Army orders

Introduction Discipline refers to following of laid down rules and regulations and order in a given setting (Cole, 1994). The military is one of the professions with very strict discipline requirements something which has led it to be referred to as the disciplined forces. Following orders is a very integral part of the army without which the United States of America cannot execute all its functions and duties as required by the law. The United States of America is one of the best-equipped, well-trained and best-experienced armies in the world.

The United States of America’s Army has perhaps fought the world’s most number of battles since the end of the World War II. In addition the United States of America army has intervened in numerous conflicts to save other nations of the world from anarchy. For instance, the United States army successfully fought the gulf war dubbed ‘operation desert storm’ to force Iraq out of Kuwait which it had occupied. This saw Kuwait regain independence, a move which saved the autonomy of Kuwait and a potential regional calamity in that Iraq could have gone ahead and preoccupied other states in the region la salle manila.

The United States of America army’s role is also evident in the way in which it has intervened in other parts of the world such as in the ousting of Taliban rule out of Afghanistan. The United States of America army’s operations are not limited to combat as the army also has Special Forces involved in special operations. For all of the above mentioned functions to be executed properly, the army adheres to a chain of command through which orders are passed from top to bottom. The United States of America army as mentioned above maintains a heavy presence in the whole world where it is involved in charity activities.

In some countries the army trains armies of poor nations to better cope with security threats which keep on emerging every often. Discipline is really required in such collaborative missions in that; the army while out there is required to play a diplomatic role. In this era of global terrorism, the United States has taken a leading role in the fight against global terrorism. In this fight the United States depends very much on a well trained and disciplined army inorder to thwart potential threats posed by terrorists.

For instance, the army is usually expected to intervene militarily whenever terrorists are suspected to be holed up in a place and therefore a need arises to root them out. All the above roles imply just how much the army must function according to the laid down structures which start from the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces who is the President down to the very junior officers. Therefore ensuring orderliness will guarantee a great success of the missions of the army. Smooth operations in the army require that, protocol is followed and the command chain is adhered to.

This means that juniors must always act according to the orders from above. However the chain of command and especially the issuance of orders have on numerous occasions been disputed. For example in the army’s operations in Iraq, incidences of soldiers being involved in indisciplinary actions have been blamed on orders from the superiors. For instance, in a recent martial case involving a soldier who allegedly executed Iraqis, the soldier defended himself saying that he was acting on orders from the seniors.

However, such incidences are few and isolated and should not be used to discredit the practice of following a chain of command in the army. Usually the training of the army is an intensive one and officers are fully vetted before recruitment to ensure that whoever makes it to the army has a good record of discipline and is an individual who can readily adhere to the army’s code of conduct. Therefore, the soldiers are well trained to take orders and in turn they are trained to strictly act according to the orders.

In addition, it takes a great deal of effort and exemplary performance for one to be promoted into higher ranks within the army. Therefore, by the time one is given the mandate of issuing orders in the army such as, leading a regiment, every fact has been counter-checked to ensure that such an individual is capable. This strict vetting before promotion in the army is aimed to ensure that only those with the best credentials end up taking up roles, which involve issuing orders. Therefore the danger of having some army commanders who issue orders, contrary to the code of ethics, is minimal in the United States of America army.

Orders in the army are an integral part of the functions in the army without which the army cannot fully execute its mandates. Orders in the army are encouraged as they make the army to take collective responsibility for their actions. Orders enable a fast decision-making process whereby the army can move swiftly to its advantage. In addition, orders help to curb the possibility of a mutiny. If soldiers were to be left alone to make decisions, several groups would emerge and infiltrate the chain of command. This is dangerous in that, if the army is not united it cannot achieve its mission.

Orders in the army ensure that the enemy does not infiltrate the army. In addition chances of sabotage are decreased significantly if soldiers get orders from a central command. Orders allow for easy punishment of errant officers as the chances of detecting indiscipline becomes very high (Cole, 1994). In addition, it becomes very easy for the seniors to detect discontentment as the commanders on the ground have an obligation to their seniors to report such incidences. In addition, it is easy for the army to effectively coordinate its functions.

Taking orders in the right way is also important in that it limits incidences of what is referred to as friendly fire. Friendly fire often results when commanders issue conflicting orders and can be a great source of loss to lives and a source of low morale. Adhering to the chain of command and therefore taking orders from a central command is very important and it ensures that ugly incidences such as friendly fire are greatly minimized. Achieving a well-disciplined army which can readily take orders and meet its objectives requires efforts.

For instance, it takes great training efforts to ensure that, the officers recruited into the army are transformed in the training process to become what they are expected to be. In addition, the recruitment officers needs to adhere to the set down criteria and especially in scrutinizing army recruits during application to ensure that only the most suitable end up joining. Honesty and diligence on the part of the recruiting officers is aimed at ensuring that the army does not recruit people who end up failing to meet their duties once in the force.

For example in the recent past media reports highlighted a case whereby an officer had made way into the army with questionable criminal past. This is dangerous in that people who have had a criminal past are less likely to reform and adhere to unusually strict rules and discipline expectations in the army. Therefore, whether the army will have officers who can adhere to protocol and take orders from their superiors largely depend on the quality of personnel the army ends up recruiting.

The army is looked upon as one of the most bureaucratic organisations and has formed most case studies for management students who study the bureaucratic style of management evident in the army. Unless the army maintains this positive attribution, its recognition as a classics success of bureaucratic leadership is likely to wade given the fact that, taking orders and the chain of command in the army is the core of its bureaucratic leadership structure. Orders in the army ensure that there is clear sense of direction and feeling of unity amongst staff members.

In addition, the chain of command ensures that the army officers can function as teams. Teamwork forms a very important component of the army as an organization. Therefore a structure, which allows for a clear chain of command boosts the functionality of teams within the army something which ensures that the army can easily achieve its goals and objectives as a result of the synergetic effect of the team spirit. Therefore the order system is useful in the army in order to effectively achieve its goals and objectives.

Despite the few challenges mentioned above, the army has successfully continued to achieve its goals and this can be attributed to the structure of the army which allows for orders to be issued in a clearly defined way. Conclusion Taking orders from a central order is also very important in fighting corruption or fraud in the army. This is especially important for departments such as the procurement department, which is lucrative, and deals with multi-billion contracts and tenders.

Therefore, without a proper accountability system dishonest officers can use the opportunity for selfish gains something that can work against the army. Finally the vesting of much power on the executive when it comes to the orders such as invasion allows the United States of America to be fully under the control of the government and therefore to ensure that any possible fallout between the army and the government is taken care of.