Military Review English Edition September-October 2013 | Page 78
do what is best for the Army. Even with this continuing trust, this is not an area in which the Army can ever relax its vigilance. Similarly, senior officers must be ever watchful of their actions, so as to never put at risk the trust soldiers place in them; for once lost, it could take years to re-build.12 This conclusion reinforces the findings of the Center for Army Leadership which reported Army leaders are perceived as competent professionals who trust each other and believe their unit will accomplish its mission. However, there appears to be less trust in institutional level leaders’ ability to manage the future of the Army. Both interpersonal trust and institutional trust increase with rank—the more senior the individual, the more positive are assertions of trust and confidence in others and the Army as an institution.13
point to potential challenges for civil-military relations and the trust placed in the U.S. military by society. At the turn of the 20th century, former Secretary of War Elihu Root, identified three great problems of “national defense, military science, and responsible command,” with each having a trust component interrelated with the four other characteristics identified in Figure 1.17 Applying Root’s framework, national defense requires that citizens trust their Army to serve honorably and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Military science conveys the technical expertise of trusted professionals to ethically employ military power to secure U.S. national interests and those of its allies. Responsible command embodies the trust that military professionals will be good stewards of people, facilities, equipment, and funds placed under their care.18
The Trust Challenge
Trust Reexamined
Interviews with commander (O-5/O-6 level) and senior enlisted (E-9) focus groups revealed a perceived lack of trust and confidence in subordinate leaders’ expertise
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