Military Professionalism - United States Air Force Academy

sailors’ needs, both professionally and personally; they make sure expectations are
clearly understood while fulfilling or exceeding the expectations of their sailors.”
Leaders must also take the initiative, establish goals, and remain flexible.
Mullen, Michael G. “To Mitigate Against Uncertainty.” NATO’s Nations and
Partners for Peace (2006): 140-147.
“Leadership: Everything starts and ends with leadership. Nothing else we accomplish, no
other priority we pursue, is of much consequence if we do not have sound and effective
leadership in place to enact it. We all have a responsibility to develop our own leadership
potential and that of the sailors in our charge. Accountability and Integrity: Wherever we
go, whatever we do, we represent the ideals and the people of this nation. We must hold
ourselves accountable to high standards and comport ourselves with the integrity and
honor befitting the service. Alignment: Alignment is the degree to which resources,
processes, and communications support our vision and mission. A properly aligned
organization can accomplish anything it attempts. Every sailor should share and
understanding of our vision and mission and be able to describe how he or she
contributes to them.”
Mullen, Michael G.. “National Defense University Commencement 2009.” JCS
Speech (June 11, 2009).
http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?ID=1203
Adm. Mullen states that the military should remain a neutral instrument of national
power. He then says officers should remain apolitical when they retire. He quotes
Samuel Huntington, saying, “A political officer corps, rent with faction, subordinated to
ulterior ends, lacking prestige but sensitive to the appeals of popularity, would endanger
the security of the state. A strong, integrated, highly professional officer corps, on the
other hand, immune to politics and respected for its military character, would be a
steadying balance wheel in the conduct of policy.”
Mullen, Michael G. “Landon Lecture Series Remarks.” Kansas State University,
Manhattan, KS (Mar. 3, 2010).
http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?id=1336
Adm. Mullen argues first that U.S. foreign policy is too dependent on the military. He
states that more emphasis should be placed on soft power. He thinks the military should
only become involved if other instruments of national power and allied forces are also
ready to engage. Second, he advocates for applying force in a precise and principled
way, which aims to protect civilians while degrading the influence of the enemy. Third,
he states that policy and strategy should constantly struggle against one another to ensure
that military strategy will be challenged and change as operations evolve.
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