Explain why discipline is important in relation to the chosen armed force.
Discipline is the process of training yourself in obedience, self-control, and skill. The controlled, ordered behaviour will result from training, within the army; discipline is a vital component for many reasons. One reason why discipline is needed within the army is for improved organisation, this is because if the force is working together in a tight unit, with strict order, fewer problems will occur as a result and with improved organisation, a boost in morale will therefore occur.
Role of discipline
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This is a vital factor, as if the morale is high the soldiers and generals will have more inspiration in wanting to fight and serve for their country. Morale consists of many factors, including confidence in equipment, good training and complete administration; but ultimately it is the confidence between commanders and subordinates and between individual soldiers. High morale is not easily come by,. It requires commitment and self-sacrifice and to put the interests of the team and the task ahead of one’s own. Therefore, the force will know that they can handle the stresses of such discipline as it will ultimately be beneficial to have self-discipline.
This can be seen through the forces in Afghanistan, with self-discipline in such hot weathers reaching up to 40 degrees, soldiers can encourage each other to work to the best of their abilities and this self-sacrifice is what forms the basis of team spirit and morale.
Furthermore, with high team spirit, the encouragement each individual gains from one another will lead to an improved self-confidence and self-control; this will lead to everyone being ahead of their game in so that they do not fail to complete their objectives. Soldiers will gain more respect for each other and are more likely to listen to instructions and follow them, This will lead to keeping the force intact, this means the force will be concentrating on one aspect rather than many and a time, and they will be able to focus on one single task and as a result completing an objective fast and clean. If soldiers are not kept in order through discipline on the other hand, they will therefore not complete their objectives if they can’t complete their objectives than soldiers’ lives will lost or be badly injured because they need discipline to understand the role in the army. In addition, the heath of a soldier can be maintained if there is discipline and control with hygiene, for example, in operations surrounding areas such as the jungle, need to be self-discipline to have the common sense in how not to get ill and being hygienic.
Rules
Rules, regulations and procedures
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Rules and regulations are used within the army to ensure that discipline is promoted. Without these rules the force are less likely to follow instructions and keep themselves in order. The main rule that the force has to follow is the criminal law, meaning that wherever the force are fighting, they are no different to other citizens and have a duty to uphold this law. Due to the forces travelling mostly overseas, they will therefore be faced with different cultures and these cultures must be treated with respect and the laws within that society must be followed. As the force is organised, they are also subject to international law of other countries. This means they are deployed on operations soldiers are subject to international law, including the laws of armed conflict and the agreed rules of engagement, and in some circumstances this can be local civil law. Taken together, such laws establish the baseline for the standards of personal conduct of the soldier as a citizen.
Therefore, a rule such as the operation law is put forward to ensure discipline. This law seeks to train all units prior to the deployments and also throughout their careers, it provides teaching on the international laws and assignments surrounding these laws.
There are laws enforced that make it an offence for any person in the force to assist the enemy, this includes giving or receiving information from the enemy and not informing proper authorities, protecting and enemy or prisoner of war and providing the enemy with supplies. This regulation complies with the international law, making it an offence to communicate in anyway with the enemy. This is to ensure that the morale of the force is not influenced by anyone communicating with the enemy, leading to mistrust between individuals for example.
Soldiers are also under the service law, committing a crime if they for any reason if they act in a way which will put the success of an operation of any of Her Majesty’s forces, at risk. Furthermore, they will be obstructing operations if they intend to prevent the success of an operation. Having this law in force means that an individual commuting the offence will be subject to punishment, and therefore, the risk of anyone wanting to obstruct an operation will be limited, moreover, enforcing discipline.
There are also rules which makes it an offence to be caught fighting with any other person meaning that they’re unexcused if their behaviour is threatening, abusive or insulting. Under this rule it is likely that the person is to be punished, therefore having rules with punishment, will again ensure that people are more likely to follow them and having one against fighting will mean that the moral of the team will be at a constant high with high spirits and less likely to be rivalry between one another
What is the importance of following orders?
Within the army it is always important to follow the orders of the ranks above. A plan in combat is always better than no plan as it will initially provide the army with a basis of the key ideas that they would like to achieve and in order to achieve, everyone must cooperate with the concept so that it is carried out in the safest and of the highest standard possible. To ensure everyone is co-operating and on the same level of thought, orders must be given out so that the task can be carried out efficiently. If this does not happen however, the risk of failure is more likely and costly outcomes will proceed, such as the cost of someone’s life. The cost of someone’s life will clearly be more likely within the heat of a battle, if someone has not followed the correct orders. Following orders can also be seen as important due to the fact that if you don’t follow the orders of someone in a higher rank than you, then you as a person will never be trusted to give out orders in future, meaning you will not be able to work yourself up through roles.
Loyalty
Within the army, loyalty is a broad and wide subject, from authority being loyal to their minors and visa versa. These loyalties will built up to every individual all contributing to their main loyalty of being loyal to the army and believing in the tasks they carry out. However, loyalty to the army cannot be made official until for example, authority represent their minor’s interests in confidence and allow them to develop their skills within the army. Furthermore, soldiers need to be aware of being loyal to their leaders and other teams’ members to ensure their duty is also carried out. Therefore, overall an individual can show their loyalty to the force by showing certain aspects of their commitment to the force through self-sacrifice, courage and professionalism. This will be during their duty and when they are not on duty.
