Essay Example on Military Ethics: Why Domestic Violence is a Growing Problem

Introduction

Every organization requires its members to demonstrate strict adherence to ethics to realize order and proper practice in its respective field. Critical fields such as the army face the risk of falling into disorder if proper ethical foundations are not defined. Despite the order and discipline instilled in the military, however, soldiers still fall to unethical behaviors. Domestic violence, for instance, is a leading unethical issue that is perpetrated by members of the military. The military records a higher than average level of domestic abuse. The factors that lead to the higher levels of domestic violence among soldiers as compared to civilians include financial difficulties, extended periods of separation from family, and mental health issues derived from deployment in high-risk areas.

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The home should be the safest place. Hence, people associate violence with places like dark city alleys and prisons. Home environments have become one of the most violent spaces in American society. One-third of violent crimes committed each year take place near or in a home belonging to their victim; such instances include sexual abuse, rape, assault, and murder. The Office of Justice Program (2016) reported 1.3 million incidents of violent crime committed by people known to them such as acquaintances or casual or intimate partners of victims in 2016 alone. Further, about 1 million of these cases occurred near or inside the victim's house.

The purpose of this paper is to examine domestic assault as an ethical challenge that faces the army. The root cause helps to understand push and pull factors leading to domestic assault among soldiers. This paper also highlights the impact of the issue on the army and recommends solutions to the problem. This issue is critical because of its potential impact on the image of the profession. As a requirement, the military requires that soldiers demonstrate leadership and that senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) act as role models by always demonstrating the strict adherence to ethical conduct.

Root Cause

Between 2003 and 2010, the U.S. experienced a decline in cases of domestic violence across all professional segments but the army. In the same period, the army recorded an increase of about 117 percent in cases of domestic violence involving soldiers (Domesticshelters.org, 2016). The primary reason attributed to this rise in cases of domestic violence among soldiers was the impact of mental health issues, particularly among soldiers returning from deployment. The military recorded cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic disorder (PSTD) among this group of soldiers. Also, Goldsmith (2016) noted that the secondary reasons included stress due to rigorous and demanding training, extended periods of separation from family, and financial issues. Soldiers are exposed to high-risk areas when in service. When they return from deployment, they are at a high risk of sliding into mental health diseases, particularly if faced by normal life pressures that they could generally cope with.

Other than the listed causes, additional causes of domestic violence among soldiers stems from personality. Some soldiers engage in domestic violence to assert their dominance, while others are unable to manage their anger. Still, others are likely to suffer an inferiority complex. Alcohol abuse also accounts for some of the cases of domestic violence among soldiers. There are many marriages between soldiers who hold different titles while in service. When individuals in such marriages are unable to distinguish between the hierarchy of the work environment and the home setting, conflicts will likely arise. The military adheres to strict ethical guidelines that require members to be obedient to their seniors irrespective of age or gender. At home, however, each member is expected to take up their roles as family members. However, sometimes the conflicts of the workplace spill over to the home setting and lead to domestic violence.

The army suffers its image, workforce, and finances as a result of domestic violence involving its members. The effects may be felt directly or indirectly. The section that follows explores the impact of domestic violence on the army.

Impact on the Force

Financial and public perception consequences have been the two greatest effects of increased domestic abuse cases involving soldiers. Victims are reluctant to report these acts due to fear that reporting will cost the perpetrator their job; according to data provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), up to 23% of service members who report ethical misconduct related to domestic abuse will eventually get discharged (Powers 2017). Besides losing their positions, such service members also get stripped of their benefits. The force, therefore, loses its members, as well as lose its reputation in the eyes of the public.

The army has the responsibility of attending to victims of domestic abuse perpetrated by soldiers. The Crime Victims Compensation Act provides for the creation of a compensation program to this end. Such programs are set up in each state and require victims to make formal complaints with their respective states or the location of a military installation (National Center for Victims of Crime, 2012). Each state funds this program. More cases of domestic violence translate to increased amounts that must get compensated at this level.

Besides such funding at the state level, the Army Transitional Compensation Program is established by Congress to attend to victims who are dependents of the army. Before a soldier can benefit from such compensation, they are required to have been either separated administratively for an offence amounting to dependent abuse, or suffered court-martialing. When this case plays out, the army loses the soldier as well as incurs the cost of compensation. According to the Army One Source (20018), the army loses a minimum of $15,000 for every dependent compensated. This value is so high, and a high number of victims would translate to even higher compensation costs.

