Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium
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Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium Applying the Professional Military Ethic Across the Spectrum of Operations Symposium Report Fort Leavenworth, Kansas November 7-10, 2011 Edited by Mark H. Wiggins and Chaplain (Maj.) Larry Dabeck Sponsored by the Command and General Staff College Foundation, Inc. Special thanks to our key corporate sponsor Other supporting sponsors include: Published by the CGSC Foundation Press 100 Stimson Ave., Suite 1149 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027 Copyright © 2012 by CGSC Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. www.cgscfoundation.org Papers included in this symposium proceedings book were originally submitted by military officers and other subject matter experts to the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The CGSC Foundation/CGSC Foundation Press makes no claim to the authors’ copyrights for their individual work. Layout and design by Mark H. Wiggins MHW Public Relations and Communications iv Contents Joint Ethics Development Initiative: Enhancing Ethical Performance ......................................... 1 Dr. Deane-Peter Baker The Moral Crisis of the Just War Tradition ................................................................................... 9 Dr. Daniel Bell Resolving the Professional Identity Crisis ................................................................................... 25 Maj. Danny Cazier Post-Cold War Geopolitics and the Relevance of the Just-War Tradition ................................... 35 Dr. Daryl Charles War is a Moral Force: Designing a More Viable Strategy for the Information Age .................. 49 MAJ Kevin Cutright, Mr. Peter D. Fromm & MAJ Douglas A. Pryer Leaders and Ethical Development: Lessons Learned .................................................................. 63 Dr. Joe Doty & SGM Jeff Fenlason Silent Voices: The New York Times and the Washington Post coverage of the Rwandan Genocide and the American Response ............................................................... 75 Maj. Vic Herbin The Strategic Communications Imperative, the Warrior Ethos, and the End of the U.S. Army’s Professional Military Ethic ........................................................ 93 Dr. Prisco Hernandez The Military Profession and Counter-Genocide Leadership: Establishing Professional Obligations and Standards ................................................................ 99 Mr. Michael Hoffman Far From Nuremberg ................................................................................................................. 107 Dr. Mark Hull The Combatant’s Life and Human Dignity ................................................................................ 115 Dr. Asa Kasher Weapons of Mass Destruction: Communicating Ethical Solutions ........................................... 129 Lt. Col. Andrew Kim, MD Risk, Liability and Fiduciary Relationships in the Profession of Arms ..................................... 145 Dr. Patrick Mileham The Dilemma of Competing Loyalties in the Profession of Arms .............................................. 159 Capt. Walter Sowden & SGM David Stewart Douglas MacArthur, Japanese Surrender, and the Efficacy of the Just War Tradition in the 21st Century .............................................................. 187 Lt. Col. Jeff Wilson, Ed.D. STRATCOM and Consequentialism in Darfur ........................................................................... 193 Maj. Stephen Wisniew v Enter the J.E.D.I. Enhancing Ethical Performance in the U.S. Military through Embedded Excellence by Deane-Peter Baker, Ph.D. United States Naval Academy ABStRACt In this paper I propose the creation of what I will here call the Joint Ethics Development Initiative (J.E.D.I.). The title is, of course, offered partially in jest, but the image of the Jedi warrior of the Star Wars saga is intentional. At the heart of the proposed initiative is the development of a new, rigorous and highly demanding qualification and associated training program. Graduates (J.E.D.I. warriors) will have demonstrated excellence in a range of capabilities necessary for success in today’s complex operational environments, but most centrally they will have demonstrated excellence of character and the capability to make clear, sound and well-reasoned ethical judgments under highly challenging conditions. The proposed qualification should be viewed as playing a similar role to that played by the U.S. Army’s Ranger qualification. It would indicate a special degree of competence and mark the bearer as someone to whom peers, superiors and subordinates can reliably turn to for guidance in that area of competence. Just as the Army’s Ranger program allows for the embedding of excellence in small unit leadership and tactics in units across the Army, the J.E.D.I. program would allow for the embedding of excellence in ethical awareness and judgment across the Joint Force. INtRODUCtION Wars not make one great. So says Jedi Grand Master Yoda to the impetuous young Luke Skywalker in Episode V of the Star Wars movie phenomenon, The Empire Strikes Back. It is perhaps the most important lesson that must be learned by those seeking to join the ranks of the Jedi, that class of warrior-monk which, though small in number, is so central to the military efforts, and perhaps more importantly to the self-identity, of the forces of the Galactic Republic and the Rebel Alliance. The idea of a distinct elite class of warrior fighting alongside, and embedded among, more traditional troops is of course not one that is unique to the intergalactic mythology of George Lucas’ creation. In the United States that roles is perhaps uniquely played by the U.S. Army Rangers. While the armed forces of the United States can rightfully boast of being home to many of the most elite military units in the world, it is only those who proudly bear the Ranger tab who can be found scattered throughout the fighting units of the U.S. Army, bringing with them what I will here call ‘embedded excellence’ in military skills. In this paper I will argue for the creation of a new initiative that, if adopted, will bring a different, but complementary, kind of embedded excellence into the units of the armed forces of the United States. Given the context of this conference, it will come as no surprise that the kind of excellence I have in mind is excellence in ethics. I will refer to the initiative I am here proposing as the Joint Ethics Development Initiative, or J.E.D.I. The title is offered partially in jest, but the image of the Jedi warrior of the Star Wars saga is intentional and heuristically useful. Before beginning to articulate the J.E.D.I. concept it is, of course, necessary to give some justification for its necessity. Seeing this begins with a recognition that the environments in which our warfighters today find themselves engaged are arguably unique in their complexity and degree of moral difficulty. Furthermore ethical challenges abound even beyond the theater of operations. 1 This is no great news – it is the reason that ethics is now a required subject in the service academies of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and in many equivalent institutions around the world. It is also the reason why we have seen a growing focus on military ethics at all levels of military education in the United States, including here at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. But while these developments are valuable and important, I think few here would argue that there is no more that could be done to help our forces to succeed ethically in the demanding environments in which they operate. The J.E.D.I. concept seeks to articulate a way of bringing ethical excellence out of the schoolhouse and embedding it into the very fabric of the units that together make up the Armed Forces of the United States of America. thE J.E.D.I. CONCEPt At the heart of the proposed initiative is the development of a new, rigorous and highly demanding qualification and associated training program. Graduates (J.E.D.I. warriors) will have demonstrated excellence in a range of capabilities necessary for success in today’s complex operational environments, but most centrally they will have demonstrated excellence of character and the capability to make clear, sound and well-reasoned ethical judgments under highly challenging conditions. The proposed qualification should be viewed as playing a similar role, but with a different focus, to that played by the U.S. Army’s Ranger qualification. It would indicate a special degree of competence and mark the bearer as someone to whom peers, superiors and subordinates can reliably turn to for guidance in that area of competence. Just as the Army’s Ranger program allows for the embedding of excellence in small unit leadership and tactics in units across the Army, the J.E.D.I. program would allow for the embedding of excellence in ethical awareness and judgment across the Joint Force. J.E.D.I. warriors would not only provide ethics- specific expertise, but would also serve as role-models and mentors for other members of their communities, contributing to a broadly Aristotelian model of moral development across the force. It is envisaged that the rigorous, specialized and demanding nature of the J.E.D.I. training and qualification regime will lead to those who earn the ‘J.E.D.I. warrior’ moniker taking that to be a central feature of their identities, in the same way that being a Ranger is almost always central to the identity of those who have earned the right to that title. Just