Warrior Ethos Revisited: Implications for the Future

The Warrior Ethos is the written manifestation of what individual Soldiers ascribe to be. It is a covenant which embodies how Soldiers serve the nation and expresses their dedication to accomplish their mission and their responsibilities to each other and the Army. It informs how they train and what expert knowledge they must master. As the Army seeks to define required future capabilities, what cultural changes if any will be needed to adapt and ensure success This paper maintains that the Warrior Ethos, a subset of the Soldiers Creed, reflects a Cold War mindset focused on application of kinetic force and is out of alignment with the changing character of warfare as experienced over the last ten years of persistent conflict. Future conflicts are likely to be dominated by low intensity conflict and stability operations where leaders at lower levels will routinely face difficult and ambiguous circumstances which will require a high degree of moral judgment in the reasoned application of force. Adapting Army culture to meet these challenges will require an Army that values and builds trust relationships and places high priority on the development of moral character.