Mission and Morality

Mission and Morality:

Tough Choices for Advisors, Mentors and Teams Leaders

by Gene C. Kamena

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In a recent article published in Foreign Affairs, Robert M. Gates, our Secretary of Defense, stated “Within the military, advising and mentoring indigenous security forces is moving from the periphery of institutional priorities, where it was considered the province of the Special Forces, to being a key mission for the armed forces as a whole.” The number of military advisors, mentors and special team leaders, directly involved in training our allies continues to grow and will be of keen interest for some time to come.

Advisors and team leaders undergo specialized training and for the most part are prepared to face the challenges of their duties. However there is one shortfall, a gap so to speak, in the training of advisors, mentors and team leaders (grouped and termed “advisors” for the purposes of this article.) Advisors often confront crime, corruption and immorality (CCI) on the part of our host nation partners — a task requiring more attention, research and resources.

Download the Full Article: Mission and Morality

Professor Gene C. Kamena currently teaches Leadership and Ethics at the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama. He is a retired Army Infantry Colonel. He holds a B.A. in History from Auburn University and a Masters Degree in Military Art and Science from Central Missouri University. He graduated from the Army War College in 1998 and Commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1AD. He also served as the Chief of Staff for the 1st Infantry Division, Director of Staff of U.S. Space Command and the Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Northern Command, Director for Iraqi Security Forces and formed and led an Iraqi Special Border Commando Brigade on the Syrian border. His operational deployments include; Desert Shield Desert Storm, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Iraq (OIF).