The Department of the Navy

The Department of the Navy oversees the Navy and the Marine Corps. The Department of the Navy has located the Navy Ethics Compass website under the Legal Community of the Navy. I expected to find more information on the Department of the Navy’s ethics training program but I was only able to access the limited information on the public side of the website. The Department of the Navy (DON) Ethics website requires a Common Access Card to access this website.  

The Department of the Navy Core Values Charter (n.d.) lists three main values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment. The one-page charter lists several bullet points under each main value which describes the actions associated with each value. Several bullet points under Honor coincide with APA Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility and APA Principle C: Integrity. The four Courage bullet points align with APA Principle D: Justice. The Commitment bullet points address areas covered in APA Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence and Principle E: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity ("Department," n.d.).  

I reviewed the 55 PowerPoint slides of the 2012 Annual Ethics Training on the Home page of the Navy Ethics Compass website. The focus of the training is on ethical behavior associated with post-government employment, fund-raising, speaking, teaching, and political activity. While these areas of ethics are applicable for senior officers, I found the training not relevant to the average sailor and marine. A common theme in the training is that ethical questions should be addressed to the Ethics Counselor. While visiting an ethics counselor may be appropriate in some circumstances, soldiers and marines should know what constitutes ethical behavior and be able to take immediate and appropriate actions in daily circumstances. The Home page also included the 2011 Annual Ethics Training, but I did not review those 65 slides.  

The Navy’s Code of Ethics (10 November 2005) states:  

DO

·         Place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain.

·         Act impartially to all groups, persons, and organizations.

·         Give an honest effort in the performance of your duties.

·         Protect and conserve Federal property.

·         Disclose fraud, waste, and abuse, and corruption to appropriate authorities.

·         Fulfill in good faith your obligations as citizens, and pay your Federal, State, and local taxes.

·         Comply with all laws providing equal opportunity to all persons, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap.

DO NOT

·         Use nonpublic information to benefit yourself or anyone else.

·         Solicit or accept gifts from persons or parties that do business with or seek official action from DOD (unless permitted by an exception).

·         Make unauthorized commitments or promises that bind the government.

·         Use Federal property for unauthorized purposes.

·         Take jobs or hold financial interests that conflict with your government responsibilities.

·         Take actions that give the appearance that they are illegal or unethical. 

The Navy’s Code of Ethics and The Navy Ethics Compass website do address similar standards to the APA Ethics Code. However, the Navy’s Code of Ethics is not as structured or defined as the APA Ethics Code. The Navy Ethics Compass website includes a Reporting Unethical Conduct page that complies with APA Standard 1.05 Reporting Ethical Violations ("Reporting," n.d.). There is also an OPNAV Ethics Guidance page dated August 2008 on the website but the seven documents listed on the page are topics relevant to flag officers.  

The site includes a statement from the Secretary of the Navy on ethics. An excerpt from the Secretary of the Navy Statement on Ethics released in 2007 states,

“No organization, however, especially one as large and geographically widespread as ours, maintains excellence in ethics without constant vigilance, good training and education, and a willingness to make the tough call because it’s the right thing to do.”

 

The Department of the Navy has established core values and a basic code of ethics. The values and code of ethics are important principles that need to be taught to all Naval and Marine Corps personnel in ways that will apply to their workplace interactions.  

 

References

 

Drew, J. (2011). Becoming an ethical warrior [Image]. Downloaded from:  http://www.dvidshub.net/image/380289/becoming-ethical-warrior

 

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (2012). 2012 Annual ethics training presented by the Office of the Assistant General Counsel (Ethics) [Powerpoint]. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/content/2012training/training.html

 

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (n.d.). Department of the Navy core values charter. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/content/corevaluescharter.aspx

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (2005). Navy code of ethics. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/content/codeofethics.aspx

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (2008). OPNAV ethics guidance. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/content/opnavethicsguidance.aspx

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (n.d.). Reporting unethical conduct. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/content/reporting.aspx

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (2007). Secretary of the Navy statement on ethics. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/content/secnavmsgstatement.aspx

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy. (n.d.). The ethics compass. Retrieved from: http://ethics.navy.mil/Default.aspx 

The United States Army

The Army core values form the acronym Leadership: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage ("The Army Values," n.d.). These principles guide the ethical standards of the Army. Every Army trainee is taught the seven core values. Soldiers are given a basic description of what those values mean. The ADRP1 – The Army Profession (2013) lists several creeds and codes that apply to different segments of the Army population. The Army’s CAPE program builds on the Army’s core values and teaches those principles to the Army population.   

