Ethics Training and Development in the Military (Part 1)

Ethics Training and Development in the Military
University of Hull, 22 and 23 June 2006

Abu Ghraib, Camp Breadbasket, and other recent scandals have reinforced the vital importance of ethical training and development in the armed forces.  Laws of war alone cannot prevent abuses in wartime.  High standards of professional ethics are also necessary.  But how can the military ensure that its members behave in a manner compatible with the laws of war and the moral standards of society?  This workshop examined these questions, and compared and contrasted the approaches to this problem in numerous countries and services, as far removed as the UK, USA, Israel and Japan.  Participants outlined the ethical training programmes in place in their countries and institutions, the philosophical and practical principles on which they are based, and attempted to determine how effective they have been.  The workshop sought common principles across the participating nations, and determined profitable future directions for enhancing the ethical development of soldiers, sailors and air force personnel.

Participants included:

Professor Martin Cook (US Air Force Academy)
Jamie Cullens (Centre for Defence Leadership Studies, Australia)
Dr Stephen Deakin (Royal Military Academy Sandhurst)
Colonel Yvon Desjardins (Canadian Defence Ethics Programme)
Dr Henri Hude (St Cyr Military Academy, France)
Professor Asa Kasher (Tel Aviv University/ IDF College of National Defence)
Nigel de Lee (University of Hull)
Professor George Lucas (US Naval Academy Annapolis)
Dr Patrick Mileham (Centre for Defence & International Security Studies)
Dr Peter Olsthoorn (Royal Netherlands Military Academy)
Professor Fumio Ota (Japanese Defence Force Academy)
Commander Raag Rolfsen (Department of Education, Norwegian Defence)
Lieutenant Colonel Blair Tiger and Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Wilson (US Military Academy West Point)
Reverend Stefan Werdelis (Zentrum fur Innere Fuhrung, Germany)

Workshop funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

For an illustrated report of the proceedings see http://www.hull.ac.uk/securitystudies/salvoes/Ethics.html