ADF ethics education after Afghanistan: Do we need a code of ethics?

Widely referred to as the ‘Brereton Report’, the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) Afghanistan Inquiry Report (Australian Defence Force, 2020) into unethical incidents alleged to have occurred between 2005 and 2016. The Brereton Report exposed a number of “strategic, operational, organisational and cultural issues” thought to contribute to the circumstances in which “criminal behaviour” was committed by a number of Australian soldiers, and that this was “commenced, committed, continued and concealed at the patrol commander level, that is, at corporal or sergeant level” (Australian Defence Force, 2020, p. 28, 30). This paper draws on qualitative research that examined the process of military ethics education of soldiers in the Australian Army Recruit context. Significantly, given the timeframe of the investigation and the relatively junior ranks of the alleged perpetrators, it is not unreasonable to assume that some of these personnel were first introduced to military ethics at their Army Recruit Course. While this is not the only exposure to military ethics provided to deployed troops, it represents the first opportunity to embed ethics into the professional induction and developmental process.

Ethics is a key part of initial induction into the Australian Army. However, there has been little research in Australia to date about how this is being conducted, the underpinning theories informing the education, and the pedagogical strategies used. The aim of this project was to understand military ethics education for soldiers in the Australian Army and how current practices in ethics education for beginning professionals can inform recruit education in the future. Specifically, the research question asked: What guides the practice of military ethics education of soldiers in the Australian Army? In answering this question, a secondary question arose: How can current practices in ethics education for beginning professionals inform soldier induction in the future? A constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the relevant military policy and curriculum, explore the associated pedagogical strategies used, and examine these in the broader context of current practice.

This research highlighted the prevalence of using professional codes as a vehicle for teaching organisational ethics. It was revealed that some programs, such as those in the fields of social work, paramedicine and policing, included specific instruction in relation to their codes which underpinned the development of a shared understanding of their professional values. Several participants stressed that the professional codes of their discipline or organisation were central to their ethics programs. There are several occurrences in doctrine which seek to establish principles of professional behaviour; however, neither these, nor the new Defence Values and Defence Behaviours that were introduced in 2020 (Australian Defence Force, 2020b) provide the type of guiding principles and frameworks described by informants or advocated by McCormack (2015) and others (Breakey, 2021; Martin, 2021; Tapper, 2021).

The focus on teaching specifically about codes of ethics was raised by participants as important in developing professional identity and supporting ethical behaviour. Authors agree that a clearly communicated code of ethics can be useful in translating abstract values into tangible standards to support professional behaviour (Bromley & Orchard, 2016; Main, 2015; Slaughter et al., 2020). Forster (2012) notes that a code of ethics not only documents organisational values, aims and responsibilities, but may also influence and guide the ways that values are enacted. Additionally, French (2017) notes that a military code of ethics must define the limits of how the military wages war and how military personnel act in all circumstances and settings, and additionally, that as a set of guiding principles, a code protects soldiers as much as it does civilians and others.

A code of ethics, derived from the new Defence Values and Behaviours (Australian Defence Force, 2020b), could be used to address this need and may also be useful in reflecting and emphasising the legal and ethical principles of ‘Just War’ theory, as referred to by Wolfendale (2011). At the same time, a code of ethics could reinforce the Defence Values and Behaviours, while acknowledging the operational factors specific to the Army operational environment. The literature also supports the finding that the introduction of a code of ethics may be useful in establishing the new Defence Values and Behaviours as a central component of military practice by providing Army context and relevant examples of enacted values (Slaughter et al., 2020; Snieder & Zhu, 2020)

As this study revealed, the Army Recruit Course discusses a large number of values; however, it does not clearly nor consistently relate these values to modern soldiering. While the Army Recruit Course encourages learners to align their personal values to those of the organisation, they are not given the knowledge and skills to do so. In teaching to a values-based code of ethics, the Army Recruit Course could also include valuable content on civics, critical thinking and ethical decision-making. A code of ethics, as Royal (2010, p. 176) argues, would ideally be “distributed and explained to all soldiers during their initial training”.

The Afghanistan Inquiry Reform Plan calls on Australian Defence Force personnel to “liv[e] Defence values, wherever we are, whatever we do” (Australian Defence Force, 2021, p. 3), yet this study has demonstrated that first a shared understanding of those values is required. This study has revealed that the Army Recruit Course did not provide learners with the knowledge and skills needed to make appropriate ethical judgements, so it leaves soldiers ethically vulnerable. While ethical leadership is a key concern for the Army, ethical followership must also be considered in terms of providing soldiers with the tools necessary to navigate the beginning phase of their military careers in both operational and non-operational settings. This study demonstrated that learning and following rules is not enough, and, in the light of the Brereton Report, that soldiers need to be critical ethical thinkers and empowered ethical decision-makers. Teaching based on a code of ethics could guide discussion of a range of ethical issues related to military service as well as exposing soldiers to the underlying philosophy and ethical theory relevant to the Army (Snieder & Zhu, 2020).

References

Australian Defence Force. (2021). Afghanistan Inquiry Reform Plan: Delivering the Defence response to the IGADF Afghanistan inquiry. Commonwealth of Australia. https://afghanistaninquiry.defence.gov.au/defence-response

Australian Defence Force. (2020). Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan inquiry report into questions of unlawful conduct concerning the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan (Public release version). Commonwealth of Australia.

Australian Defence Force. (2020b). Defence Values: Our Values, Our Behaviours. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2021 from https://www1.defence.gov.au/about/values

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Bromley, P., & Orchard, C. D. (2016). Managed morality: The rise of professional codes of conduct in the US nonprofit sector. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(2), 351-374. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764015584062

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Main, D. C. J. (2015). Do codes of conduct matter? Veterinary Record, 176(25), 652-653. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h3202

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Royal, B. (2010). The ethical challenges of the soldier: The French experience (2nd ed.). Economica.

Slaughter, J. E., Cooper, D. A., & Gilliland, S. W. (2020). Good apples in good barrels: Conscientious people are more responsive to code enforcement. Journal of occupational and organizational psychology, 93(4), 834-860. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12325

Snieder, R., & Zhu, Q. (2020). Connecting to the heart: Teaching value-based professional ethics. Science and Engineering Ethics, 26(4), 2235-2254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-020-00216-2

Tapper, A. (2021). What should be taught in courses on social ethics? In M. Schwartz, C. Highfield, H. Breakey, & H. Howard (Eds.), Educating for ethical survival: Research in ethical issues in organizations (Volume 24) (pp. 77-97). Emerald Publishing.

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