Scenario: No Easy Way Out

Group Size: 4-15

Scenario

You are the Crew Commander of a Lightly Armoured Vehicle (LAV), and you are on patrol in an urban area in an underdeveloped country. Tension in the community has been quite high since the accidental shooting of a local by coalition forces the week prior. There is a large group of civilians milling around the street in front of an interim government building and they appear to be protesting. You slow down to avoid running over anyone. As you reduce your speed, the protesters start to swarm around your vehicle until you have to stop so that you do not hurt anyone. The crowd starts to shout and yell at you and, although you have an interpreter with you, he cannot be heard over the noise. It is clear that the mob is angry.

Suddenly, they start to throw rocks and bottles, which force you and the others in the vehicle to duck for protection. Then, without warning, flaming Molotov cocktails are hurled at the LAV. The flames quickly envelop parts of the surface of the vehicle and splashes of fire reach inside before you can go “hatches down.” Through your periscopes, you see more flaming projectiles crashing around your vehicle. Although people have backed away from your LAV, there remains a solid wall of humans, including children, blocking any movement. The crowd is extremely hostile.

Categories

• Principles: Respect the Dignity of all Persons, Obey and Support Lawful Authority, Serve Canada Before Self
• Values: Loyalty, Courage
• Cultural themes: Service, Identity, Leadership
• Misconduct types: Not Specific
• GBA Plus themes: Culture, Geography, Race/Ethnicity
• 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” and the impact of your action and decision with regards to the principle of Serve Canada before Self in an operational setting.
• Discuss the ethical values of loyalty and courage, in addition to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Ethos of responsibility and duty 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: Lives are at stake, either your soldiers’ or the civilians’, no matter what actions you take.
   • Personal factors: You have been charged with protecting the lives of your soldiers as guided by the Canadian military ethos but, at the same time, your personal values play a factor when it comes to harming another human being. Do you adopt the position “It is them or us?”
   • Environmental factors: The coalition forces have already been involved in an incident that has weakened the relationship with the locals. Your actions, regardless of what you do, will have an impact on that fragile bond.
2. What is the ethical dilemma in this situation?
   • This is a harm dilemma which identifies those difficult situations, especially in a military environment, where any action taken will result in harm or injury to others. As a result, it is important to re-examine the options available and try to identify any non-harmful alternatives.
   • From an operational point of view, there is a dilemma. Coalition forces have already been involved in a situation that has weakened the relationship with the local population. If you stay in place, you and your section will be in harm’s way and most likely will be injured. However, the possibility of harming civilians while trying to save your section is an ethical decision that you now face. Saving yourself and your crew is weighted against harming the local population. There is potential for this to be a lose-lose situation, the consequences of which you will be forced to deal with later.
3. What are some potential courses of action that could be taken in this scenario?
   • Option 1: Use chemical weapons (CS gas), smoke, or rev the engine and depress the turret in an act of escalation to force the crowd to break up. This would create a panic and result in the death of civilians due to stampeding, smothering, or crushing, as the crowd tries to escape.
   • Option 2: Slowly try to advance or back up. In the end, if they refuse to move, you may be forced to run some people over.
   • Option 3: Acting within your Rules of Engagement (ROEs), use lethal force by targeting those throwing the flaming projectiles to put an end to the attack. However, this could further rile the mob.
   • Option 4: Abandon the burning vehicle. You and your subordinates are then at the mercy of a hostile crowd and may risk having to shoot individuals.