Adultery and inappropriate relationships among the ranks in the Army - Research Paper Example

? Adultery and inappropriate relationships among the ranks in the Army The United s departments of defense reports indicate that over 18,000 assaults of sexual nature occurred in the year 2010. More than 20 percent of women in the military are likely to be assaulted sexually. Female and male veterans are reported to confirm reports of rampant sexual trauma during their service in the military. The military has been reluctant to take action against these allegations. Military officials are said to have received over 3000 reports on sexual assault in the year 2011. However, reports indicate that only 191 cases have successfully been convicted in the court-martial. This has encouraged the outrageous behavior in the military circles. No wonder, the majority sexual predators are repeat offenders. Sexual assailants in the military are said to be unaware of the impact of their actions to the lives of the victims. This essay seeks to explore the issue of adultery and inappropriate relationships among ranks in the military. Many people believe that sexual ethics in the military fall under personal choices and should never be governed by the military. Research shows that most people believe that extramarital affairs should not be punishable in the military. A poll indicated that 49 percent of Americans believe that adultery should be allowed in the military. The argument in based on the fact that adultery is a personal choice regardless to whether it is right or wrong. Most of the people who back adultery in the military use the natural law theory (Mitchell, 1998). The argument suggests that the essence of having sexual urges is to explore sexual relationships with multiple partners (Brinson, 2008). The natural law suggests that it is natural to fulfill the sexual urges and desires. Multiple cases have been reported dealing with cases of immorality in the military. Army major John Lonhouser, Air force General Joseph Ralston and General David Petraus are representative of what is happening in the top ranks of the United States military. The junior ranking troops imagine that the drill sergeants live in an insular world. The junior officers believe the word from their commanders is final. As a result, they suffer from rape and sexual assaults while serving in the United States military. Most of these troops suffer retaliation after reporting these cases (Brinson, 2008). Sexual assaults have resulted to demoralization of the United States military, especially those who have fallen victims. The military is expected to be a moral leader in the United States. Research indicates that there is a culture of condoning military adultery and improper sexual relationships in the units of the United States army. However, the rules tend to be different for the generals (Mitchell, 1998). According research, consensual sex seems to be widely tolerated in the United States army. The media seems to put top generals into limelight. However, the military structures, culture and attitude is accustomed to sexual offences (Valente & Wight). Soldiers are known to work in extreme conditions (Brinson, 2008). They spend most long period of time away from their families. This has been attributed to the multiple cases of adultery in improper relationships among the ranks in the army. The department of defense has conducted large-scale surveys with regard to adultery and improper relationships in the coast guards, Marine Corps, navy army and air force active-duty personnel (Mitchell, 1998). Research confirms the women and men experience gender-related discrimination which has been in the rise in the last one decade. For long, sexual harassment had been termed as a problem facing the military women. However, men are increasingly becoming targets of improper relationships at an alarming rate. The military culture and gender based imbalances while on active duty have been cited as some of the causes of adultery and improper relationships among the military personnel. The military environment provides the sexual offenders with character pathology chances. According to psychologists, these offenses occur as a result of certain opportunities. This argument suggests that an offender with a personality full of thrill-seeking, criminality, and egocentricity can act motivated by sexual assertiveness as opposed to mere sexual indulgence (Mitchell, 1998). In such cases, the offenders feel safe to respond to internal pressure in an opportunity provided by a subculture. This has contributed to rampant cases of improper relationships and adultery during work-duty deployments in the military (Brinson, 2008). The military sexual violence has pointed to increased male dominance and racists assumptions. The trend has raised concerns with the normalization of military -on-military sexual violence and improper relationships (Rush, 2008). The inconsistent standards in the military have served to worsen the situation (Rush, 2008). According to analysts, an all volunteer military has got disadvantages (Mitchell, 1998). Most of the people apply to join the military as a result of economic hardship. It is viewed as an easy way out of poverty. Some apply to escape violent homes. This explains why many troops and not swift to report cases of improper relationships among the military ranks (Mitchell, 1998). According to the military medicine journal, most of the military enlistees have experienced physical childhood abuse. A sixth of them had experienced sexual abuse while 11 percent have had both physical and sexual abuse. According to psychologists, most of the people who have experienced abuse childhood end up abusing others once they get some extent of authority. Military is said to attract men with violent tendencies (Valente & Wight). According to Elizabeth Hillman’s study on sexual violence in the military, violent and sexist men are volunteering to serve in the military. The military is seen to have embarked on a number of moral waivers to encourage many prospective recruits to join the force (Brinson, 2008). In the United States, this has increasingly gained momentum after the 9/11 attack. This has encouraged men with men with records of sexual and domestic violence to join the military. A study on the consequences of military improper relationships among the ranks indicated that 23 percent of women who reported military sexual trauma (MST) defined sexual relations under threat of force while serving in the military. Apart from child sexual abuse and lower ranks, other risk factors include lower education and young age in the military (Rush, 2008). The military sexual trauma has caused suicide, substance use, post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. These psychological symptoms are common in both men and women in the military who have experienced any form of sexual violence