According to the Gallup Poll of June 1-4, 2006 (page 25)the military was the most trusted institution in America, with over a 70% approval rating. Number two were law enforcement officers with better than a 60% approval rating. The commander in chief, the President of the United States, had around 35%--and that is important because the military is under civilian control. Congress came in about 20%--Congress makes the rules that the military lives by and the Senate declares war.
Given this, "A Tactical Ethic" is still important enough to be shoved in a deployment bag as training refreshment when in the battle zone. America's military has been involved in irregular warfare even before there was a United States of America--the irregular conflict is the 'real war' for America's military. Dick Couch has a point--words and deeds must match. "We don't win insurgencies, we win the people..." (page 34/35)
Two issues: what to do when the enemy won't play fair--and our warriors will be judged by our politicians after the victory. Our politicians grandstand--to put it mildly--and rack up political brownie points through persecution of the 'boots on the ground.'
Check on the results of the trials instigated by Congressman John Murtha regarding the Haditha killings. It's hard to be moral when the civilians that control the military are corrupt--John Murtha was a retired Marine Corps officer, too!
During the Chinese Civil War from 1911 to 1949 (with breaks to fight the Japanese during World War Two) Mao's Chinese Communists had a set of regulations that gave the Chinese Communists credibility for being the good guys. Never mind that torture and reprisals were the norm for all sides in that bloody war--compared to Chaing's warlords and their minions, the Chinese were paragons of virtue! Modern China is still paying the bill for that mere appearance of morality--but the other side of the coin was military necessity. It was a battle of terrorists--and one side was smart enough to balance the 'stick' with 'the carrot.' Unfortunate, but when Chaing was ejected from the mainland, there was no longer any reason to be moral.
Immediately after the American Civil War, the ex-slaves were granted the right to vote--and federal troops enforced that right until Congress outlawed such behavior. After that, the Ku Klux Klan stripped the vote from black Americans--America has had insurgencies since prior to the foundation of the Republic, not always on the side of the angels, either.
For America, there is every reason to continue ethical behavior even when the guideons are furled and the rifles racked in the armory. Last year's raid into 'friendly' Pakistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden is being debated as to legality--and even the tactics the raiders used are being Monday Morning quarterbacked by the 'loyal opposition.'
Couch doesn't just preach ideals--he has practical recommendations for implimentation of a more ethical fighting force. Ethics are preached in the training commands, but (page 53) "Life in the training commands is NOT life in the operational units." The "real culture of the military" is described on pages 52-54: 24/365 all-male, that the 'moral' needs improvement, and the 'ownership' aspect. My 27 year military career spanned 35 years and I found that the Rules of Engagement were poorly understood at all levels in the operational command. Rules of Engagement are the ethical and LEGAL limits of using force in the battlespace--a subset is the Use of Force rules. Rules of Engagement generally start with "upon declaration of hostilities, engage all identified enemy assets..." Use of Force rules are peacetime. Unfortunately, because the Rules of Engagement are not made "real" to the operational units in direct combat, because those rules appear to be modeled after the sporting rules governing football games or whatever, troops and junior leaders are apt to take 'shortcuts' that lead to My Lai.
The appendices include the moral creeds of all the armed services.
I didn't do justice to "A Tactical Ethic." There are two challenges not covered, challenges beyond the scope of the book--that our civilian leadership isn't held accountable to the same standard, and that the enemy will do whatever is thought to be a winning tactic.
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