Chapter 4 – The Canadian Armed Forces Ethos
Section 4.1 – Introduction
An ethos is formally defined in Canadian Armed Forces Ethos: Trusted to Serve as “the characteristic spirit of a culture or organization as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.”Footnote 48 Figure 4.1 is a visual representation of the Canadian military ethos.
Figure 4.1 – The Canadian Armed Forces Ethos
Ethical Principles
- Respect the Dignity of All Persons
- Serve Canada Before Self
- Obey and Support Lawful Authority
Military Values
- Loyalty
- Integrity
- Courage
- Excellence
- Inclusion
- Accountability
Professional Expectations
- Duty
- Accepting Unlimited Liability
- Fighting Spirit
- Leadership
- Discipline
- Teamwork
- Readiness
- Stewardship
Long description
The graphic portrays the CAF ethos broken into its component parts of three ethical principles at the top, with six military values and eight professional expectations side-by-side underneath the ethical principles.
A full examination of the CAF Ethos is provided in Trusted to Serve, but the discussion that follows will explore it with regard to its functions, fundamental imperatives, Canadian values and universal virtues, as well as the concepts of trust, character, competence and commitment. Trusted to serve along with the CF and DND Code of Values and EthicsFootnote 49 define who we should be and how we should serve as military professionals and Defence Team partners.
Of the seventeen elements within the ethos, the ethical principle to respect the dignity of all persons deserves a particular examination within the context of the profession of arms.Footnote 50 It represents a fundamental principle of humanity that demands constant and universal application. Even in the most harrowing context of military service, such as combat, CAF members must consider this the guiding principle to decisions and actions. On one level, this is a fundamental paradox of military service in that the core function of the military – that of engaging in actions that will likely result in the wounding or death of adversaries – runs counter to this ethical principle. However, at a deeper level, this paradox can be resolved through a reflection on the purpose of national defence. National defence is the defence of Canada and Canadian interests: it is the defence of Canadians and the people who call it home. This means that the military professional may need to take the life of someone threatening the lives of others, but only in accordance with applicable Canadian and international law. Members of the profession of arms abide by this ethical principle, extending it to even the most hardened adversary, but ultimately, the profession of arms in Canada is primarily concerned with the threat or use of military force to protect others.
Section 4.2 – Canadian Armed Forces Ethos and Its Function in the Profession of Arms
The CAF Ethos serves several functions. Primarily, it harnesses the other professional attributes of responsibility, expertise and identity through the establishment of desired ethical principles, military values, professional expectations and norms of professional behaviour that act as a unifying spirit – a fighting spirit – for all military professionals. The ethos guides the ways in which we apply military expertise in a virtuous and effective manner; in essence, with professionalism.
The military ethos is also a framework that allows for adaptation in two directions. First, it allows for the military to continually adapt as the ethos is rooted in a values-based approach to guiding behaviour. This approach allows room for virtuous interpretation as society and norms evolve. Second, this flexibility also ensures the ethos remains relevant to the various sub-cultures that inevitably form in a collective profession such as the CAF. This means that the commands, branches and trades all have distinct ways of being and doing within the bounds of a common CAF ethos, as articulated in Trusted to Serve.
The military ethos also serves as the foundation for how military professionals in Canada lead their people. It shapes how our leaders command, lead, manage and develop other military professionals. Leadership at all levels has a profound influence upon military culture. Although assuring a healthy military culture is every member’s responsibility, leaders have an outsized impact through the examples they set, the standards they demand, the support they give, as well as the decisions they make.Footnote 51
At an institutional level, the ethos establishes the foundation from which personnel policy and doctrine must be shaped, that is through the judgement of our institutional leaders, our executive officers and senior appointment NCMs. Institutional decisions have important and wide-reaching impacts on military professionals across the CAF and need to align with the ethos’ principles, values and expectations to support a healthy professional culture. When combined with both direct and institutional leadership, the power of the military ethos to unify and shape military expertise, responsibility and identity is unmatched.
