Military Review English Edition March-April 2014 | Page 24

cadets, midshipmen, and candidates will know,
adhere to, believe in, and lead in the process of
developing themselves and others to truly be
trustworthy future leaders of the armed forces.
In expanding our concept for professional
(leader) development to embrace trust, everyone
(military and civilian) interacting with those in
precommissioning programs becomes responsible for living, teaching, and abiding by a code of
ethics. As many have observed about the culture
at West Point, “When asked what we do here at
West Point, the concept is: ‘We develop character
as we develop competence.’”24 Indeed, the staff
and faculty at each commissioning source have
an obligation to show cadets, midshipmen, and
candidates what “right” looks like (decisions and

actions that are ethical, efficient, and effective—consistent with their service’s values). It is important to
recall that the West Point Board of Visitors in 1891,
referenced earlier in this essay, recognized that the
mission of West Point, as with the other academies,
is achieved through the scholarship, skill, and fidelity of the staff and faculty who must demonstrate
character, competence, and commitment in the process of developing trustworthy cadets, fulfilling the
expectations of the American people.
Perhaps the Posvar Commission in 1989 was
prescient in its final report: “As an ethical rule, [the
honor code] happens to be stated in proscriptive
terms, specifically against lying, cheating, stealing,
or tolerating those who do. This list has changed, and
can change again.”25 MR

NOTES
1. U.S. Military Academy (USMA) Circular 1-101, Cadet Leader Development System, 2005.
2. Joel J. Kupperman, Character (Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, Inc.,
1995). The term “Cadet X” was placed in the quote to emphasize the context
of the argument.
3. James Rest, Development in Judging Moral Issues (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1979).
4. Report of the Board of Visitors to the United States Military Academy
for the year 1891.
5. Maxwell Taylor, West Point: Its Objectives and Methods (USMA, 1947).
6. Catalogue of the United States Military Academy, 1957-58.
7. USMA Circular 1-101.
8. This construct provides focus and meaning to graduates from a source of
commissioning as commissioned offi cers in the U.S. military (see for example,
the design and content of the capstone course, MX400, Offi cership, at USMA).
9. Not all cadets or midshipmen who are found to have committed an honor
violation are separated from an academy. The superintendent may suspend the
separation or take other action, thereby granting discretion. At West Point, Martin
R. Hoffman, then secretary of the Army, granted this authority in January 1977.
10. The term “being honorable” in this context refers to abiding by the Cadet
Honor Code; it does not refer to the holistic concept of being a trustworthy Army
professional as demonstrated by living by the Army values. The values of the
U.S. Air Force are integrity fi rst, service before self, and excellence in all we
do. The U.S. Navy Core Values are honor, courage, and commitment. The U.S.
Coast Guard values are honor, respect, and devotion to duty.
11. Taylor.
12. No