Moral Questions and Dilemmas

Early Times to Present Day Issues

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to look at developments which have occurred in ethical behaviour in a nation’s armed forces. The paper begins with the Greeks and their concept of arête ‘manly virtue’, and concludes with reference to courses in ethics conducted in various military academies. In Australia, the Department of Defence and the RAN have played a role in developing codes of conduct for all ranks, from senior officer to junior recruit. The paper suggests that developing an understanding of ethics in a military/naval context should be addressed at four levels. Criteria should be identified for identifying relevant ethical behaviour; agreement should be reached about what constitutes ethical behaviour; programs should be developed at recruit and officer cadet level; and finally, curricula in military/naval ethics should be an integral part of the program in military training establishments.