Trust In The Army Essay

The Army is both a military department of government and a military profession. This dual nature is essential to the Army in its mission. However, it is the American people’s trust and confidence in the Army as an ethical profession that grants it the autonomy to exercise the disciplined initiative critical to carrying out missions . Thus, trust is a bedrock of the Army profession, and the attributes of U.S. Army professionalism foster it. Army officers should always have an introspective view of the attributes of U.S. Army professionalism to see where we are and how to improve.

In terms of tactical and technical competencies, Army leaders are getting results. However, Army leaders are not honest in their reports. Another aspect is that Army

Researchers at the U.S. Army War College published an article saying: “Inaccurate reporting—rampant throughout the Army and perceived by every grade level sampled from O-2 through O-7—is significant.” Another captain, at the height of the Vietnam War, stated: “It’s necessary today, to lie, cheat, and steal to meet the impossible demands of higher officers, or continue to meet the statistical requirements.” Based on these facts, we see that Army leaders often lie in their daily activities. Lying is opposed to Army values such as Integrity and Honor. Furthermore, these ‘’minor’’ lies are developing a culture of dishonesty within the Army. This dishonesty will destroy trust within and without the Army. Thus, in the relationship with higher, Army leaders lie in their reports and do not show good character. We also noticed the same thing in their relationship with the subordinate where they are not leading them truthfully.

Army leaders are not leading truthfully. Leading truthfully starts with assigning tasks to subordinates that can be done with the resources at hand. When Army leaders give tasks to their units, they do not ensure that these units have the resources to complete them accurately. According to Leonard Wong and Stephen Gerras in Lying To Ourselves: Dishonesty In The Army Profession, 2015, ‘’ Army is quick to pass

This action will restore trust, and the Soldiers will be more willing to improve their capabilities. Our professionalism as well as our efficiency will increase, and trust will remain within the Army and with the people.

In summary, Army leaders are still competent because they are getting things done. However, when discussing character, they are failing because they lie in their reports. Moreover, Army leaders do not pass down a reasonable number of requirements to their subordinates, and sometimes they tolerate deceptive information over the truth. For these reasons, they are struggling to lead truthfully. To solve the problem, Army leaders at higher levels should reduce the number of tasks passed down to subordinates and set up a way to check their compliance. In the aspect of competencies, Army leaders are succeeding. However, in the aspects of Honesty and leading truthfully, they are failing. One solution for them is to be more realistic when passing down requirements. This will make the Army more professional, and it will enhance the trust within the Army and with the