The CAPE program addresses ethics and professionalism in the Army’s civilian, enlisted, and leadership populations.  The CAPE website contains training and supplemental material resources.  The Education and Training portion of the site contains online training support packages, seven virtual simulators, case studies, and other training materials. The Library and Resources segments of the site contain policies, reports, studies, reading lists, videos, images, brochures, other related materials, and links ("Center," 2013).

I went through the virtual simulator Backbone of the Army.  Live actors portrayed all the individuals in the simulation program. The simulator introduced my character through a brief history of my personal and professional status. I was a married promotable sergeant with an assignment at a new stateside duty station. My character interacted with his military and civilian roles. I was presented with multiple real-life situations. After the presentation of the dilemma, a decision screen would interrupt the video to present four options. Choosing an option would restart the video and play through the choice and subsequent consequences of that choice ("Backbone," 2013).

My character faced several ethical challenges during the half-hour session which covered several weeks of his virtual life. The first decision involved rumors about a fellow sergeant who was wearing a Ranger tab without the appropriate orders. My response to this situation was guided by Ethical Standards 3.04 Avoiding Harm and 1.04 Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations. I chose to discuss the situation with the sergeant and reminded him of the regulations about wearing the tab without the accompanying orders.  

I also faced a choice between family obligations and a social interaction with other platoon leaders. Ethical Standards 3.04 Avoiding Harm and 3.09 Cooperation with Other Professionals guided my decision in this choice. A third dilemma involved the discovery of confidential papers behind a shredder that were logged as destroyed. Ethical Standard 1.05 guided my response to this discovery although I was unaware of the Army policies regarding this type of situation. I was guided by Ethical Standards 1.07 Improper Complaints and 7.06 Assessing Student and Supervisee Performance when I addressed the rumors and the misplaced confidential documents with a soldier under my authority. Additional choices involved issues of privacy and confidentiality and human relations. My virtual life concluded with my character’s promotion ceremony ("Backbone," 2013).

At the conclusion of the virtual simulator, a four-page review document detailed my dilemmas and my decisions. Under each dilemma, there were comments, questions, and additional information regarding my choices. I thought the simulator was outstanding and an excellent way to teach the ethical standards. The ethical dilemmas were appropriate, the options were applicable, and the discussion and information during the simulation review addressed many additional questions and situations ("Backbone," 2013).

The Army’s CAPE program utilizes many innovative forms of training and provides extensive military ethics references. However, I was disappointed that I was not able to locate a single core document that contains the ethics material. Perhaps the diverse vocations represented in the Army preclude the ability the creation of a single concise standard of principles and standards similar to the APA Ethics Code.  

References

 

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army. (2013). ADRP 1 - The Army profession. Retrieved from: http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp1.pdf 

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army. (2013). Backbone of the Army [Virtual Simulator]. Retrieved from: http://cape.army.mil/Virtual%20Simulators/backbone.php

 

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army. (2013). Center for the Army Profession and Ethic. Retrieved from: http://cape.army.mil

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army. (2013). Moral combat [Poster]. Downloaded from: http://cape.army.mil/posters.php 

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army. (n.d.). The Army values. Retrieved from: http://www.army.mil/values/

 

Introduction

United States military personnel face numerous situations which involve ethical decisions. Combat duties can require quick, life-or-death choices that can have widespread implications. Other military duties involve troop welfare and the control of extensive financial and material resources. Service unit members and leaders require clear ethical guidelines to guide their choices and influence their behavior.

