Scenario: All or None

Group Size: 4-15

Scenario

You are a Section Commander, working out of a platoon house in a war-torn country. The conflict between the country’s two ethnic groups has resumed despite the negotiation of a peace agreement. Your unit has been ordered not to intervene in the conflict and, above all else, to avoid the use of force except in extreme cases of self-defence.

Your Platoon Commander tasks you to take your Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) and your section to pick up some Canadian humanitarian workers living in the next village. As you enter the village, there are 30 bodies lying in the town centre. Four villagers survived and are being tended to by local priests. The two humanitarian workers that you are rescuing tell you that, the day before, the militia arrived and killed almost everyone. The priests and the humanitarian workers tried to intervene but were threatened with death. The militia departed believing that their work was complete. Of the four who survived, two have critical wounds and will require extensive medical treatment.

You try to radio headquarters, but because of your location, communications are intermittent. You only have room in the LAV for the two humanitarian workers and maybe two others, but you must transit a belligerent roadblock and you expect to be stopped and searched. There is no alternate route back. There is no reserve force available to support you, as it is fully committed to another equally important rescue mission.

Categories

• Principles: Respect the Dignity of all Persons, Obey and Support Lawful Authority
• Values: Courage, Integrity
• Cultural themes: Service, Identity, Leadership
• Misconduct types: Not Specific
• GBA Plus themes: Not Specific
• Audience: Canadian Armed Forces

Facilitator’s Guide

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the ethical obligations of “Respecting the Dignity of all Persons” and “Obeying and Supporting Lawful Authority” in an operational setting.
• Discuss the ethical values of responsibility, duty, integrity, and courage as well as duty, a professional expectation from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ethos, in an operational setting.

Facilitation Questions

1. What would you do in this situation? What are the considerations?
   • Allow open discussion from the group.
   • Ethical concerns: You do not have enough room for everyone, and you cannot risk transporting the villagers through the belligerent roadblock, thereby putting your own troops in harm’s way.
   • Personal factors: You want to rescue the humanitarian workers but do not want to make any decisions that could put them and your troops at risk. However, leaving the injured puts you in a personal dilemma because you know that they will not survive.
   • Environmental factors: If you cannot help those you are there to protect, what impact will this have on the environment and the climate between your unit and the locals? If you are caught at the checkpoint while transporting the injured villagers, this intervention may jeopardize the entire United Nations (UN) mission.
2. What is the ethical dilemma in this situation?  
   • If you leave the injured, they will die from their wounds. Yet by transporting them, you will be putting your troops and self at risk when you traverse the checkpoint. 
   • If you are caught transporting the injured, your unit’s integrity will suffer because it will be perceived that you are taking sides.
   • What are the potential moral injuries that could come from decisions made in this ethical scenario?
3. What are some potential courses of action that could be taken in this scenario?
   • Option 1: Conduct whatever first aid you can but leave the villagers and only transport the humanitarian workers who are allowed to traverse the checkpoint. Reassure the villagers that additional medical aid will be dispatched as soon as possible. You do not know what would happen to them when you leave. If the militia returns, they will likely be murdered.
   • Option 2: Take the humanitarian workers and the two critically wounded villagers with you and try to bluff your way through the checkpoint. Reassure the remaining two villagers that additional medical aid will be dispatched as soon as possible. You do not know what would happen to them when you leave. If the militia returns, they will likely be murdered.
   • Option 3: Try moving to a location where communications will work. Request assistance and wait on-site to protect the villagers until additional resources arrive.