In the Ranks: Making Sense of Military Morale by Raphael S. Cohen, World Affairs Journal
In its 2011 annual survey, the Center for Army Leadership asked soldiers to respond to a seemingly innocuous statement: “The Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.” Only 26 percent of those on active duty agreed—an all-time low in the history of this survey. The report caused ripples well beyond the Army community. News outlets—from NBC News to the Boston Globe—ran stories about the Army’s crisis of confidence and
overall military morale.The results were as puzzling as they were troubling. At the time of the survey, the Iraq War was over and Afghanistan seemed to be winding down. Threats like those posed by the Islamic State and Russia had yet to gain widespread public attention. The Budget Control Act of 2011, also known as “sequestration”—which mandated significant cuts to the Army’s budget—had not gone into full effect.
Moreover, declining morale is not unique to the Army; it runs across the services and even across countries...
Comments
I wish to confront what I believe is harmful and dividing our military. I believe we have toxic leaders who are so far out of touch with our common Christian heritage and its inherent code of conduct that they fail to see the affect on troop morale. Returning veterans, evangelical Christians (40% of the force), and Catholics have been declared the equivalent of domestic terrorists. Yet, an ABC News poll indicates that 83% (other polls indicate 70%)of our citizens profess a Christian religious preference. Service members are required to respect the religious practices and cultural norms of foreign lands. Yet, our own leaders ignore the religious traditions, liberties, values, practices and cultural norms of a large portion of our own service men and women. This situation should be recognized and not beaten down by political correctness. Get a grip! This is still a Christian country! Some don't like to hear that but the overwhelming symbol found in our National cemeteries is that of the Cross. We may be already seeing the consequences of rejecting our Christian heritage. A recent Army Study indicates the Army is experiencing the highest rate of ethical lapses, moral breaches, and character problems in its history.
More than 20,000 service members were sexually assaulted in the past year, 10,600 men and 9,600 women. Ninety percent occurred in a military setting or were perpetrated by military personnel. Rand estimates that 22% of women and 7% of men have been sexually assaulted. The services house men with men and women with women and are incapable of protecting either from sexual assault when the predator is of the same sex. See what has been created. Our inclusive policies now include predators! There is clearly a safety issue.
In the April 17, issue of USA Today, the headline was: $300M Program To Boost Soldier Morale Shows Scant Results. USA Today obtained data showing soldiers trending in the wrong direction. Two thirds were borderline or worse in "catastrophic thinking. Forty eight percent (48%) lack commitment in their job. Forty percent (40%) didn't trust their immediate supervisor or fellow soldiers and didn't feel respected or valued.
On page 51 of the May issue of American Legion, General Tommy Franks says: "Americans do not believe their government is willing and/or able to address the policy matters of our time, and such distrust has been consistently validated through a string of leadership failures."
There is a group within the military and the country attempting to eliminate Christian values. Whether liked or not, Christianity, and its moral code, is the corner stone that has held this country together in war or peace. The author indicates only 27% saying that senior military leadership have their "best interests at heart". Could it be, if service people represent the population as a whole, that the leadership does not have the service member's back, doesn't care what they think, even when centuries old and deeply held religious beliefs are expressed? This situation also affects the type of American who is willing to serve.
The author states 60% support allowing homosexuals to openly serve. Well, that also means that 40% would disagree. Fifty eight percent (58%) would believe in opening up combat units to women. Again, there is 42% that are not convinced.
Value systems are threatened, there are ethical lapses, moral breaches, character problems, sexual assaults, lack of commitment, lack of trust in leaders and fellow soldiers, suicides, but none want to look at a toxic leadership that is out of touch with our common Christian heritage and belief systems that are held by the majority of people in this country. The leadership is just out of step with the majority in the formation and the troops see it. And, they wonder why morale is low.