The Importance of Respect and Following Orders - Case Study Example

The importance of respect and following orders, how insubordination affects the unit and mission, and the importance of the role of the non-commissioned officer Introduction It goes without saying that discipline in the military life comprises of a range of attributes like military respect, respect for the chain of command and the willingness and ability to listen to and follow commands. So, truly speaking, discipline is the backbone of the military life. There is no denying the fact that a majority of civilians tend to misconstrue or misunderstand the meaning and relevance of discipline in the military life. They mostly think that military discipline and respect is about punishments and reprimands accrued owing to an inability to follow commands in a proper manner. They simply forget the fact that discipline and respect constitute the essential ingredient of both the military and civilian life (Kennedy & Neilson 71). Almost most of the young men are taught the value of discipline right from the times they start their schooling, where they are taught the importance of discipline in domestic, academic and social life and are told about the relevance of respecting the rights and privileges of others. On the sports fields, is it baseball or football, the young people are taught the value of placing the respect for the team aspirations above personal goals and targets. Even in the work life young people are taught the value of loyalty for the organization they work and the importance and appeal of respecting one’s seniors and colleagues and placing organizational goals above personal aspirations. The crux of the matter is that life is about team play and any form of team play, be it civilian or military simply cannot succeed without respect and discipline. The term ‘unit’ or ‘mission’ simply refers to a team scenario and military discipline primarily ascribes to a spirit of respect and selfless team play. In the civilian life, a breach of respect and discipline by a young man may put one in trouble, or may place one’s teachers and parents to shame or may result in one’s team losing a match. In military life, a breach of respect and discipline usually results in more drastic consequences. Here the breach of discipline by a soldier may not only jeopardize one’s own life and the life of one’s colleagues, but may also make a unit loose an important strategic goal or may lead to the complete failure of some important mission. Hence a bunch of disciplined and respectful soldiers is worth far more than a rag tag band of undisciplined men not willing to respect the values and goals they need to be held sacrosanct. History has time and again testified to the fact that disrespectful and undisciplined armies are more than often not able to hold their ground before disciplined and well motivated armies, even if they lack in numbers (Kennedy and Neilson 71). More than often, discipline and respect are the bedrock on which stands the success of a unit or a mission. Importance of Respect in Military Life The recruits who are new to the army do often wonder why their superiors are so particular about respect and the importance of following orders. Why they are such a stickler for caring about and respect even the minor aspects of military life? Why they are expected the salute all the seniors with alacrity and promptness? Why they are expected to carry their rifles at a particular angle? Why they are expected to be prim pram and immaculate with their dressing sense? Why they are expected to make their beds a certain way? Why they are religiously expected to respect the chain of command and to follow the orders exactly as they are delivered? The fact is that these things constitute an integral part of the military training in respect and discipline. The purpose of such an approach in military training is to teach the would be officers about essential values that constitute the military respect and discipline like obedience, a determination to win, loyalty, love and respect for the flag, team spirit, respect for the rights of one’s juniors and colleagues, individual pride, pride for the unit one serves, etc. So, simply speaking, discipline and respect in the military life has nothing to do with a senseless punishment or retribution (Chan & Mintz 215). It simply means to inculcate a mindset where an officer places the task and orders delivered to one and the success of the mission allocated to one’s team above one’s personal interests, instincts and inclinations. It means a willingness on the part of an officer, inculcated through long and difficult training, to cheerfully obey the orders extended by one’s superiors. It means inculcating a mindset where the officers carry out the orders given to them exactly as they are told, even when their seniors are not present to monitor what they are doing. When any officer successfully learns these aspects of the military like and when cheerful obedience becomes a second nature to an officer, one can successfully conclude that the officer has harmonized with the quintessential spirit of military discipline. Such a sense of respect and discipline is what leads to the missions being accomplished and the lives being saved. There is no denying the fact that in the civilian life the young men are often told to show courtesy for and respect their seniors and colleagues. Military courtesy and respect tends to be somewhat same with the difference being that most of the military men are ardently proud of their job and tend to heartily respect the people belonging to their profession that in army, respect and courtesy are practiced more religiously and diligently than in the civilian life. Respect and curtsey are the integral parts of the overall military discipline. A disciplined soldier never fails to show the proper respect to others whether one is on duty or off duty, whether one is in one’s unit or interacting with the civilians. How Insubordination Affects the Unit and Mission Insubordination in a military context means either a failure or a refusal on the part of a junior officer to comply with or submit to the command and orders of a senior officer in the chain of command. It means defiance to superior authority or a refusal to comply with the military