Military Ethics in Reporting Information MSG, Exams of Ethics

Download Military Ethics in Reporting Information MSG and more Exams Ethics in PDF only on Docsity!

Running head: MILITARY ETHICS

Military Ethics in Reporting Information MSG Timothy S. Russelburg M SGM Richard B. Adams, Jr.

Military Ethics "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying and if you get caught you ain’t trying hard enough." Every one of us has heard this saying, or one like it, at one point or another during our lifetime, but does anyone honestly believe this type of statement to be true? Before we answer in relation to the Soldiers in the military, we must look at the definition of ethics. The Merriam- Webster dictionary states ethics is, “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation” (Merriam-Webster, 2007). Ethics exists in two types good and bad. Military ethics is, like ethical standards for other professions, applied ethics. Applied ethics is a subset of ethics generally. Some ethical rules and moral values receive more emphasis in certain professions because of their unique services to society. But all of these special obligations emanate from our more general moral principles regarding respect for human dignity, promise keeping, honesty, and our quest for a just society. Even though most of us are taught right from wrong from birth, most humans acquire ethics through values and perspectives. It is our duty as non-commissioned officers to ensure Soldiers receive proper ethical training and practice good ethics in every part of their daily activities. Let’s take a look at where people can find solid references for ethical behavior.

In many different arenas in the military, monitoring statistics is the way to evaluate training or performance as opposed to being on the ground for the whole training period. In certain units in TRADOC for example, basic rifle marksmanship is only evaluated by senior leaders through the “first time go rate” of that unit during an end of cycle after action review. The senior leaders created such a “you will have 80 percent first time go’s…” command climate that it placed undo ethical pressure on some of the company level leaders. The belief by some

Units across the board, after the terrorists’ attacks of 911, then re-evaluated the reports and then reported lower levels. Were leaders just reporting what they thought someone wanted to hear or were they afraid to accurately report their status for the fear of looking bad? Were the leaders rewarded with good evaluations because they kept the status quo and reported what other people wanted to hear? At what point does this become unethical and integrity should overcome? Readiness reporting for equipment can go actually deeper down the wrong path. Occasionally vehicles, aircraft, and other high value end items are cannibalized for parts in order to get other pieces of equipment into operation. Does this practice report the actual status of the unit to the higher command? Does this action create an ethical situation if it was created by someone other than the command authority? Is the practice of doctoring the paperwork acceptable to make something look better? If that information is inaccurate or incomplete, the decision may be faulty. The decision may be faulty even if the information is accurate and complete, but it is more likely to be faulty if the information is inaccurate and incomplete. Information provided to superiors and subordinates must be accurate and complete for proper decision making. Integrity should provide most of the answers or do people only tell the truth on the witness stand? When our leaders and subordinates fail to do what we know is right ethically, a caring Soldier certainly takes it to heart. A solid and dedicated Soldier is a professional characterized by the seven Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. In a 2004 Gallup Poll, the United States expressed confidence in the military by ranking the military as the third most honest and ethical professionals (“Nurses top”, 2004). The military was beat out by nurses and pharmacists. Considering the moral fiber of most Soldiers,

the ethical training, and the instilment of the seven Army core values, the American Soldier stands out amongst his peers morally and ethically.