Respect for Others
The respect the soldiers show each other is also a key aspect in the role of discipline. Respect of others ensure all humans, including those who have been wounded, prisoners and those who have just been deployed in order to help within the conflict, are respected at all times and that they must also respect all others. This means that all soldiers must therefore, comply with the law in order for respect to be of high standard. The army recognises that there is diversity within the army and other humans, therefore, when operations on land are carried out, the army must ensure that these are carried out to the highest standard, ensuring that it is fair at all times, with no discrimination to any person. Respect is important as people are recognised for their uniqueness and differences and these differences are valued and not discriminated against. This will ultimately mean that every individual within the army, whatever colour, race or religion an individual they face follows will feel like an equal and be treated with the fairness. The army will clearly be faced with many different cultures and areas where people will have different views and opinions and so everything must be done in order to treat others in a dignified and equal way. Furthermore, the fact every individual is treated with respect will create a motivated team of soldiers and commanders, ready to fight.
What is the hierarchical structure of the army?
In many organisations the hierarchy of the organisation is enforced to ensure that operations are run as smoothly as possible. The army therefore, hierarchy is an important component in enforcing discipline. That is why the armed forces have inevitably maintained a strict structure of ranks to ensure that smooth operations can be controlled in stressful environments. , executive control, management and administration of military organisations is mainly maintained by the government through a government department within the structure of public administration, often known as a Department of Defence, Department of War, or Ministry of Defence. These groups overall manage Armed Services by supporting combat formations and ranks.
Structure is vital in many ways one being to maintain order, due to the army being faced with difficult situations often being unpredictable, much discipline is needed to enable the soldiers to minimise their fears and to not panic, meaning they will not act irresponsibly within the heat of combat. In this way it can be seen through stages of the military, newer soldiers for example will be less experience and will need therefore, someone of higher status to give them some direction and corrections. In order for this to occur, there are assigned ranks which comply with how experienced each individual is. This enables those of higher ranks to take authority and enforce measures of discipline by sending out orders through the ranks, making sure everyone is accounted for.
In addition to this, structure is also used in order to maintain on a day to day basis order for the army. This includes the higher ranks delegating roles between each rank for example, those individuals of a lower rank will have job roles that are on par with entry level employees, with little responsibility, whereas as you get higher up the ranks some members will be able to supervise day to day operations, ensuring it is keep to a high standard. Lastly, commissioned officers are more like corporate managers, and are able to direct the whole force on a larger level, with greater responsibility. This idea ensures that those with more experience and knowledge are given the larger and more complicated roles, with lower ranks contributing their experience for the whole force to carry out a mission on every level.
Finally, the use of ranks means that the soldiers, and those with less experience, have the opportunity to move higher through ranks as they gain more experience. This means they are more likely to follow orders and work to the best of their abilities within tasks in order for them to prestige and be able to move through ranks. This will create a sense of self-discipline and sacrifice as they want to impress higher ranks in order to move higher.
'Uniformity' in the Military
Finally uniformity is also another way discipline can be enforced within the military. Uniforms were initially aided a purpose similar to battle flags or ensigns. They served to identify individual members of the army while the flags identified units as a whole. Some uniforms originally consisted of nothing more than brightly coloured scarves tied around an arm or waist, and this tradition continues in many conflicts of today. Overall the main purpose of uniformity is to set apart one force from another, but also serves the purpose of creating discipline.
People away from the army setting may notice that everyone within the army looks the ‘same’ meaning there is a lack of individuality within the army. However, uniformity is mainly to help instil in an individual self-discipline, attention to details and to show their ability at following orders. In this way, although the army as a whole may seem to look the same, in the same uniform and stance, if you take a closer look, it can provide leaders with an indication of who has made an effort or who is doing the bare minimum required. As well as this, individuals can be encouraged to set aside the uniform and show indivuality by exceeding the standards and furthermore encouraging other members to do so, creating therefore, a team environment.
Uniformity instils discipline as if everyone looks the same, in the same uniform; it shows that everyone can work together, as whole in order to accomplish a target. It also provides order within the army, as you can notice where each individual comes from and which rank they belong to. This means that there is less confusion within conflict.
In conclusion, discipline is a major role within the army to ensure that operations can be carried out to the safest and highest standards, with everyone cooperating together as a team with high morale. This can be achieved in a number of ways throughout the force in order to ensure discipline and order is maintainesymbol name
xxxxxx region, theater
xxxxx army group, front
xxxx army
xxx corps
xx division
x brigade
lll regiment or group
ll infantry battalion, U.S. Cavalry squadron,
Commonwealth armoured regiment or Argentine
Army regiment/artillery group/battalion
l infantry company, artillery battery, U.S. Cavalry troop,
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this is important becasue the soljiers can be more discipline have also respect for all the rankings, all soldiers have a commander without one they army will have no leader.
with this table ranking soldjiers can look for promotions.
tis table can help the soljiers know exactly what position they are in, and also know what type of job roles they have to do.
with this table soldjiers can be very loyal to there department witin the army.
armed force act 2006
http://www.scribd.com/doc/98171795/Doc1-act-2006
queens regulation
http://www.scribd.com/doc/98172829/Doc1queen-Reg