while serving in the military. The physical effects of improper relationships or forced sexual relationships include gastrointestinal problems and cardiovascular difficulties. Despite the longstanding prohibition against adultery by the military service members of different or same rank in the United States of America, the cases have been on the rise. The military sexual laws prohibit adultery between military personnel and civilians. Studies show that the concern of the psychological wellbeing of the military officers is often overlooked (Mitchell, 1998). Research shows that most members of the public have optimism that military officers coming from a war front and supposed to behave like ordinary civilians. This is despite the horrifying ordeals from the warfront. The mechanisms in place to debrief soldiers who have stayed for long without their spouses are weak (Rush, 2008). This has contributed immensely to the cases of adultery and improper relationships among the members of the military. Some officers revealed that the scandals reported by the mainstream media often focus on officers in trouble for something else (Saris & Lind, 2008). The answer was inspired by the fact that sexual immorality in common among soldiers. The prohibition against adultery in the military is borrowed from the British ethics which were founded of Christian faith. This makes both fornication and adultery punishable in the military. The UCMJ came up with a code that does not expressly use the word fornication. The code refers to any behavior that is like to bring the military into disrepute and promote indiscipline (Mitchell, 1998). The uniform code military justice (UCMJ) fails to specifically prohibit adultery. The United States military is increasingly being urged to become firm and strategic to minimize cases of adultery among members of the military. The cases of the 1990s scandals brought into limelight the sexual misconduct that occurs among the ranks within the military. It has increasingly become clear that although the law is there, the cases on convictions are rare. This has contributed to unabated cases of sexual and unethical behaviors among the ranks of the military (Rush, 2008). To deal with this issue comprehensively, the law must be implemented to the letter. In the era of liberalism, more groups and continuing to advocate for the right to self will. However, there is an ethical dilemma when the self -will hurts the moral standing of an institution like the military (Suris & Lind, 2008). The moral standing of army generals plays a vital role in the way junior officers relate and behave. However, when the top generals are associated with scandals, the junior troops are left without morale and inspiration. The government of the United States should conduct aggressive campaign with an aim of establishing the major causes of sexual assaults in the military (Rush, 2008). Religious convictions have proved to be helpful with it comes to moral issues in the military. Studies show that sexual favors have led to unwarranted promotions in the military service (Mitchell, 1998). The United States military personnel have been trying to make alterations into the military laws to make them compatible and effective. The army had abandoned mixed gender training in 1981. This was inspired by increased sexual tensions from the male soldiers. This was altered in 1994 when both Navy and Air force received joint training on cognitive skills. Differences like physical compatibility and capability and the sexual needs can cause difficulties in the course of building skills in the soldiers (Rush, 2008). The quality of training and exposure contributes to the sexual ethics among the soldiers. The military training should incorporate skills on morality in diverse environments (Suris & Lind, 2008). Research shows that sex differences have been known to solve problems among the ranks. It is clear that young women soldiers are more vulnerable to coercive and structured set-ups compared to their male counterparts (Mitchell, 1998). Minimizing sexual temptation from training serves to help both women and men (Suris & Lind, 2008). In a research, female military personnel said mixing both sexes is ineffective. Professionalism is often compromised by feelings and emotions. Research shows that men and women tend to concentrate on each other when placed together exclusively. This has been seen as one of the causes of adultery in the military deployments. The nature of sacrifices needed in the battlefield demand extreme self control and professionalism (Rush, 2008). In the event the self control has been compromised, then professionalism is compromised. Most soldiers insist that it is not practical to assume that adultery will not happen in the event solders are in war fronts away from their spouses. In conclusion, there is a push for the public to accept a change in military values vis-a-vis the trends in the society. However, that translated into acceptance of undesirable outcomes. Less loyalty in the military units leads to increased indiscipline and adultery. The shifting values of the society have presented a credible challenge to the army. There is a growing feeling that the society should change but the values of the military personnel should remain the same (Rush, 2008). A telling example is the legalization of same sex couples to work in the United States military. The change was a result of shifting societal values. Therefore, one of the solutions to the increased cases of improper sexual conduct from the military is going to be role played by the society. Soldiers are increasingly being viewed as employees who can be influenced by the marketplace values. The institution is seen to be evolving as the society evolves. It is strongly recommended that military should remain insular as one of the ways to overcome the declining moral strength of the forces and adverse social pressure. The military must have a firm and robust reward and punishment system. This shall cause the behavior of military personnel to legitimize their values and system. At the moment, the integrity of the military institution is in danger as a result of a radical shift from traditional values to civilian-oriented values. The army must accept and choose the harder but right decisions instead of the easy and wrong stands. References Brinson, J. S. (2008). Factors Leading to Adultery in the Military Population (1st ed.). ProQuest. Mitchell, M. P. (1998). Women in the Military: Flirting With Disaster (1st ed.). Regnery Publishing. Rush, R. S. (2008). Stackpole Books (8th ed.). NCO Guide. Suris, A., & Lind, L. (2008). Military sexual trauma: A review of prevalence and associated health consequences in veterans. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 9, 250-269. Valente, S. & Wight, C. (2007). Military sexual trauma: Violence and sexual abuse. Military Medicine, 259 – 265. Read More