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

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01SocietalSocietal cohesion consists of the Soldier’s perception of the relationship between the Armyand society. It is particularly important for an all-volunteer Army to remain connected to society.Army culture and values must be consistent with America’s traditional values embodied in theconstitution and the laws governing the Nation and the Army. Most would agree that someperiod of honorable uniformed service returns more responsible citizens to civilian life. Armyservice characterized by competence and integrity enforces the bond of trust between society andthe Army. Similarly, when Soldiers believe society appreciates the sacrifices they make, pridebecomes a motivating factor that enhances morale and cohesion and eases Soldier reintegrationinto society at the completion of their service. While not the primary factor in developingcohesive units, over time the support of the American people, or lack of it, can affect themotivation of Soldiers and their commitment to completing the mission. Shaping andmaintaining this connection with society is the responsibility of leaders at all levels but especiallythe Army’s senior leadership.3-3. Moral and Ethical DevelopmentInstitutional and Professional Values and PrinciplesIn light of the unconstrained methodsemployed by many of our current and futureadversaries, critics argue that ethicalconsiderations are meaningless and may evenhurt the Army’s ability to operate effectively. 80However, a credible ethical culture is anessential foundation for unit effectiveness andcombat power, to include institutionalreliability. Ethical systems are components ofculture that guide behavior and humaninteraction by defining the values and actionsthat are acceptable and unacceptable.When you put young people, eighteen,nineteen, or twenty years old, in a foreigncountry with weapons in their hands,sometimes terrible things happen that youwish never happened. This is a reality thatstretches across time and across continents.It is a universal aspect of war, from the timeof the ancient Greeks up to the present.Stephen E. AmbroseAmericans at WarMaintaining a sense of good morale, esprit de corps, and cohesion in Soldiers requires acollective effort from initial socialization to on-going integration into units and extended service.Such efforts integrate the strong institutional and professional values that make up the moralethicalcontent of Soldiers’ development. They also involve efforts to sustain those values acrossthe Soldier’s period of service until they become ingrained characteristics. Experiences andindividual understanding of those experiences must reinforce fundamental institutional andindividual values. More importantly, the objective of moral development is the practice of themilitary and civic virtues and the internalized dispositions to live by those values all day, everyday, professionally and in the Soldier’s private life. This is what integrity is all about—aligningindividual and professional values in such a way that beliefs and behaviors are internallyconsistent.67