Military Professionalism - United States Air Force Academy

Halloran, Richard. “U.S. Military Chief is Replaced in the Central American
Region.” The New York Times (July 21, 1989): A5.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2DD153AF932A15754C0A96F9
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Following a public statement criticizing Bush’s Panama strategy, Gen. Frederick F.
Woerner was pressured to retire and was replaced by Gen. Maxwell R. Thurman as the
commander of American Forces in Central America. Pentagon officials said Gen.
Woerner had displeased Sec. Cheney and the National Security Council by criticizing the
Administration's Panama policy in public. In a speech, Gen. Woerner publicly charged
that the Bush Administration was not prepared to deal with Panama's political crisis
because of a ''policy vacuum'' caused by the change of administrations.
Inskeep, Steve. “Army Walks Tightrope on Ties with Political Bosses.” Morning
Edition NPR (Oct. 21, 2010).
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130656611
President Obama stated that Gen. McChrystal’s negative comments about superiors,
including the president, did not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding
general and undermined civilian control of the military. Col. Moten said that the military
should be an apolitical instrument of the state. At Fort Leavenworth, Army instructors are
re-writing training manuals, everything from ethics to how a senior officer can offer
policy advice without being seen as disloyal. The military plays a major role in the
political process. Adm. Mullen encouraged officers to give their advice to policymakers
privately, which might not always be possible, given that Congress can call service
member to testify in open hearings.
Kiel Jr., John Loran. “When Soldiers Speak Out: A Survey of Provisions Limiting
Freedom of Speech in the Military.” Parameters 37.3 (Autumn 2007): 69-83.
http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/07autumn/kiel.pdf
Public remarks by active duty officers against the President have become more prevalent,
often using the Internet as the medium of communication. The Uniformed Code of
Military Justice allows senior level officers to go as far as court-marshalling servicemen
for publicly criticizing the administration. When a commander does determine that
certain speech or behavior is having a detrimental impact on unit discipline, readiness,
and morale, the UCMJ provides plenty of tools to ensure that timely, fair, and appropriate
discipline is administered in the best interests of justice. Discipline should be
implemented more readily to counteract the rising public criticism of the president by
active duty servicemen.
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