as a soldier, marine, sailor or airman in the armed forces. It’s necessary around the world regardless of your station, chain of command and type of armed service you’re employed with whether its Army, Navy, Marines, or Air force. Following orders is a big part of being in the military and the time we spend in our home country following orders prepares us for war. However it also prepares us and also plays a big role and importance for Jobs outside the military. Orders come from a chain of command which, for NCO’s and junior enlisted, is the NCO support channel. The NCO support channel is designed to be subordinate to and supportive of the chain of command. The NCO support channel is not an independent channel. It is mandatory of the users of this channel to ensure that the chain of command is kept informed of actions implemented through the NCO support channel

Due to the nature of the Army’s mission it’s difficult to apply complete autonomy without jeopardizing the execution of duty. Since the start of the war, higher command recognize the need to give junior leaders more decision making power at their level since they are at the forefront of the action. Higher command disseminates orders from their post without having close contact with soldiers. The army is slowly trying to create decentralized organizations by giving junior leaders greater authority over their soldiers. In some situations this has backfired, because junior leaders may lack experience or the right skill needed to execute their

Officers must guide their units by making informed decisions that are abreast with the Army Values and Warrior Ethos. Officers are tasked with implementing relevant training that stays aligned with an ever-changing enemy. As the enemy evolves, so does the Army’s way of combat. As an officer entrusted with the development and success of a unit, they must continue to educate themselves on current adaptation measures executed by both the enemy and the Army. Officers are also responsible for establishing policies that outline actions for good order and discipline within the unit. Many of these policies aide leaders in managing resources within their sections and balancing risks while completing effective and efficient training.

In the following essay, I am going to outline several reasons as to why it is important to respect your leadership within the Armed Forces. There are many values and principles that the United States Army has, a few of them are military bearing, discipline, and respect. These principles are among the most basic customs and courtesies and the Army expects everyone to follow them. If a service member fails to follow them the Army can seek to punish them with legal action that could result in the service member being separated from the military service. Customs and courtesies are important in the military for numerous reasons.

However, the oath that the military officers take forces them to obey all the military orders issued by their commanders. Disobeying or obeying the military orders depends on the orders issued. The military officer disobeys the order at his own risk (Powers, 2012). The disobedience of military orders by an officer is not taken lightly by his seniors. In addition, following unlawful orders could land a military officer into trouble, according to the perspectives of the courts, court martial or the senior officers.

The obedience built into soldiers require them to maintain ethics and morals while obeying “the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice” (Mosqueda). A soldier must balance morals and orders to maintain self-discipline in difficult situations. Regulations and rules state the structure and nature of military consequences but there are always exceptions to those that it

There is a multitude of different power within the military. The most utilized power in the military is the coercive power, or the leader’s perceived ability to punish. You often see this in the military because of our different laws highlighted in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Followers tend to fall in line when the leader giving direction is capable of punishing their insubordination. This level of power is given to people as they progress in rank and is respected among followers but is not necessarily influential. The military requires its members to comply with the rank of those appointed above them and therefore by military law you must follow lawful orders or receive the appropriate level punishment. However, this does not guarantee you the influence of a more charismatic leader. Followers are receptive by force, but the quality of work suffers because followers are doing the bare minimum. They may follow the orders, but they would not

The term insubordination means a defiance of authority or refusal to obey orders. Insubordination is also the unwillingness to carry out a directive from a manager or supervisor can manifest itself as a verbal refusal, a nonverbal refusal or an unreasonable delay in completing work. Insubordination in the Military is a refusal by subordinate to obey lawful orders given by a commissioned officer or non commissioned officer. The military ranking system was built on lower enlisted soldiers, non commissioned officers and lower enlisted officers taking orders and following orders that was given by higher ranking officials. Insubordination is covered in article 19 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Insubordination have negative effects on unit cohesion, moral, insubordination negatively affects the very foundation the Army was built upon.

The military has an extremely copious amount of traditions and methods of conducting its activity. The older ones around are undoubtedly the military’s rules, and regulations on custom and courtesies. The following RBI will serve to describe the importance and significance behind the military’s customs and courtesies. These traditions are fundamental to military life. The seven army values are also a large aspect of where military behavior and practices stems from. The customs and courtesies we abide by, govern our actions with and without uniform. More specifically they govern our behavior in professional, and social interactions. In the military, there are many special situations not found in civilian life, which require a certain way of

Leadership is the art of influencing others to achieve a mission by offering motivation, purpose, and direction. In the military, there is a concept called chain of command, which is the authority some individuals lawfully exercise over subordinates by virtue of their positions, assignment, or rank (Spyglass Hill, n.d.). Equally, the chain of command is the most important and fundamental organizational technique used in the military. It is the commanders’ responsibility to achieve the assigned unit objectives while caring for property and personnel in their command. Thus, the basic duties of a military leader include accomplishing a specific mission and safeguarding soldiers’ welfare. In essence, a leader in the military has three kinds of duties: implied, directed, and specified roles. Every leader must exercise professional ethics, which encompass being loyal to the unit, the military, and this nation. Thus, military leaders should offer selfless service when on duty by putting the goals and needs of the unit, the nation, and the military ahead of their personal interests.