Ethical Issues in the Army: Whistleblowing and Loyalty Whistleblowing, especially in the Army, is a complicated ethical issue that involves loyalty, duty, and moral obligation to report. Whistleblowing is the art of revealing improper, immoral, unethical, or illegal behavior within the organization (Martin, n.d.). Whistleblowing challenges the firmly established principles of loyalty and obedience in Army culture. Whistleblowing has a negative stigma associated with it; therefore, many individuals are scared to execute their moral obligation to report unethical behaviors because of fear of reprisals or ostracism by the team. Utilization of three distinct ethical lenses assists with the ethical dilemma surrounding whistleblowing in the Army. The lenses are principles, consequences, and virtue-based ethics …show more content…
The ethical conflict inherent in whistleblowing is not merely a matter of choosing between competing loyalties but, more fundamentally, a question of aligning personal and professional conduct with the highest ethical standards. Embracing Whistleblowers: The Army can rectify Soldiers’ willingness to report unethical behaviors if they change the negativity associated with whistleblowing. Soldiers are not willing to or are reluctant to report improprieties because they fear retaliation or exorcism from their leadership, fellow Soldiers, or the entire organization. If the leaders normalize whistleblowing and demonstrate support for whistleblowers by advertising it openly to the organization, individuals will be more willing to address issues they are knowledgeable about occurring within the organization. Leaders can also provide multiple options for whistleblowing, such as third party, internal, and external avenues to execute a report of unethical