Enduring Values for the Armor Leader

The Secretary of the Army, the Honorable John 0. Marsh, Jr., and the Army Chief of Staff, General John A. Wickham, Jr., have jointly declared “Values” to be the Army’s theme for 1986. That being so, now is a time for us to reflect on the essential values and principles of our military profession. In my two and one-half years as a member of the Staff Judge Advocate’s office at Fort Knox, I have had a number of opportunities to interact professionally with and to observe many of you in the Combat Arm of Decision. Even though I am a former “redleg” battery commander, I offer you seven enduring values and principles that I believe are the foundation for becoming a successful, consummate armor leader. I have listed them in my personal order of priority. They are: Keep and Teach the Army Ethic A leader cannot give mere lip service to the Army Ethic. He must believe it, practice it and live it. At the same time, that leader must instill the Army Ethic in his subordinates. A leader becomes a hypocrite and will lose the respect and credibility of his soldiers if he preaches but does not steadfastly live the ethical basis of our Army. What is the Army Ethic? The Army Ethic is not an esoteric nor an elusive term. On the contrary, it is “the bedrock of all that we do in the total Army.”l It is the essence of our continuance as professional soldiers. The Army Ethic consists of enduring values: Loyalty to the country and the Army. Loyalty to the unit. Personal responsibility. Selfless service.2 Let us take a brief look at these paramount values. Imagine, if you can, an American Army where its leaders and soldiers do not have a fervent passion and love for America. Then imagine that same Army where the great majority of its leaders and soldiers do not have a burning zeal for the Army. In such a setting, our national security would be in daily jeopardy and our fighting force would lie on the brink of collapse. Unquestionably, a soldier’s supreme loyalty must be to the Army and the defense of the nation. This value has been apart of this nation since its inception and will remain as a prime unifying force in the future. As I see it from my legal officer’s viewpoint, a combat unit cannot fight effectively if its individual sddiers do not honor their critical functions in the overall fighting Leader

L. Taylor, 111 When an armor task force deploys to the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, CA, every soldier must faithfully perform his critical tasks if the task force is to defeat the OPFOR decisively. Whether in the motor pool or at the NTC, a soldier must not do anything that would compromise the integrity of his unit. But a soldier’s loyalty to his unit must be bolstered by and strengthened with the concomitant awareness of his personal responsibility and selfless service. A soldier must have a sense of personal responsibility toward h‘s physical condition and the condition of his equipment. Whether he is passing the APRT or marching 20 miles with a full combat load, a soldier must prepare for the rigors of the future battlefield by diligent pursuit of peacetime physical conditioning. At the same time, a soldier must take good care of his assigned equipment. Whether it is his radio, his night-vision goggles, or his mess gear, a soldier must develop a strong sense of personal responsibility toward the care and maintenance of his equipment. At times, we call upon a soldier to make a personal sacrifice for the sake of the unit’s mission. Such effort could range from long hours on guard duty to long road marches in desert terrain. Selfless service is necessary to persevere through the many demands that our profession often places upon us. In my opinion, selfless service is the inherent theme of the entire Army Ethic, for it generates loyalty both to the country and to the Army, as well as loyalty to the unit. As soldiers, we are servants of the nation, the vanguards of freedom, the substance of national security. We cannot faithfully and effectively perform this mission without a willingness to sacrifice scheme. through selfless service. 20 ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare

