Military Review English Edition September-October 2013 | Page 10

values in the next generation of leaders. The Army recognizes that the Millennials will be the greatest influencers in the Army from 2015-2024, both as seasoned soldiers and fresh recruits. As a group, Millennials are a diverse and disjointed generation. They appear to be a tolerant, pragmatic, ambitious, and optimistic cohort. They believe in their influence and unique identity. They are innately intimate with the digital world. However, most relevant to the Army, their values do not align with the Army’s and remain in flux.40 The Josephson Institute of Ethics declared, in extensive surveys of American high school students, over 50 percent report having cheated on an exam, and over 55 percent report having lied to a teacher about something significant in the past year.41 While these trends have improved slightly over previous years, they indicate significant values problems with America’s youth. Additionally, by many accounts, Millennials are generally driven by “more of an emphasis on extrinsic values such as money, fame and image” and much less by “intrinsic values such as self-acceptance, group affiliation and community.”42 One should reasonably expect this value gap to continue to widen as

Soldiers of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, march into Soldiers Field House at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., 28 July 2013 during a welcome home ceremony. The 4th SBCT soldiers returned from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army, Pfc. Reese Von Rogatsz)

the generation of Millennials rises to lead the Armed Forces. In 2014 the Army will submit its Program Objective Memorandum charting the Army’s future resource allocation decisions for the ensuing six years.43 This means that the Army has a year to figure out its initial concepts for manning, training, and developing the Army of 2020. The first condition associated with identity corrosion, lack of professional identity among stewards of the profession, should be relatively easy to overcome. The Army already initiated the aforementioned “America’s Army—Our Profession” education program of 2013. This program incorporates the concept of identity. When the Army’s most senior leaders emphasize the importance of the profession to its emerging stewards, these warfighters will probably internalize the importance of understanding the profession. One way the Army emphasizes senior leader identity is through the development of a computer- based Virtual Experiential Interactive Learning Simulation (VEILS). The program focuses on senior-leader level ethical decision making.44 Each scenario developed provides realistic dilemmas and presents the participant with numerous ethical challenges. The Army should continue to invest in, and rapidly field, the VEILS program. Participation should be a gate for professional certification commensurate with service at the level of colonel and above across the Army. Moreover, the Army should continue to invest in other simulations that will help certify identity within the entire force. The Army recognizes that “future learners will prefer independent learning experiences and have a natural affinity for self-development and lifelong learning, and prefer collaborative learning experiences.”45 The virtual environment provides a relatively inexpensive venue for producing those experiences. Recruiting and retaining future leaders will require unique adaptations to traditional Army leader-development models and practices. The Army must invest in its moral-development programs to overcome issues with moral fading and rationalization amo