The Importance of Being Ethically Sound In Today's Military

This thought process can also be equated to the study of right and wrong in a moral sect establishing a rightful consciousness among the leaders within a military profession. Therefore, the complex ethical pressures prevailing are the rules and goals in different situations providing a criteria and context of determining what is ethically right and wrong. During decision making within the military, there are situations, goals as well as rules that demands the need to be observed. Many times these military professionals are called upon to make swift ethical and moral decisions based on scant or incorrect information, but there are other times when the complete picture is drawn and unethical decisions still end up occurring. Many scholars would equate the battle that raged on within the Apostle Paul’s spirit when he said, “I do not understand what I do.

A given degree of autonomy over how the rules of law, codes of ethics and accepted norms are followed and adhered to is always well stipulated for morally upright resolutions. A breach of these codes is legally wrong and many times perpetrators are held liable to military jurisdiction. In some cases, if military service members are able to show that they acted on direction of higher authority or extremely scant information the possibility exist of being exonerated. Therefore, without sound ethics and service member’s military core values being carefully instilled in young enlisted and military officers at boot camp and other officer commissioning sources, the nation could potentially be facing a new generation of military personnel who play by an entirely different set of rules.

This would be devastating in times of peace as well as times of war. These guides establish a self-control state and professional autonomy in their line of duty. Decisions within the military lay in four main foundation aspects which include values, beliefs, ethics, and character (Cartagena, 2017). They are the universal forces that result in sound decision making occuring, often times resulting in victorious battles. Unfortunately in the last 25-30 years the U. S military has suffered from a series of unethical behaviors ranging from the Tailhook scandal, questionable trips to England by Navy admirals and of course the Fat Leonard scandal which involved defrauding the United States Navy and U. Henceforth, to avoid these deceiving acts, there needs to be strict moral, ethics and values to govern the operations within the military.

Establishing these ethical standards within the military would help in guiding the leaders while they make pronounced decisions. Making complete choices in vital instances calls for both moral and ethical considerations from leaders. Values and beliefs among the military leaders give them the authority to continue with their duties. As individuals perceive ethics differently, there are commonalities between their senses of ethical considerations. Through their approach to ideologies, military personals are able to earn the loyalty and trust from the public who has given them the privilege and mandate to exercise their powers for their defense. The character they portray towards the citizens makes them receive honor and applause towards their duties. Therefore, an upright morally department would be respected and hailed by the public on their efforts and duties.

Public support comes with great perception for ethical codes. Therefore, it is the duty of the military leaders to ensure the existing and newly selected military personals show great pursuit for ethical and moral codes in their duties. They are entitled to the safety of one another by ensuring they protect one another. As stated in Hebrews 13:1 “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters”, officers on duty should keep an eye to their friends for safety. Therefore, when moral codes are instilled into the officers in the military, they would exercise their duties as expected and stipulated in their ethical standards. Thus, there needs a good persistence among the military forces to ensure their actions are guided and as per the moral codes and ethical standards.

Although humanity might be overruling to some decisions, ethical codes might overrule their nature to enhance the operations of the military forces. Making decisions calls for ignorance of the risks and dangers involves and aspiring for the success. However, a decision that saves as many lives as possible has to be considered. Therefore, although the two norms contradict each other the strength of one's character outlaws the risks involved. A sound ethical background shapes an individual's character thus an intense experience to base one's decisions making strategies. Ethics guide a military leader while using their power for the overall betterment of the society and the nation at large regardless of the sacrifices engaged. Credits should be given to the subordinates who executed the task in achieving the results.

Therefore, through ethical standards, leaders would be able to give credits to their subordinates thus being a motivational strategy for them. Motivated juniors are capable of facing the future task with great enthusiasm aiming for success. Not only does giving credits give them motivation but also giving them incentives such as allowances and promotions. Such rewards include good conduct medals, recognition ribbons, efficiency awards, Meritorious Unit Commendations, Presidential Unit Citations among others. Consequently, as they plan their operations, superiors and subordinates promise to one another various duty based assurances that they are all able to fulfill and keep. Leadership hierarchies in the military are as well a block to their effectiveness where there is a lack of ethical considerations in their line of operations (Kucera, 2017).