Understand the Potentially Detrimental Impact of Moral Force Moral force is the intangible influence that comes to bear upon the soldier’s will to fight. As one Armor officer has observed, moral force is the “psychological influence that has given the OPFOR the occasional battlefield edge over friendly forces at the NTC.” General Richard E. Cavazos, former FORSCOM commander, described the advance of the British forces in the Falkland Islands as “a classic example of one force imposing moral ascendancy over another, and of the moral effect of that imposition.” From his perspective, General Cavazos believes that fear (physiological and psychological factors) constitutes the moral force that eventually results in moral effect. The eminent military scholar, Karl von Clausewitz, saw the “moral forces’’ on the battlefield as the ultimate determinant of war. To Clausewitz, moral force is the “precious metal, the real weapon, the finely-honed blade.” Accordingly, an active and concerned leader can scarcely ignore the moral factors that bear upon his soldiers’ abilities to fight. Indeed, the lack of moral force has the potential to impede the combat mission. Armor leaders must recognize and understand the effect that this force can have on the soldier - as well as on themselves. General Cavazos is concerned that in the “heat and angry iron of battle,” moral force may completely immobilize even the “very technically competent, purposeful officer who would be described as the epitome of the leader.” No one is immune to the pull of moral force. Study Leadership Although “leadership” was the Army’s 1985 theme, it stands as an enduring value and principle. Every Armor leader should have his personal, professional library of essays and scholarly works on leadership. A critical study of leadership can enhance a leader’s ablity to lead. The study of the famous captains of history can give us insights into the qualities that make an effective leader. Know Your Soldiers Total leadership requires that a leader not only know the names and backgrounds of his soldiers, “but also their personal values, goals, and aspirations.”3 A leader cannot afford to have a shallow relationship with his soldiers. If an NCO desires to attend the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course (ANCOC), then his leader should keep that fact in mind. In fact, a conscientious leader would groom that NCO for

ANCOC.

Strive for Compassion and Concern The former Army Chief of Staff, GeneralEdward C. Meyer, has given us a relevant thought on concerned leadership: “Neither the soldier nor his comrades will survive the first challenge of either the modern world or of the battlefield outside a climate of active and concerned leadership. Active and concerned leaderghip means genuine compassion, concern, and respect for subordinates. Soldiers must be honestly convinced that their leaders are truly concerned about their welfare and that of their families. For soldiers to think otherwise is disastrous. Know AirLand Battle Doctrine and Maintain Technical Competence When one considers that successful accomplishment of the AirLand Battle (ALB) mission will demand mastery over synchronization, agility, initiative, and depth, it becomes apparent that many obstacles can impede the mission. Flawless coordination with the tactical forces of the other services will strain the organizational and decision-making skills of even the best leaders. Despite this complexity, the defeat of the enemy remains undiminished as the ALB mission. To this end, the armor leader must fully grasp ALB doctrine and maintain his technical competence in all areas. Know the Law of War The Roman poet, Cicero, once stated, “Inter Arma Silent Legis” - ‘‘during wartime, the laws are silent.” Unfortunately, this perception, taken out of its original context, has caused catastrophic problems on past battlefields. Every Armor leader needs to take the Law of War seriously. Although the primacy of the mission is to defeat the enemy, we cannot ignore the fundamental principles of military necessity, proportionality, and unnecessary suffering. The Law of War need not be a stumbling block to victory. Rather, it establishes that we must consider combat decisions in a viable, legal framework. I would submit that if we fully embrace, fully believe, and fully apply the foregoing values and principles, we are well on our way to becoming a successful Armor leader. Footnotes IDA Message on “Values” by Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army, as reported in ARNEWS. *Zbid. Field Manual 100-1, The Army (August 198l), page 24, establishes these four “fundamental and enduring values of the Army ethic.” %am C. Sarkesian, “A Personal Perspective’’, Military Leadership ed. by James H. Buck and Lawrence J. Korb, Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, London 1981, pp. 244-

245. To this end, a concerned leader can “shape his own style to maximize his impact” on his soldiers. Zbid.

C‘APTAIN POR. CHER L.

TAYLOR Ill was commissioned in the Field Artillery after graduation from West Point in 1975, He is a graduate of the Airborne School and the FA Basic Course and served in battalion and battery staff positions while assigned to 111 Corps Artillery, Fort Sill. Selected for the Funded Legal Education Program, he earned a law degree at the University of Florida, graduated from the JAGC Basic Course,and was assigned to Fort Knox, serving as brigade trial counsel, legal advisor, and administrative law officer. This past spring, he attendedthecom-bined Arms and Services Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, and now serves in the FRG as an attorney in the Office of the Judge Advocate, HQiUSAREUR, International Law Division. - ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare 21