The cornerstone of the United States of America’s national defense is the U.S. Army, an agency whose foundation is built upon seven core values, including loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage (Department of the Army, 2020). The core values guide plays a significant role in guiding the behavior and actions of soldiers in the U.S. Army. These values create the fundamental basis for determining whether officers are fit to remain military people.
The shared military values play a key role in fostering unity and cohesion in the army. When military officers hold the army values, it creates a culture of cohesion among the soldiers. When people in a group share common values or principles, a sense of trust and belonging creates a collaborative environment. The cohesion and the trust established strengthen the unit morale, which motivates officers to stay in the Army (Kusch, 2011). As social beings, soldiers are more likely to remain in a familiar environment where they feel accepted and connected to a bigger purpose than personal goals.
Military values provide an ethical decision-making framework, which helps make moral decisions, which is key for officers to continue serving. In the military, officers are like workers in other industries where staff members are supposed to act and behave ethically. Army values provide a guideline for making ethical decisions in challenging situations. Soldiers are likely to make ethical decisions when they promote and encourage their colleagues to practice honor, personal courage, integrity, and respect, which prompts a culture of professionalism and accountability (Kusch, 2011). Adherence to Army values helps strengthen the soldier’s commitment to ethical conduct, thus enhancing the officers’ actions, behavior, and overall military reputation. Soldiers remain loyal to an institution that upholds moral principles or is more likely to be retained in the military ranks based on their conduct.
Army values help create mission-effective soldiers who are able to follow instructions and are easy to keep. Individuals are unique and different, which creates various personalities and behaviors. It is easy for some people to follow set guidelines, while it is impossible for others to follow set rules. Army values are created to address personality differences to create individuals who can obey set rules and can achieve the mission’s goal without compromise. Upholding the army values contributes to successful missions. Loyal military officers offer selfless services and are duty-bound, always carrying out their responsibilities with the utmost respect and obedience, ensuring the accomplishment of the desired functions. In addition, value-driven strategies in the Army promote mutual understanding and respect among diverse teams, leading to improved teamwork and problem-solving capabilities (Kusch, 2011). The military leadership emphasizes the importance of retaining officers who embody these values as they strengthen the overall capability and readiness of the Army to achieve its mission.
Army values enhance personal and professional growth and development. The U.S. Army values such as selfless service, duty, loyalty, and respect encourage officers to take their responsibilities with respect their duties, treat them with utmost seriousness, and strive for excellence, which will contribute to achieving the fullest potential as an officer (Robinson et al., 2022). In striving to achieve their full potential, the officers can grow in their careers and in their personal lives. The values make the work fulfilling for the officers, increasing their likelihood of staying. Army values create a culture of achieving mission, helping retain officers driven by a sense of achievement.
Leadership development programs in the military are integrated with military values, an attempt to shape the next generation of military leaders. Military values are instilled in subordinates through training and mentorship programs by non-commissioned officers to create a legacy of excellence and integrity (Ryckman, 2017)). Soldiers who experience Army values embodiment in their military leaders are motivated to remain committed to military values with an inspiration to emulate similar levels of dedication and honor. In addition, military hierarchy also rewards officers who embody army values with higher positions.
According to Kusch (2011), Army values regulate military behaviors and actions, which help them retain their jobs. The military is a highly regulated environment, which requires officers to maintain the highest form of discipline. Indiscipline cases are met with harsh punishment, most of which culminate in dishonorable discharge. However, officers following the identified set of values can remain in military offices for long.
The military values create a positive environment promoting justice, equity, and fairness. Army values such as integrity and respect help create an inclusive environment where soldiers feel treated fairly and ethically. The military value fosters an environment where each party has equal chances, justice is served in equity, and fairness is practiced (Kusch, 2011). Such an environment increases job satisfaction among the officers, which is key to remaining on the job.
Counter-Argument
Military values play a key role in shaping officers’ character and fostering a positive environment, but these values are not sufficient reasons for retaining soldiers in the U.S. Army. Economic factors such as pay, job security, and benefits significantly influence an officer’s decision to stay or leave. Soldiers seeking better, safe, and stable economic opportunities will likely leave if an opportunity opens up in civilian space. Retention is also highly determined by the work-life balance. Military careers are demanding, with soldiers working in long, stressful deployments away from their loved ones, which can result in burnout and affect mental health. Officers seeking a work-life balance are more likely to find new opportunities in different industries (Mullins, 2021). Army officers are more likely to stay if they can see a clear opportunity for learning and growing in their careers.
Rebuttal
Army values are not the only factor that influences the retention of officers, but these values play a critical role in staff retention. Officers joining the military have different motivating factors. However, retention in the military is highly based on intrinsic motivation, which includes military values rather than extrinsic values, which are motivated by the factors stated above. Thus, military officers motivated to serve their country will easily be retained by the Army values. In contrast, officers with any other source of motivation are likely to leave the Army or get dismissed before their retirement.
Conclusion
The U.S. Army values that include loyalty, duty, respect, honor, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage influence officers’ retention in the military. Army values foster a culture of trust and belonging among officers, increasing the likelihood of serving for long. Military values help in ethical decision-making, which creates a highly reputable organization that soldiers are proud to be associated with. The Army value promotes professional and leadership growth within the military. Military officers’ behaviors are highly influenced by army values, resulting in disciplined individuals who are motivated to stay. Army values create a just, fair, and equitable environment where people are given equal opportunities, increasing commitment to the profession. However, military values are not the only factors that influence officer retention, as individual officers are motivated by varying factors such as economic, career progression, and work-life balance. Military values influence the retention of selfless officers motivated by the desire to serve their country.
References
Department of the Army. (2020). The Army values. Army.mil. https://www.army.mil/values/
Kusch, J. (2011). Employing the seven Army values to win hearts and minds. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 4(2), 2.
Mullins, M. C. (2021). How Does Veteran Status Relate to Retention? (Doctoral dissertation, Sullivan University).
Robinson, K., McKenna, B., & Rooney, D. (2022). The relationship of risk to rules, values, virtues, and moral complexity: What we can learn from the moral struggles of military leaders. Journal of Business Ethics, 179(3), 749-766.
Ryckman, O. J. (2017). Retention, Mentorship, and Servant Leadership: An analysis for Retaining 2050’s Generals in Today’s Army.
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