The military is not a single entity and there is no central military source supplying the ethics codes and training for US Military members. There are five main branches of the Armed Forces which contain active and reserve units ("Military Service Branches," 2013). The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps trace their history back to 1775 ("Army," 2004; "Navy," n.d.; "History & heritage," 2013). The Coast Guard evolved from five different services dating back to 1789 and the Air Force began as a division in the Army in 1907 ("U. S. Coast Guard," 2012; "History – missions," 2013).

The five military service branches are under different government agencies. The Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force are under the authority of the Department of Defense (DoD) ("Organization," 2012). The Department of Defense General Counsel maintains a Standards of Conduct Office (SOCO) and is the DoD Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) which “oversees the ethics and standards of conduct programs throughout DoD” ("SOCO online," 2013).

The DoD established a Joint Ethics Regulation (JER) in 1993 which identifies the ethical standards and behavior for military and civilian employees. The regulation is continually amended and updated as changes are approved ("DoD 55007-R," 2011). In addition, each service branch has implemented service-specific programs to identify their branch-specific standards and train their personnel in those standards.

 The Coast Guard is generally under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security but the Coast Guard is transferred to the Navy and the Department of Defense during times of war.  The Department of Homeland Security abides by the policies listed in the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch ("Standards," 2011). The Coast Guard has a 98 page Standards of Conduct Manual which outlines the Coast Guard ethics program ("Standards," 2002).

As I previously stated, there is no joint military organization that supplies the ethical values and training for the five branches of the military.  The International Society for Military Ethics (ISME) began in 1979 as “an organization of military professionals, academics and others formed to discuss ethical issues relevant to the military” (ISME, 2011). The organization was originally incorporated as the Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics (JSCOPE). The JSCOPE Board voted in 2005 to change the organization’s name to ISME and incorporated as a non-profit organization dedicated to “professional military ethics” (ISME, 2011).  

ISME's goals are to:

·         1. Provide a forum for the discussion and exchange of ideas relating to professional military ethics.

·         2. Foster the rigorous and systematic analysis of military issues of ethical significance.

·         3. Clarify the ethical norms and related behavioral expectations which should guide and constrain the conduct of military professionals.

·         4. Enhance the quality of military ethics instruction.

·         5. Afford service commanders informed, timely analyses of the ethical impact of military service practices.  (ISME, 2011).

This blog will look at the current ethics codes, programs and training for each military branch and seek to identify the common core values and training practices in each branch of service.

References

ISME. (2011). The International Society for Military Ethics (ISME) (Formerly the Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics--JSCOPE) history, structure and purpose. Retrieved from: http://isme.tamu.edu/General/hist.html

U.S. Department of Defense. (2012). Organization of the Department of Defense (DoD). Retrieved from: http://odam.defense.gov/omp/Functions/Organizational_Portfolios/Organization_and_Functions_Guidebook.html

U.S. Department of Defense, Standards of Conduct Office. (2011). DoD 55007-R, The joint ethics regulation, including changes 1-7. http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/ethics_regulation/

U.S. Department of Defense, Standards of Conduct Office. (2013). SOCO online. Retrieved from: http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/

U.S. Department of Defense, Today’s Military. (2013). Military service branches. Retrieved from: http://www.todaysmilitary.com/service-branches

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force. (2013). History - missions part one: From the Signal Corps to the Air Corps. Retrieved from: http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/history/part1/

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army. (2004). Army birthdays. Retrieved from: http://www.history.army.mil/faq/branches.htm

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps. (2013) History & heritage timeline. Retrieved from: http://www.marines.com/history-heritage/timeline

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Naval History and Heritage Command. (n.d.) Navy birthday information -13 October 1775. Retrieved from: http://www.history.navy.mil/birthday.htm

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Coast Guard. (2002). Standards of conduct manual, COMDTINST M5370.8. Retrieved from: http://www.uscg.mil/directives/cim/5000-5999/CIM_5370_8B.pdf

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Coast Guard. (2012). U. S. Coast Guard: A historical overview. Retrieved from: http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_uscghistory.asp

U.S. Office of Government Ethics. ( 2011). Standards of ethical conduct for employees of the Executive Branch. Retrieved from: http://www.oge.gov/Laws-and-Regulations/Employee-Standards-of-Conduct/Employee-Standards-of-Conduct/