The Fire Team for Freedom

 

A panel recently met at the US Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, KS. The discussion was on Civilian-Military Relations. The idea was to challenge military officers to think about their roles in the military in service to our country and advance the professionalism and effectiveness of our military.

One of the guest speakers Prof. Don Snider of West Point made several points: If the military as a profession is going to be advanced, standards have to be observed; Officers are the moral agent of the American people; Effectiveness is key to the success of the military and the profession.

This opened my eyes to a couple of ideas I hadn't thought about before. Just like a business that delivers a service, the military provides us with a service... security. But by following the lead of corrupt politicians the military is being deminished as a profession and as an effective service provider. In a typical business the client has certain expectations: what it costs, the quality of the service provided, and the timetable of delivery.

What the current military leadership has done by allowing the Bush administration to issue unlawful orders and to follow them is destroying the ability of the public (the client) to observe the value of the military. In Iraq, we have no idea of cost, or quality or timetable of the operation. And with the inability of the military mid-level command to communicate with the public, it falls to veterans and those who know to communicate to the public the delemma faced by military professionals that want to deliver security to the American people.

In addition, in this endeavor there are three main actors performing for the American people. The civilian government, the military leadership and the press. Unfortunately, corporate interests have taken over two of the three and may have influence over the third... but the biggest loser is our military and our security.

As Americans, we need to be aware that there are many in the military that are true to us, the country and the constitution but they are unaware of our commitment to them and that if they make a stand and have the courage to do so Americans will be there to support them. The key being that our military and our defense will be stronger because we will have identified the correct path.