for Essays Guru M3D1

M3D1-Examining the Ethics of Maintaining a Permanent Military

As the famous French statesman George Clemenceau said, “War is much too serious a matter to be entrusted to the military.” Even today, his statement still resonates. "While most countries have large military forces that are able to deploy and protect at any given time (the largest and most notable being China, at about 1,600,000 army personnel), some countries have no military at all". (TopTenz) Granted, many of these countries are small, isolated, island states that would appear to have little to defend.  But this was a position considered by many larger countries, including our own, in the formative years. Armies can be expensive (the largest percentage of the U.S. budget) and may lead to the mindset that “everything looks like a nail when I have a hammer.”  A military force that never fights is challenged to maintain its vigilance and skills. 

Review this source:

1. Encyclopedia of Military Ethics

Read:

1. The article, “Justifications of the Armed Forces,” by Dr. Alexander Moseley from the Encyclopedia of Military Ethics
2. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 12 of The Founders’ Constitution “George Washington, Sentiments on a Peace Establishment”

After you have read the articles by Moseley and Washington, compose your initial response to these statements based on your ideas and the resources you have located to support them. (You may use additional articles from the Encyclopedia of Military Ethics.)

• When a country maintains a standing military force, it will eventually find a way to use it.
• The U.S. would be better off if it had maintained individual state militias instead of creating the national armed forces.

Discuss the ideas of maintaining discipline, accountability, and linkage to the social vs. military moral constructs as discussed by Moseley. (Compare historic to present day issues to support your position.)

In your initial post (250+ words), you are to respond to the question but support your thoughts by including at least two references from academic sources that you have researched on this topic in the Excelsior Library and use appropriate citations in APA style.