Section 4.3 – Canadian Values and the Profession of Arms
The social legitimacy of the profession of arms to perform its military function is founded upon how closely military professionals embody and live the same values that they defend. Military professionals may no longer be civilians, but they remain responsible citizens and therefore must reflect the best of Canadian values. These same values shape military culture, even when adapted for the purposes of defending Canada and Canadian interests. For this reason, a formal expression of Canadian values is important.
Canadian Values
Canadian values play an instrumental part in the military ethos. An expression of Canada’s values can be found in legislation such as The Constitution Acts of 1867 to 1982 and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Footnote 52 Other national documents such as the federal study guide for becoming a Canadian citizen, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, further inform our understanding of Canadian values.Footnote 53 From a broader perspective, the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights presents thirty articles which express fundamental principles that mirror Canadian valuesFootnote 54 All of these rights, freedoms and values are echoed in Canadian law and various public opinion surveys and research.Footnote 55 However, it is only the Discover Canada publication that outlines the six responsibilities of Canadian citizens; obeying the law, taking responsibility for oneself and one’s family, serving on a jury, voting in elections, helping others in the community and protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment.
These values and responsibilities are largely reflected within the ethos in the three ethical principles and six military values. The ethos, however, is the characteristic spirit of an organization and does not represent the full range of values and associated behaviours needed to make up military culture. Hence, there is a requirement to better delineate how a military professional should best live these Canadian values within the military. For this we turn to The VIA Classification of Character Strengths and VirtuesFootnote 56 framework that includes thirty universal virtues and character strengths, as well as the Ivey Business School’s Leader Character FrameworkFootnote 57 of eleven character dimensions and sixty-two supporting behaviours. Military professionals need to embrace these character frameworks so that our increasingly diverse teams operate in a more positive manner and are led by a broader range of inclusive leadership approaches. This is not just because it is the right way to be, but also because it leads to the force’s well-being and sustained military excellence, both of which align with our military ethos.
Section 4.4 – Internalizing the Ethos, the Fundamental Imperatives and the Importance of Trust
The trustworthiness of the CAF is fundamentally rooted in how both society and the government perceive the level of professionalism exhibited by the Canadian military. The same trustworthiness of the military plays a decisive role in shaping the functional imperative – determining the extent to which society and the government grant the military the autonomy and resources to self-regulate within the profession to ensure military effectiveness. Internally, it is the trust between leaders and the led, and between their various military teams, that determines how cohesive and effective the military force will be in achieving its mission. To achieve this trust, the military ethos and military expertise must be practiced daily so that it permeates the institution and infuses the performance of its members. Such professionalism is achieved through a significant commitment to pursue excellence through experiential learning in the form of socialization.
Socialization is an integral and ongoing aspect of advancing professionalism, characterized by a continuous effort to develop both character and competence. Socialization is not a periodic process. It is an informal and continuing process whereby individuals acquire a personal identity and learn the norms, values, behaviour, social skills and expertise appropriate to their position within the organization. It must stand as a critical informal learning process that accelerates learning and, hence, performance. Socialization into and developing a habit of living the military ethos is no less important than operations. In fact, effectiveness on operations is predicated upon being an exemplar of the military ethos.
Central to this social learning process is the notion of accountability. Each CAF member is accountable to themselves, to those around them, and to the standards of the profession. Every member of the CAF has a role in creating an environment where everyone is inspired and supported to grow into the best possible embodiment of a military professional. This environment is one in which failure must be accepted as a positive method for learning if the profession is to innovate and evolve in a healthy manner. Humility and a continual commitment to pursue improvement must dominate the military profession. All members need to be deliberate in distinguishing when performance is demanded and when learning needs to occur.
In practice, learning and performing have an inherent tension between the two. While they inform each other, focusing solely on performance will have the unintended consequence of undermining it. The best environment for learning is a safe psychological spaceFootnote 58 where failure is an expected and accepted part of the learning process. Innovation can only be unleashed in such an environment. The key to ensuring this developmental approach is the requirement for the humility, curiosity and grit of a growth mindsetFootnote 59 to permeate all members of the profession of arms. This is best achieved when there is mutual trust. For this we return to our trustworthiness model.
