TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01important in combat operations where Soldiers face fear, chaos, violence, and the loss of fellowcomrades.Faith is the strong belief in what constitutes ultimate truth; it is an allegiance to duty, aperson, or something for which there is no proof of material existence. Faith requires trust and itprovides both direction and will to persist in the face of the life’s challenges. For many Soldierstheir faith is grounded primarily in one of the world’s religions—a personal choice. Noteveryone finds faith through religion, but most people develop some level of faith in a person,philosophy, or institution. When Soldiers first enter the Army, they are frequently still searchingfor or confirming the source of their faith. Without faith in someone, a belief, a cause, orsomething greater than themselves, there is little motivation to grow and develop. Such faithprovides the conviction that living by one’s own values and principles; striving to develop one’sfull potential by seeking out new knowledge and experiences; reflecting on those experiences;developing positive relationships with others; and respecting others should contribute to a richand fulfilling life.Taking life and risking loss of life and limb is the ultimate demand a nation asks of itsSoldiers. American Soldiers have done both for generations with strong faith that this nation andits causes are worth such sacrifice. Service to the nation alone is seldom compelling enough tobuild and sustain such faith. Indeed, it is more often a commitment to fellow Soldiers thatencourages a Soldier to risk everything. The Army’s challenge is to determine how to encourageand support development of the human spirit of Soldiers across the framework of self-reflectionand awareness, individual responsibility for spiritual development, faith, and socio-culturalawareness.The Army must guide and prepare commissioned and noncommissioned leaders in theirefforts to develop the human spirit. Leaders must know how to advise subordinates and when toseek spiritual or behavioral health assistance. The Army must develop and implement similarinstruction for IET cadre and recruits, synchronized with Noncommissioned Officer EducationSystem (NCOES) and the Officer Education System (OES) so that Army leaders know how todevelop Soldiers’ characters both through training and by example. Army chaplains willcontinue to play a critical role in building Soldier and family resilience through pastoral care andcounseling while protecting the Constitutional right of free exercise of religion.Operating in an environment of persistent conflict in the period 2015-2024 will requireSoldiers with an unassailable inner strength upon which to build a fighting spirit. Sustaining thisspirit depends on building and maintaining individual morale, which in turn serves as a criticalcomponent of unit cohesion. Together, leaders and chaplains are the primary spiritual supportthat the Army provides to harden Soldiers against the effects of combat stress.Building the Military Character: Combat Motivation, Morale, Esprit de Corps, and CohesionFew subjects within the human dimension garner more discussion and commentary on thenature of war than the treatment of morale, cohesion, esprit de corps, and combat motivation—the will to fight. Developing combat motivation is the struggle to overcome fear and todemonstrate courage. This is not the courage associated with heroic acts of valor. It is the59