Time for A Conversion: Why Unified Commanders Are Not Well Served by Their Chaplains and What Needs to Change.

摘要

Religion is a crucial and contentious issue impacting operations in many theaters and Areas of Operation. Senior joint chaplain billets are justified on the basis of the chaplain's advisory capacity to the Unified Commander; and yet, poorly formulated joint doctrine virtually ensures joint commanders will have little authoritative guidance on what to expect from Unified Command Chaplains in terms of religious advisory support. The problem exacerbated by the tendency of all Service chaplaincies to produce senior officers more attuned to meeting the religious flee exercise/accommodation needs of U.S. personnel than to advising senior joint commanders on religious issues. Changes in joint doctrine and a reformulation of training requirements for chaplains serving on Unified Command staffs will greatly enhance the quality of religious advisory support provided to U.S. Combatant Commanders. The resources to correct the problem and radically enhance the quality of support provided are at hand. The proposed changes will enable Unified Commanders to know what the should expect, and Unified Chaplains to know what the should provide.