What is the Point of Teaching Ethics in the Military

The chapters in this volume describe military ethics programmes from countries with different and unique military traditions. The authors discuss the ethics programmes in their respective institutions with clarity and insight, and offer important suggestions for how military ethics education and training can be improved. Yet it is striking how many commonalities exist between the programmes discussed in this book, despite differences in military traditions, in the structure and content of military ethics programmes, and in how the military’s role is perceived. It is, for example, abundantly clear that military forces around the world recognize a commitment to maintaining high ethical standards and upholding the laws of war, and a commitment to training military personnel to be both ethical and effective. The military forces described in this volume see themselves as far more than unthinking tools of their respective governments; they see themselves as part of a morally worthy Profession of Arms serving morally important ends such as the protection of national security and human rights.