Therefore, through the introduction of a useful moral norm, both the seniors and the juniors can correlate with one another harmoniously. This would be a move to prevent arising different between the officers in the military leading to misuse of power. Misuse of power in the military is highly likely to prevail among the seniors due to conflicts of interests. Aspects of moral standards prevail through ethical considerations while making decisions. Thus, establishing ethical procedures within the military would help in aligning the officers to maintain a decent course of action during intense moments in the path of their duty. During change moments, there is the rare course of operations to follow due to complex conflicts arising from the dominant forces.

Therefore, leaders with a prepared approach to action can maneuver consistently. Thus, established ethical programs within the military are a critical aspect in decision making during the corrective periods that gives rise to different leadership skills. Therefore, ethics within the military is the key to a successful and effective military evolution. There is much to say in favor of the virtue ethics within the military department. As much as there are broader approaches to specific virtues within the military ethics, some have resulted in the neglect of critical military virtues. As changes take place within the military, there are virtues lost in the process where new techniques are acquired and enforced into the system. However, lacking to understand the transition would lead to conflicts among the leaders and the subordinates.

Moreover, success is achieved through hardships. Thus, there are challenges and threats that many try to avoid but fight for the achievement. Through this, they always end up engaging shortcuts in their endeavors to make it in their duties. Therefore, failing to incorporate moral and ethical codes in their maneuvers makes them look for success alternatives such as recruitments into the military force. Therefore, to regenerate the military power, ethical decision techniques would be essential in helping the officers involved take the proper procedures in their duties. Seniors who fail to respect their juniors demotivates them making them feel frustrated with the form of leadership within their jurisdictions. Frustrated subordinates in the military are non-performers due to lack of a motivation to honor their duties.

Therefore, through ethical and moral stands, seniors can learn how to respect and motivate their juniors thus resulting in a successful and fruitful military force (Kucera, 2017). Achieving the most appealing and successful military power in the United States requires respectful military leaders to honor their duties and motivate their subordinates as they lead them into their responsibilities. Although some leaders might try to bring in moral codes that favor their moves and actions, an established ethical form of decision-making would hinder the introduction of new and biased ethics by the leaders. Concerns arising from the leadership patterns occur from lack of well-established and working moral and ethical standards within the military makes the juniors to act in favor of the seniors.

However, this deters the effectiveness of the force in action due to lack of proper and adequate expertise in decision-making. Biased and unqualified decisions are made to kowtow the will of the military seniors. Additionally, challenges from the twisted exhibition of power and ranks make it hard for the juniors to make their decisions due to a conflict of personal interests among the senior military leaders. Therefore, to eliminate such challenges in the military, there is a need to have a well-established ethical decision technique to make the military an ethically sound figure. Through such changes, it is easier to eliminate the challenges faced by military leaders while making critical decisions in their duties. According to Wortel & Bosch (2011), an understanding of the moral and ethical standards in their operations helps to deal with stressful situations in their duties.

Earlier knowledge of ethical codes results in greater acknowledgment of their impact on decision making where adherence to their norms occurs in more great decision-making techniques. Therefore, for the military leaders to be more acquainted with ethical and moral decision-making techniques for an ethically sound military, these standards would be introduced during the training period all through to their assigned duties. Ethics should be a routine in the military for effective decision-making platforms. A new generation of morally and ethically sound military would enhance their effectiveness in assigned duties. Arising issues due to lack of ethics acquaintance among the military leaders would also be eliminated which acts as a block towards military success and performances. Technologically, the military has been advancing from time to time, which has been calling for a more ethical and morally right leaders to head the department.

Morally, despite being technologically superior, there calls for humility and humbleness towards the inferior states and nations. Respect for one another is mutual regardless of technology advancements. Therefore, establishing ethical codes in the military would help in promoting respect and equality among the different participants and members in the military. Respect for gender and the minority results to national cohesion and liberty. As stated by D'Amico (1998), sexual assaults in the military have been because of deteriorated moral standards in the military. Therefore, to avoid such cases, there need to be a well formulated and working ethical code in the military force. According to Zero tolerance for sexual harassment in navy and marine corps. , & Molewijk, B. Moral dilemmas in a military context.