The Importance of Following Orders Essay

The meaning of discipline in the army is thought from day one in basic training until the day we graduate and see our families. Discipline is vital to following orders efficiently, without it soldiers wouldn’t react fast enough when something is being commanded or would simply not be concerned enough to perform the task in hand, failing the team. We follow our commander’s orders because we certainly know that no matter what decision they make it will always be its overall good for the U.S, the army, and the individual soldiers. When an order is given we need to fully understand the order, and think about what needs to be done using the least amount of resources or time to achieve the mission in hand to complete the commanders or NCO’s specific commands. This is the most important key when performing a mission; the soldiers should never question the logic behind the command but should carry out

The American military prides itself on its devotion to loyalty, honor, brotherhood, and patriotism. Those in the military place the lives of their fellow men and country above all else. It is the most intense example of selflessness and self-sacrifice. This extended commitment to God and country is made possible through codes, vows, and unquestioned obedience. If a lieutenant is given an order, he will follow through with it because the lives of countless depend on his obedience. A soldier’s actions always contribute to the overall action of the military and work towards the greater good. If an order is questioned and not obeyed, the lives of those in his squadron will be endangered

There are very few things in the modern military of today or any military that has ever existed before our current military for that matter, that are more important than the rank structure and the the respect that is demanded of you by that rank structure. Those are two very important characteristics of every successful military unit. With added details here and there, in this essay I will mainly be discussing what respect actually is, how being respected is normally earned and in the military how it is demanded of you as a sub-ordinate to any ranks higher than you or in some cases any fellow military personnel who is more senior to you and why. On top of that I will be covering

The day we join the military we take an oath to “obey those appointed over me”; thus beginning the journey on the path of followership. Too often we view followership more along the lines of sheep blindly following the leader, this is not the case. An effective follower

Army leaders took a commissioning oath when they joined the Army. They are bound to obey Army regulations and display the Army Values. As US citizens, they have to honor civil laws and abide by the norms of our society. But they are also people. They may disagree with the policies of the current administration. This could cause them to lose faith in their senior leaders. They have to give orders to subordinates which they may not believe in themselves. Or they are going through a divorce and show destructive behavior. This could

The purpose of this essay is to expand my understanding of the importance of following instructions and why is it critical in a military setting. The United States Military is the most lethal and well trained armed force on this planet. It did not start out this way, it was started out by a handful of colonists that had unresolved grievances with their king. A few hundred years later, that very same military is able to drop a bomb or move troops anywhere in the world within a day. I will be explaining why discipline, the value of teamwork, the chain of command, and the importance following orders all play essential roles in ensuring the United States military “machine” continues to function in every theater it operates in.

Many Army leaders are challenged with meeting obligations that contest or contradict pre obligated duties or responsibilities. They can be but are not limited to parental, spousal, friendships and religious duties. These pre-obligated duties have formed constraints and barriers in which leaders must juggle their moral and ethical codes of conduct against to accomplish task and missions.

In the Army and throughout every branch there are certain customs and courtesies that every soldier and military member must follow in order for there to be order and discipline on a daily basis. Customs and courtesies are put in to place to show respect for Non Commissioned Officers and for Officers of all rank.

Army Doctrine Reference Publication 1-0 states, “living by and upholding the moral principles of the Army Ethic” is the foundation to our profession. An organization cannot survive if there are no foundation for morals. The organization will internally implode. This is a critical fact for the Army. Individuals that do not have a foundation that aligns with the Army’s foundation is detrimental to the organization. The purpose for this short paper is to explore the fundamentals of our profession; examine the need for structure; how to return to basics of the profession; who needs to enforce standards; finally, implementing a culture change within the Army. Army leaders have categorized the four problems that

However, the oath that the military officers take forces them to obey all the military orders issued by their commanders. Disobeying or obeying the military orders depends on the orders issued. The military officer disobeys the order at his own risk (Powers, 2012). The disobedience of military orders by an officer is not taken lightly by his seniors. In addition, following unlawful orders could land a military officer into trouble, according to the perspectives of the courts, court martial or the senior officers.

Soldiers in the military know the consequences to not following an order issued by a superior. According to Ron Powers, a man with 22 years of service and has been awarded many medals, states in his article “To Obey or To Not Obey” that soldiers are trained from recruitment to deployment to follow orders unquestionably. Soldiers are also told that willfully disobeying orders can result in a dishonorable discharge, or in a time of war, death (Powers). This leaves soldiers a minimal amount of ability to allow himself to follow his own morals. The thought of disobeying an order will usually bring disgust to the face of a soldier. This is because a soldier is merely performing his job in following order. Also, according to Kelman and Hamilton, the only time for a soldier to declare a complaint about an order is after it has already been followed through, thus causing the complaint to be moot (271). The military produces a difficulty for soldiers to follow their own morals if they conflict with the task at hand.

As an officer in the United States Army, one is charged with leading soldiers, this is no simple task and comes with its fair share of difficulties. The difficulty of this task is no excuse for reckless behavior nor is it an excuse for overbearing standards. An officer should expect the best from his soldiers, but one must not act in a way that Sobel did by expecting the impossible. A way in which one prevents this from happening is clear communication with the chain of command and self-discipline. An officer must possess the self-discipline and self-regulation when he is dealing with anyone, especially his own soldiers. It is very important to set a maintainable bar for his soldiers to reach, and only when there is a clear deviance from these standards should an officer take action.

“According to classical organization theory the organizational chart allows one to visualize the lines of authority and communication within an organizational structure and ensures clear assignment of duties and responsibilities” (Ehiobuche & Tu, 2012, p. 318). This more than describes the military organizational environment, which is founded on the unity of command principles. Because of this structure and the demanding responsibility of our work and the gravity of the decisions we make, there is considerable priority placed in transactional leadership practices. Commanders/leaders give orders and expectations on how operations and support are to function and the outcomes that are needed to meet the overall mission of their unit and the organization as a whole. This theory and the military require the adherence to rules, regulations, and basic standards of conduct and performance. For that reason, there must also be rewards and punishments for reputable and inferior performance respectively, which is prevalent throughout the military.

In the military, leaders control behavior by giving orders, not invitations. This "do what I say, not what I do" culture, binds each branch to a leadership style based on a position of power which directs subordinate behavior by removing their freedoms, choices and flexibility; and tells them exactly what, when, where, and how to act (Hedlund, 2009). This archaic mindset, contradicts the assumptions credited for the notable successes of the Human Relations framework. The military's authoritarian approach to leadership exploits service members and degrades the foundation of trust.

Illustrate the situation where you were told to wake up at five a.m. every day dressed head to toe in a uniform while you listen to a powerful figure with slicked-back hair or an unfashionable buzz cut demand you to do this and that. Not only are you expected to obey their commands as part of your duty, but you may even be expected to go against your own morals in order to be seen as honorable. A similar picture could be seen while watching the film A Few Good Men. Two young Marines are given an order from authority that ultimately leads to the death of another young Marine. Although the actions asked of the two Marines are questionable, they are expected to commit the actions told because questioning authority in the military is not seen as an option. You take orders. However, those in the military aren’t the only ones that have the weight of obeying authority on their shoulders; just as much as eating or drinking is apart of your life, so is the act of obedience. Obedience is a massive part of society as a whole. Every day, whether we realize it or not, we obey a level of authority. It’s a major structure and aspect of our daily lives. However, the question arises: how often do we aimlessly obey without taking into consideration our own well being along with the effect it will have on others? When examining the movie, A Few Good Men directed by Rob Reiner, where two Marines were ordered to kill a fellow Marine and did so, leading to their dishonorable discharge, one