Domestic violence is unethical behavior that impacts on the discipline and order that should define the military. The most harm occurs when an NCO is involved in such unethical conduct when they should demonstrate leadership. It is noteworthy that not reporting cases of domestic violence is equally detrimental to the army. It allows individuals who have potential mental health issues to continue serving without proper assistance. Hence, such soldiers may be assigned to high-risk assignments or let to lead other soldiers.

With a background of challenges relating to domestic violence involving soldiers, the military has established multiple programs to help address domestic violence. The next section highlights come of these solutions.

Solutions

The Department of Defense considers the ethical issue of domestic violence as a high priority problem and establishes solutions towards addressing it. The Department of Defense is continually working on strategies aimed at lowering the rates of domestic violence among soldiers. For abuses that occur outside the realm of professional control, the local police cannot blame the leadership of the military. In most cases, the military is not aware of when the offense has occurred. Increasingly, the military makes efforts to reconstruct laws and grant the military officials the right to address such abuses. Such measures, it is hoped, will also ensure that the Family Advocacy System protects the dependents and victims.

The U.S. Army has established prevention and awareness measures to be implemented, which include supporting positive relationships, encouraging soldiers to help in issues concerning domestic violence, life, and coping skills. Besides, these measures aim to encourage individuals to report abusive incidences as soon as they face them. The U.S. Army provides many programs for soldiers and their couples, and such programs include strong marriage retreat bonds and resilience training for soldiers together with their marital partners. October was recognized in 1987 as the Domestic Violence Awareness Month way back in 1987 (Stand-To, 2015). The army joined the nation in observing the 2015 Domestic Violence Awareness Month as recognition of the prevalence of the problem among its members.

Family life consultants are also employed in the army to help couples in the military field to solve issues involved in their marriage. The recommended solutions and outcomes of the current programs used are better illustrated and described when viewed through the ethical lens. Three ethical lenses are usually applied to decide on outcomes and recommendations. These lenses include the outcome-based lens, virtues-based reasoning lens, and the rule-based lens. The rule-based reasoning ethical lens is the simplest holding soldiers accountable when going against domestic law. A key rule of the domestic violation is the Lautenberg Amendment, which restricts individuals engaged in domestic violence from carrying or owning a weapon. Also, the course of Action for any soldier affected by Lautenberg's Amendment is that they get discharged from the military (Hart, 2001).

Getting discharged would ruin the affected individual's military career. It is also required for the leaders in the army to hand over any report of a soldier committing unethical practice. This requirement can influence an army leader to report the practices at their occurrence or to encourage the affected to report the issue by themselves. The above choice goes above all the ethics embraced by the military.

Next is virtue-based reasoning, which brings into line the individual values with the seven army values. There needs to be mandatory training for every soldier to create awareness against domestic violence. The awareness must focus on strategies to stop the unethical practice, train soldiers on proper financial management, and to keep safe during missions to continue supporting their families. The training also creates an ethical dilemma on the dangers of domestic violence. As a leader in the military, such consultations are likely to prop out and an essential idea to unravel the problem would be incorporating Morale with domestic awareness.

The military sector needs to establish legal policies and awareness programs on domestic violence. Soldiers need to be trained accordingly on how to deal with the abuser. They also need to understand and internalize how to control themselves so that they do not perpetuate such unethical behavior. Even though there are programs set by the Department of Defense to compensate the victims affected by the assault, there are no current programs of screening the soldiers and checking on their mental stability. It would be necessary that soldier undergoes such screening before transitioning to the home environment. There should be a minimum requirement that, when not realized, the soldier should seek psychiatric support.

Screening of soldiers before they join their families ranks as the best strategy to control the misconduct. However, the military must take caution so that, when requiring soldiers to undertake the various tests, there is the professionalism that prevents the potential stigmatization of conditions that might be acquired during childhood or at birth. Ensuring a smooth transition from work to home setting will demonstrate authentic leadership that allows soldiers to grow and develop as individuals, families, and professionals.

Conclusion

The purpose of this paper was to examine domestic assault as an ethical challenge that faces the army. It identifies financial problems, prolonged periods of separation from family, and mental health issues as root causes of the higher levels of domestic violence among soldiers compared to civilians. The impact of domestic violence on the army includes financial costs, negative public perception, and a loss of reputation. To address this issue, the Department of Defense has implemented various prevention and awareness programs, such as providing support for positive relationships, encouraging reporting of abusive incidents, and offering resilience training for soldiers and their partners.