Military Character and Ethics

"The question of military character and ethics is not an abstract topic for discussion. It is a readiness issue. It is a readiness issue because without ethical leadership in our Armed Forces, there can be no trust by subordinates in the orders of their superiors. There can be none of the special esprit or bonding that we consider essential to the teamwork required for combat. And there would be little confidence by the American people in the rightness of our actions. Without trust and confidence, there cannot be an effective military for America."

"We have history and tradition and military doctrine that affirm the values of personal integrity and sacrifice in service to others. We now have to use the system that we have in order to build the trust and to ensure the honesty that we need to make those values real and relevant at all levels in the organization."

Former Secretary of the Navy - John Dalton