Military ethics
I enjoyed today’s activities more than anything we’ve done thus far at Fort Leavenworth.
Maj. Brian Sole, of Lawton, goes over his notes during class at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Fort Leavenworth is the home of the Army’s Command and General Staff College, which trains Army majors for higher command. More than 1,000 majors, including some from other services and some from other countries, attend a 10-month course teaching them advanced leadership. They learn everything from military history to geopolitics. If you didn’t look at the signs, you’d never know you were on an Army base. It looks more like a college campus than a military garrison.
Today, we embedded with students at the college. I sat in on a class including an Oklahoman, Maj. Brian Sole, of Lawton. Sole and a dozen other majors were discussing ethics. They covered different ethical models, including theories by such thinkers as Immanual Kant. They watched clips from HBO’s John Adams miniseries, identifying the ethical models used in several scenes in which Adams, an attorney, contemplates whether to defend the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.
The instructor was Douglas Stephenson, a professor of leadership who served 28 years as an Army officer. Stephenson gave the students an ethical case study from his own experience as a new battalion commander. On Stephenson’s first day as commander, a female private came into his office and reported that her sergeant wouldn’t keep his hands off her. After a thorough investigation, the case came down to he-said, she-said. No one could cooroborate the sworn statements of either party. Stephenson’s military lawyer, a judge advocate general, recommended doing nothing. But Stephenson couldn’t live with doing nothing.
The class discussed options. Moving either the private or her sergeant seemed a consensus, but moving either of them could cause problems. On the one hand, you don’t want the appearance that you are punsihing a female soldier for coming forward with a harassment complaint. On the other, you don’t want sergeants thinking they can be punished on a mere accusation with no proof of guilt.
Another option the class identified included refresher courses on harassment for the entire battalion. Stephenson’s ultimate course of action was inventive and won approval from most of the class. He used Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which allows commanders to discipline soldiers for minor offenses without going through a judicial process. Soldiers disciplined under Article 15 can request a court martial if they want to challenge the commander’s decision. Stephenson called both the private and her sergeant into his office and told them that based on their sworn statements, one of them was lying. He had disciplinary papers drawn up for both of them. He asked the private if she would take a polygraph, and she agreed. The sergeant sought legal council and was advised not to take the polygraph. He agreed anyway, after Stephenson told him that a polygraph that confirmed the private’s story would result in discipline. The polygraphs both showed the private was telling the truth. She wasn’t disciplined. Although the polygraphs were not admissiable for legal proceedings, the sergeant was kicked out of the unit, and a reprimand from Stephenson was put on his permanent record.
The action won Stephenson the trust of his female enlisted soldiers and sent an immediate message that sexual harassment would not be tolerated under his command. He took a risk. If the sergeant refused to take the polygraph and challenged his punishment, Stephenson might have had a hard time justifying his decision with no evidence.
This scenario illustrated many of the situations the majors might encounter in their military careers. Ethical decisions are easy to make when the issue is black and white. Shades of gray are where the problems arise, and senior leaders need to know how to think through cases where there may not be a clear cut right or wrong decision. It was nice to see the future senior leaders of our military having an honest, open discussion about the issues.
Special thanks to the members of the class who let me sit and observe and who eagerly answered all my questions.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
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Comments
These type of opportunities are key for our Army to get our story out to the American people. In light of the current trend of publishing only the most “eye-catching” or shocking news stories, this type of story if refreshing. Some of the most important things the Army is doing, especially related to our education may seem mundane or irrelevant to the on-going conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, changes to and the focus on educating the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines is the key to our eventual success. The experience we’ve gained over the last eight years and the training we’ve adapted to fit those conflicts is only as good as our ability to understand the environment we are in and the ability to adapt to ever-changing conditions. Our education is what tells us we have the right experience and are conducting the right training. Thank you Mr. Dean for taking your time to spend the day with us out here at Fort Leavenworth and posting this story. Lastly, I’d like to thank the American people for their continued support for those of us serving in the military. I am often overwhelmed by the support my family and I receive from family, friends, and even strangers.
Bryan, it is always great to have an embedded reporter to help get military stories out. I appreciated your participation and contributions to our discussions. Ethics are ethics. Your strong personal views of media ethics helped me as military officer to have more trust and confidence in the press. Continued positive interaction between our institutions (media and military) will foster better relationships and help us get beyond our preconceived notions of one another. The media is one of the most powerful ways that the military connects with the people we support and defend. Today, less than 0.5% of the US population is serving on active duty. When the military is called, we want the other 99.5% of the country to be 110% behind us. Thank you for your service and keep up the good work.
One of the topics this article covers is the reaction of the commander to a sexual harrassment complaint being brought to his attention on the first day of his command. The complex thought process that the instructor employed to determine appropiate action is not uncommon. Many of the officers attending the Command and General Staff College will be confronted with similar dilemmas, within months or possibly even weeks of graduation. This is a prime example of how the college curriculum is focused to prepare these officers for higher levels of command.
Thanks for the comments, guys. And thanks so much for giving me your time and being so open with me. I have to get back there and do an entire week sitting in at the college at some point.
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This was a very positive interaction with media in my opinion. Having Mr. Dean in class and actively participating with the group provided an informed outside opinion that greatly enhanced the group discussion.