Character in the Profession of Arms
The character of military professionals is underpinned by the ethos’ three ethical principles which play a key role in ensuring that the military remains subordinate to the democratically elected Government of Canada and collaborates well with federal public servants within National Defence in fulfilling their shared responsibility. The three ethical principles and six military values also ensure that the military reflects the values and norms of society to an appropriate degree. Taken together, these principles and values, if internalized and lived, shape who we are as military professionals.
Character also exhibits itself in the way the profession of arms approaches leadership. Who we are is how we lead; one’s disposition plays a crucial role in the ways in which we lead.Footnote 60 Sustained military effectiveness demands authentic and inclusive leaders who lead with personal and professional strength of character. To establish a stronger connection and effectively lead a broader range of diverse military professionals and teams, it is essential to develop a more comprehensive set of positive leadership behaviours grounded in both Canadian values and universal virtues, going beyond what's solely conveyed within the ethos. Central to this leader character construct is the importance of how these interdependent values and virtues support improved judgement and military decision making.Footnote 61
Competence in the Profession of Arms
At its core, competence embodies the pursuit of mastery in military effectiveness: the development, maintenance and innovation of expertise. This requires a commitment to continuously refine and expand upon the knowledge, skills, abilities and processes associated with the general system of war and conflict if we are to achieve the highest level of proficiency and readiness in serving Canada’s security interests. Competence within the CAF Ethos is largely expressed by the eight professional expectations – what military professionals do. Competence demands high levels of leadership and stewardship in building disciplined teams that achieve high readiness standards in collective performance so that they are ready to operate and succeed in competitive, hostile and dangerous environments. While intellect is key to competence, it also requires a fighting spirit to ensure that competence is achieved and military duty is successful.
Commitment in the Profession of Arms
Commitment within the ethos speaks to both a personal and institutional intention to vigorously pursue the development of both character and competence. This pursuit must be a continuous practice and it is no less important than the conduct of operations. The level of commitment and effort required to pursue such a professional practice needs to be underwritten by a strong fighting spirit to ensure that it is sustained.
The profession's vitality requires fighting spirit at both the personal and institutional levels. Such commitment to character and competence ensures that the best decisions are taken to complete a military task and achieve mission success. All the while, these results must be achieved in a manner consistent with the military policies and programs designed to best support the unique demands placed on the military professional, in other words, those associated with such selfless service. Without commitment, the concept of a well-supported, skilled and professional military starts to erode. Hence commitment, or fighting spirit, is a crucial ingredient at both the individual and institutional levels towards ensuring and enhancing military effectiveness.
The professional judgement that stems from a constant commitment to and vigorous practice of character and competence is vital to the profession. This tenacious pursuit of excellence is not just about mission success; it is also about meeting society’s expectations of its military. In essence, it is achieving a balance across commitment, character and competence that can sustain the profession of arms’ constant pursuit of excellence, all-the-while maintaining the well-being of its members and their families. This stewardship is the formula for long-term growth and, ultimately, to the success of the profession.
Section 4.5 – Conclusion
The roots of military values that underpin the CAF ethos stem directly from both Canadian values and universal virtues. In turn, the military ethos acts as a unifying concept for the other professional attributes by harmonizing the effects of the functional and societal imperatives of the profession of arms. Ultimately, these concepts combine to create a trustworthy and militarily effective organization through the combination of the variables of character, competence and commitment.
One of the eight professional expectations, fighting spirit, deserves special emphasis which is why it was chosen as the title of this publication. Fighting spirit is central to any military as it is only this moral component of warfare that carries the burdens of unlimited liability when the military engages in the legitimate use of force on behalf of its country. To be sure, the CAF is asked to do much that falls outside of armed conflict, like security or even public safety from time to time. However, it must always be prepared to apply military force in a disciplined and determined manner to ensure the safety and security of Canadians and their interests.
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