Why is obedience important in the military

Aristotle would certainly agree. While systematically breaking down the concept of individuality and re-building the trait of teamwork, we also inculcate the trait of Obedience via various means. We create situations designed to simulate the Clausewitzian fog and friction of war.

We thereby rhetorically explain our actions in a quick, fell swoop that often never gets justified except by the revered and often reiterated, yet mystical, claim that Obedience is justified because it is necessary in the military environment. We, as intelligent humans, are left in doubt, without time to ponder over the issue…. Believing this is the case leads to significant problems in the military. The constant repression of subordinate autonomy by either individual superiors, or the nature of the system itself, makes its presence known in many ways: officer and enlisted candidates leave the military before signing on [6] , disgruntled active duty members fail to renew their oaths, and on a more common basis, military members complain about the misuse of authority and thereby question the authority of orders, sometimes to superiors directly and other times to compatriots.

The effects of individual and group misuse are transferred via subordinate cynicism and skepticism to other impressionable subordinates thereby infecting the military system in alarming ways which are often difficult to trace to these concrete events. Our eyes are naturally adapted to see large movements before noticing smaller ones. We must train our intellect to focus on the smaller, yet insidious, misuses of Obedience.

The cause of this tension is worth highlighting. Whether to follow clearly illegal or obviously legal orders is not problematic. For Obedience to work properly, superiors and the military system as a whole must be trusted to at least, not be immoral. Both succeed the more they are trusted. The problem is that the daily misuse of authority to obedience eats away at our faith in the system. Over time it slowly causes us to question obedience and to become more concerned with autonomously certifying the morality of orders — even simple ones.

First, we question whether something terribly wrong is being done. Using fear to motivate soldiers to overcome this tension is not optimal, nor is it necessary. Historically, this difficulty has been dealt with by claiming that the value of following orders, even immoral but legal ones, far outweighs the effects of questioning all these cases.

Based upon a weighing mechanism of sorts, we continue to support the system in spite of problems. Even to our own detriment. Unfortunately, we are training our members to bear incredible burdens before acting.

Second, on a systematic, level, that the nature of the military system often cannot support moral authority — especially at training institutions. I believe that these two problems account for much of the negative effects mentioned earlier. And third, that we should increasingly value individual autonomy and responsible decision making when re-working these types of problems.

First, unless we want to continue to degrade the effectiveness of the military system, we must recognize the special responsibility order givers have in carrying out their missions. Obedience is not always required through intense habitualization. It is far overrated in this way. Where it is required, where it is necessary, obedience is justifiably demanded and we ought to explain this to subordinates.

But the standard line defending its use based upon the horrors of war, and the fog and friction which causes men to run screaming without disciplined obedience is far too hyperbolized.

A couple of years ago, my wife, a cardiac care nurse, and I were first on scene at a terrible car versus dump truck accident. She ran to the scene without hesitation. Stress levels were high and people were screaming. There was blood on a motionless body in the car and an omnipresent sense of death in the air. Time was of the essence. My wife quickly assessed the situation and announced that she was a medical professional.

While stepping over broken glass, pushing metal aside and getting in position to attempt resuscitation, she ordered bewildered bystanders to call , get supplies, and manage traffic. With a brief, yet simple, explanation of her status, her authority was clear and people moved. Nor had they been trained to have an internalized sense of obedience. What they did have was the sense and the special ability to recognize that being obedient was the right thing to do in that situation.

Military officers have that same understanding of what the right thing to do it, and the same desire to fulfill their duty. They also have the ability to know when not to question orders and when to follow them. Additionally, reinforcing an atmosphere of mistrust creates additional unnecessary roadblocks. The United States military is not an immoral organization designed to carry out the force of National policy without regard for loss of life and limb.

Nor is it a tool for exercising the Realist claim that might makes right. Insofar as we respect the principles of Just War as a nation, we ought to concentrate on demanding responsibility for decision-making by expanding subordinate autonomy. Long-term effects Five to six years after the bombings, the incidence of leukaemia increased noticeably among survivors. After about a decade, survivors began suffering from thyroid, breast, lung and other cancers at higher than normal rates. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Why is obedience important in the military? Ben Davis May 29, Why is obedience important in the military? What is it called when you disobey an order? Is the German army still called the Wehrmacht? What was the difference between SS and regular German army? The situation in Abu Ghraib was a naturally occurred when military police were put into a position of authority over the prisoners. In March the American army went to war in Iraq.

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