Bowie State University

Ethics as an Army Officer

Richard Collins
Leadership and Supervision
Dr. Moore
May 11, 2015

Acknowledgement:
I am thankful to all of my mentors both military and civilian mentors whom have helped me develop during my college career. Most importantly to the Bowie State Military Science department. As well as Doctor Moore for assigning the task of preparing this term paper for which I choose the topic of Ethical Leadership and morality in the Military.

Contents:
1.INTRODUCTION
2.WHAT IS ETHICS IN THE ARMY?
3.INTRAPERSONAL ETHICS IN THE ARMY
4.EXTRAPERSONAL ETHICS IN THE ARMY
5.PERSONAL APPLICATION/CLOSING
6. REFERENCES

1.INTRODUCTION.
Being a Morally and Ethically sound Officer in the United States Army is a task that encompasses every element of one's life. It not only is important to not only display these values during the work day but as well as during personal hours. If one is not able to hold themselves to a high moral standard at all times they cannot be reasonably expected to ask the same of others.
The Army Leadership structure is about having the trust and respect of subordinates and obeying the orders of superiors. When that trust and respect is lacking the Army is not able to achieve its goals and meet the standards set before it.
Ethics are regarded as crucial in the external self­presentation and public perception of one’s self. Conversely in the United States Army Soldiers live by the values of the warrior ethos and are encouraged to use it as a litmus test for all of their actions. The warrior ethos reads as follows "I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade". All soldiers hold these words in high esteem but for an Officer in the United States Army they must extend into every fiber of their being. Throughout American
History great military Officers have all been individuals whom these words rang true for. In addition to being highly proficient in their disciplines and tactically ferocious they all possessed upstanding moral character. Men Such as George S. Patton, John J. Pershing, and Audie Murphy all answered their country's call to arms and did so with dignity, poise, and authority.

2.WHAT IS ETHICS IN THE ARMY?
Ethics is a term with many definitions for many different groups of people. Many people believe ethics has to be a set of social conventions or a religious decree. Philosophical ethics can be defined as the study of what is right and wrong. Philosophical ethics concerns itself with discovering a system one may use to determine who or what is good, or with evaluating systems that others have proposed. These ideals do not deviate far from the Army designated definition.
However in the United States Army ethics are simply defined as "doing what is right, both legally and morally." A Commissioned Officer in the United States Army is responsible for both the lives of subordinates as well as millions of dollars of equipment and protecting the freedoms that are enjoyed by all citizens of the United States of America. The opportunities to deviate from what is morally and ethically right are numerous as an Army Officer and could have repercussions that range from the loss of life to increasing the already burgeoning national debt. 3. INTERPERSONAL ETHICS OF THE ARMY OFFICER.
The tenants of the warrior ethos “I will never quit, I will never accept defeat” are paramount for interpersonal ethics as an Army Officer. As an officer in the United States Army it is expected that you be a subject matter expert in your functional area but also be in impeccable physical condition. As was mentioned previously it cannot reasonably be expected for an officer to order his subordinate to do something he is not capable of doing himself. This means that it is the ethical responsibility for the