ethos of respect and discipline. It amounts to a revolt or disunity in a unit. The concept of insubordination is often talked about in the context of military organizations because military organizations rely for their effectiveness and sustenance on a sacrosanct chain of command (Gal 184). Hence, it is imperative in the military organizations to assure that any lawful orders given by a commissioned or a non-commissioned officer are adhered to and carried out by a junior officer to whom these orders are given. Insubordination could have drastic consequences for a unit. Most of the military units are able to function in a streamlined and methodical manner because they resort to a respected and esteemed chain of command. The objective of chain of command is that it amounts to hierarchical divisions of labor, which keeps the military units systematic and methodical. Each officer in a unit is well aware of what his responsibilities are and what tasks one is expected to do. The adherence to a respected chain of command nullifies all confusions in the military units and keeps them on keel. However, in case of the acts of insubordination, the discipline inherent in the units gets shattered and it makes the units marred by confusion and the role of every officer and soldier becomes unpredictable, giving way to chaos and confusion (Gal 184). So for the seamless functioning of the army units it is imperative to discourage and punish insubordination at all levels. The other grave thing about insubordination is that it damages and deteriorates the ethos of respect, trust and faith in the military units. If one single individual in a unit is allowed to go away with an act of discernable insubordination, it will necessarily tend to have a negative impact on the moral and commitment of other soldiers. In extreme cases it may make the other officers and soldiers undisciplined and disrespectful towards their seniors and may amount to one rotten apple spoiling the whole lot. So insubordination is an evil that needs to be discouraged, restrained and if necessary, stringently punished at all levels in the armed forces. Insubordination could often lead to the failure of military missions. For the success of the military missions, officers and soldiers adhere to the notions of task cohesion based on the trust that each and every member involved in the mission will exactly do what one is expected to do. Military missions rely on the collective commitment of all the members in a team for their accomplishment and rely on the inherent trust that all the respective members will perform as per the directions given to them by the superiors. Insubordination drastically dilutes the element of cohesion and reliability in the teams assigned to military missions. In the face of insubordination, the members in a team are simply not able to coordinate their activities and responsibilities during a mission, in the absence of which an entire mission may come apart. Such a thing could be very dangerous in the military context that it may lead to the needless loss of motivated and experienced soldiers and may result in a significant advantage to the enemy forces. The imperatives of coordination, cohesion, communication and performance in a military mission simply cannot exist in the face of insubordination. Hence, there exists no scope for insubordination in military. Role of the Non-Commissioned Officer Non-commissioned officers simply speaking constitute the backbone of the United States army. For the junior military personnel, the non-commissioned officers tend to be the most fundamental and visible face of the military. Non-commissioned officers are most of the times responsible for extending the relevant training to the military personnel so that they may be able to perform the missions assigned to them under all circumstances and irrespective of all dangers and constraints. No-commissioned officers also play an active role in the execution of military missions undertaken by the military organizations. Though the non-commissioned officers are trained in the military service specific essentials like combat and strategy, in the current times, leadership and management also do constitute an integral part of the training of all the non-commissioned officers. In the military organizations, it is most of the times the senior non-commissioned officers who tend to be the primary link between the commissioned officers and the enlisted army personnel. In the context of the junior officers serving in the army, the advice and guidance extended by the non-commissioned officer is of immense importance and relevance. Most of the enlisted officers join the military organization endowed with a position of responsibility, but do lack the requisite knowledge, experience and the organizational memory. Under such circumstances it is the non-commissioned officers who help the enlisted officers with their advice and guidance. So there is no denying the fact that in the modern times, the non-commissioned officers are often required to extend leadership, guidance and managerial skills both during the organizational missions as well as within the units they are ascribed to. It is mostly the non-commissioned officers who extend the requisite knowledge, guidance and organizational memory to the new recruits. Conclusion It goes without saying that the concepts of respect and discipline in the army are not merely about superficialities and pretensions. In the military context, respect and discipline are the concepts that constitute a way of life. Subordination to the seniors and a joyful willingness to obey are the natural outcomes of this attitude of respect and discipline. In the absence of discipline and in an environment marred with insubordination, a unit or a military mission could simply come to its knees. It is mostly the non-commissioned officers in the military who introduce the enlisted officers to the ethos of respect, discipline and obedience. Works Cited Chan, Steve & Mintz, Alex. Defense, Welfare and Growth. New York: Routledge, 1992. Gal, Reuven. A Portrait of the Israeli Soldier. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986. Kennedy, Gregory C & Neilson, Keith. Military Education: Past, Present and Future. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. Read More