Over the years, the military services have tried a variety of public relations campaigns and recruiting slogans to draw attention and volunteers.  Some have withstood the test of time (“Be all you can be.”), and others were barely acknowledged (“Be part of the action,” which, ironically enough, was a recruiting slogan for the Coast Guard).

The person at the Pentagon responsible for hitting send on a service’s new slogan is almost deserving of pity; he will never please everyone, and there will always be staunch and cynical critics.  Even the most recent Air Force slogan change (“Above all.”) was vilified by some for its similarity to the German Uber Alles.

With that background, the US Navy is no longer “Accelerate your life.”  It is now “America’s Navy: A global force for good.” 

According to the Navy Times, the Navy’s motivation for the change is admirable:

The Navy’s strategy is to change its appeal from young people’s immediate self-interest — enlist and you’ll get a good job, or go to college when you get out — to appealing to a higher sense of service.

(The intent to emphasize selfless service aligns with the potentially embarrassing release of a slide show that shows the Navy calling the current generation, among other things, “narcissistic praise junkies.”)

Without a doubt, the US military does provide an enormous amount of positive impact to the world, including humanitarian relief in response to global crises and the achievement of peace and security.  The strategic aims of the United States, as executed by its military–fostering democracy, securing human liberties, etc.–are indeed noble.  While (officially) considering the US military to be a “force for good” is a new concept, perhaps it is a paradigm that would center the worldview of its members (in this case, of the US Navy) in a positive way, particularly given the widely publicized ethical lapses of the past few years.

The slogan may eventually have its own share of controversy.  After all, for a military force to be “for good,” it must inherently oppose that which is evil.  Applying such terms to government institutions and military actions (like the war formerly known as the Global War on Terror) has been heavily criticized in recent years.

Still, despite the criticisms (and despite the occasional highly-publicized failings) it is hard to dispute that the US Navy–indeed, the US military and even the United States as a country–is a “global force for good.”

That selfless nature–the desire to serve, defend, and help our fellow man–encapsulates the American culture.  That culture makes us proud to be Americans–and proud to serve in America’s armed forces.