Why is integrity important in the military




















Inevitably, being open, honest, and authentic to yourself, you become a role model for everyone around you. Because integrity is the hallmark of ethical leadership. It shows everyone you can be trusted and respected.

Transfer NOW? Camden Blog Keep up with recent events and read more about the Camden experience. The profusion of reporting requirements demanded of these same leaders, and the tacit acceptance by senior leaders that reports will be false or inaccurate, undermines the very foundation of trust upon which Mission Command is built.

Within the Army, this may be the most dangerous consequence of this silent ethical breakdown — that trust is dissolved between leaders and led, between seniors and subordinates. Such evident hypocrisy among seniors can all too easily drive cynicism to replace critical trust, especially among junior officers.

But it is at the strategic level where the effects of this erosion of military ethics may be the most dangerous. To take one important example, Wong and Gerras were frequently told that the readiness assessments of partner forces in Iraq and Afghanistan were an example of ethical deception. These critically important assessments rated the ability of Iraqi and Afghan forces to fight on their own, without U. Yet these ratings usually depended more on the U. In other words, partner units received low ratings when a new U.

This rollercoaster annual cycle would almost seem comical were it not for the fact that U. This means that senior U. Thus, their decisions about whether the war should continue or end and at what pace U.

They describe an environment where these leaders are turning a blind eye to a tremendous problem that is in plain sight — and one that is obvious to every junior officer in their ranks.

Senior Army leaders are insisting on the highest standards of professionalism and ethical standards — the adherence to Army Values — while at the very same time demanding results that drive their junior leaders to lie as the only means of meeting an unachievable miasma of mandatory requirements. Wong and Gerras recommend that the Army needs to acknowledge the problem of preserving integrity in a culture that promotes dishonesty, exercise restraint in generating requirements, and lead truthfully by expecting no more from its leaders than can be actually accomplished.

But these recommendations do not go far enough. Their damning findings cry out for a top-to-bottom institutional soul-searching on the state of military ethics in an era of information and requirements overload.

This ethical crisis will not be resolved by another catchy program or new Pentagon office. It can only be addressed by strong senior level leadership, marked by candor and transparency. Junior officers deserve public acknowledgement of the irreconcilable ethical conflicts they confront daily and must participate in building the changes needed to reconcile these impossible tensions.

Their leaders must now demonstrate the moral courage to acknowledge the depth of this corrosive problem, to listen and seek advice from their subordinates, and to lead their force to a solution. Anything less will ultimately put the nation at risk by deeply eroding the foundations of its future strategic choices.

General David W. Barno, USA Ret. Their column appears in War on the Rocks every other Tuesday. Photo credit: The U. David Barno and Nora Bensahel. It seems obvious that integrity should be a trait every individual is hardwired with from birth. However, integrity is a thankless trait; nobody is around after all. An individual cannot expect someone to clap, to smile, to thank them, to do anything actually.

By definition, integrity should be something that is followed through with simply because an individual wishes to do what is correct, not because they expect accolades of any sort. In an Army unit, where every individual must be willing to trust someone next to them, even with their life, the ability to do what is right at all times is a necessity. Without integrity, an Army unit will cease to function in a cohesive manner.

How can any soldier be willing to look at a fellow soldier and trust they will help them in a time of need if the simple task of doing what is right is left out? At the same time, what is right? Can an amb I must be the standard-bearer. I must be beyond reproach. I must, at all times, conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the corps, the military service, and my country, regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I have recited a creed daily that embodies what makes an NCO.

I have lived by that creed and always placed the needs of my soldiers above my own. I have sacrificed in times when I should not have. I have made sure those around me are better off than myself whenever I was able. Get Access. Good Essays. Read More. Character, Morals, Integrity Words 2 Pages. Character, Morals, Integrity. Powerful Essays. Integrity in Leadership Words 4 Pages. Integrity in Leadership. Satisfactory Essays. Unequal But Not Separate.



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