Tag Archives: national war college

Petraeus Scandal Inspires Emphasis on Ethics, Morality

After a couple of years of being told the US military has no business levying its morality on its troops — or dictating the conduct of their private lives — the Secretary of Defense recently told the Pentagon to figure out why American troops aren’t staying morally in line — even in their private lives.  Said Secretary Leon Panetta:

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the Pentagon’s top brass to figure out how to keep their officers ethically in line…

“Beyond mere compliance with the rules, I also expect Read more

The Moral Truth of Military Values

Col. Jim Dryjanski of the National War College wrote a commentary in July entitled “Strengthening our core.”  It began with a reference to the charges of sexual misconduct at Lackland AFB, TX, but broadened the discussion to moral strength and failure across the force:

We can expect some necessary actions to be taken, but will disciplinary action or the implementation of recommendations from various independent top-down strategic reviews be sufficient? Probably not, if we as Airmen don’t recognize the moral battle being waged or fail to act from the grassroots-level to strengthen our core.

It is fascinating — and heartening — to see a military commentary recognize that examples of ethical misconduct are a symptom of the moral climate in the US military.

Col Dryjanski asks if “Integrity, Service, Excellence” — the Air Force core values — are “only words:”  Read more