Martial Virtue

Abstract

The changing nature of modern warfare and consistent problems with ethical lapses have created significant problems in the administration of the U.S. military. The authors propose reengaging civic humanism in the form of martial virtue as the basis of a new military ethic. A more civically engaged military will be better equipped to manage the complexity and demands of modern warfare and, more important, do so in a more ethically prudent manner. Furthermore, martial virtue provides a bridge for the peculiar disjunction between military and public administration as well as a common normative ground from which to proceed. After providing a brief theoretical context, the authors propose six basic principles of martial virtue, followed by a more pragmatic discussion of the practical implications of such an ethic in the U.S. military.