Military Values

1. Military Values

2. Why the Military Does What it Does • Military values all have counterparts in the civilian world; the military differs more in degree than in kind from the civilian sphere.

3. Some Military Values • Ceremony, Rank, and Hierarchy • Uniformity • Discipline and Obedience • Group Cohesion • Rigorous Training

4. Uniformity • Huge personnel turnover both in peace and in war • Uniformity assists in administration, allows inspectors to count on a high degree of uniformity from place to place.

5. Disciplineand Obedience • Nothing could be further from the truth than the concept of "mindless obedience” • Many people cannot defer their own gratification, even briefly, despite consequences.  • Discipline and the ability to obey are actually very high-order mental skills. • Automata make poor soldiers.  • Good soldiers have to be able to adapt, show initiative, and be highly autonomous • At the same time, soldiers have to be able to recognize and respond instantly to situations that require automatic obedience. 

6. GroupCohesion • Soldiers are more effective if they can count on support and aid from their comrades • Soldiers perform mostly because they don't want to let their comrades down • Peer pressure used in military training to reinforce weak links • Mistakes on the battlefield affect everyone • Uniforms and military ceremonies reinforce group cohesion by requiring soldiers to be publicly identified with the military. • Often there is an “us versus them” mentality between the military and civilians

7. Example: Hair Wars • Once insect-borne disease was recognized, elimination of lice became a military priority • Haircuts became mandatory • Soldiers returning from World War I were immediately recognizable • Soon short hair became the norm for men. • In the 1960's youth demonstrated their rebellion by growing long hair • The military insisted that soldiers identify publicly with the military by keeping hair short

8. Training • Military training is unpleasant; always has been, always will be. • The only way to teach soldiers to work long hours under unpleasant conditions is to make them work long hours under unpleasant conditions. • Wars are won by people who push the hardest • Modern military literature speaks openly about "stress inducement"

9. Training • Rigorous training serves to identify people who simply cannot deal with the stress • Comparatively few people wash out in reality.  • For many, the military  is the only time in their lives they are ever pushed close to their limits.  • Rigorous training fosters group cohesion by creating a unique shared experience.

10. Elite Training • Elite training (Navy SEALS, etc.) has a different goal • Object is not to train a large mass of soldiers  • Object is to identify and train a small elite that can endure the utmost rigors and who will simply not allow themselves to be stopped by anything.  • Ultra-rigorous training creates group cohesion and a feeling of being members of an elite.