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54 <a href="http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette">www.mca-marines.org/gazette</a> M a r i n e C o r p s G a z e t t e • M a y 2 0 0 9 IDEAS & ISSUES (ETHICS) S ince the institutionalization of the core values in 1996, there has been a top-down push for ethi- cal refinement in the Marine Corps and a steady increase in guidance from our Corps’ leadership focused on small unit leaders. The drive to create a more professional, ethically sound, morally focused Corps came to fruition within the construct of the three block war concept. Our recent experience in Iraq and Afghanistan points to the fact that our success as an institution, both in combat and in garrison, continues to rest on our ability to field fighting units named by Marines who conduct them- selves in accordance with our core val- ues.1 As the Corps begins to transition into increasingly distributive opera- tions, the need for values-based leader- ship has been deemed essential for mission accomplishment. If we are to meet the guidance and intent of our senior leadership, we must constantly train and educate our- selves to live and uphold our core val- ues. This subject is the foundation of all that we do as Marines, but what tools do small unit leaders have to teach, coach, and mentor their Marines morally, ethically, and professionally? Are we failing our young Marines by not providing them the right amount of time and tools for the job? To frame this issue we must first know and un- derstand our senior leader’s guidance and the challenges associated with en- acting it. Defining the Need for Moral Marines The Naval Operations Concept (NOC)2 states that the foundation for naval operations rests on four concepts. The first mentioned is “leadership and professionalism.” Specifically, it is: . . . [c]entral to every facet of our operations at sea and ashore. Leader- ship and professionalism are devel- oped through the active pursuit of formal training and education, inde- pendent reading and study, real-world experience, mentoring, and adherence to high personal and professional stan- dards. Concerning future operations, the NOC states, “[Distributive operations] places a premium on the situational awareness and judgment of junior lead- ers thereby necessitating enhancements to professional development.” When our 32d Commandant, Gen James L. Jones, presented Marine Corps Strategy 21,3 he set a vision for the Ma- rine Corps as “the premier expedi- tionary Total Force in Readiness.” A critical fundamental of this strategy was making “America’s Marines who remain quality citizens imbued with our core values of honor, courage and commit- ment.” Our 34th Commandant, Gen James T. Conway, expounded on this theme in The Commandant’s Planning Guidance 2006 4 when he stated, “I trust our leaders at all levels to be ‘keep- ers of the flame’ and to further instill our Core Values.” Furthermore, in his article “Non-Commissioned Officers Will Win This War,”5 he stated: Small unit leaders reinforce our Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Com- Moral and Ethical Leadership The challenges of implementing the appropriate training by 1stLt Daniel C. Rhodes >1stLt Rhodes is the CO, Weapons Company, Task Force 1st Battalion, 3d Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6. He has deployed to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM as a rifle- man, platoon commander, and company commander. Carve out time for ethics training. (Photo by LCpl Timothy T. Parish.)
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www.mca-marines.org/gazette