Military Review English Edition March-April 2014 | Page 59

ETHICS EDUCATION

to alert students to these lures and how they may
skew their judgment.
While the best combat planning in ideal circumstances is susceptible to miscalculation, escalation, mission creep, and unintended consequences,
the irregular warfare typical of the current fight
compounds the amorphous challenges for leaders, challenges which cannot be fully foreseen.12
Compounding the challenge to the military is
the demand to do more with less due to shrinking budgets—that is, to be more efficient while
remaining effective. How does the leader cope
with these increasing complexities while maintaining the trust of both soldiers and the public?
Such challenges call for a strong moral compass,
understood by leaders in cooperation with allies
to help maintain the balance between completing
missions efficiently and ethically.13
There is good reason for leaders to impose an
ethical working environment on their commands.
Several recent surveys reveal that a vast major-

ity of business employees preferred working for
companies with ethical business practices and
were even prepared to accept less compensation.
Further, it was decisively found that the most
effective workers are those who feel they are not
just doing a job but are performing something that
reflects who they are. They work harder and stay
longer in their positions.14 It is the objective of
leaders to attract and retain this kind of motivated
and dedicated soldier to their command. An effective ethical platform for a leader’s command will
attract those that identify with it.
The speed of Internet news capabilities also
creates its challenges. Decisions must be made
with new immediacy. Moreover, much so-called
news is not filtered through responsible editorial
authority but is immediately broadcast over the
Internet, not fact-checked, possibly misleading,
or even staged. An effective ethical environment
discourages soldiers from paying attention to such
sources.

The National Defense University 2011-2012 academic year kicked off with a convocation ceremony for students and faculty. The ceremony
took place on the front steps of Roosevelt Hall, home of the National War College. (DOD, Katie Lewis, James Lewis, and Mark Meleski)
MILITARY REVIEW

March-April 2014

57