Moral Factors: The 10th Principle of War

摘要

The nine principles of war first published in 1921 do not contain any serious analysis of the moral factors and have remained essentially unchanged. Moral factors include those intangible human elements that decisively contribute to combat power; these encompass courage, discipline, morale, esprit de corps, duty, and spirit. Unlike the United States, the importance of moral factors is recognized and established in the doctrines of several nations to include Great Britain, Australia, Russia, and Japan. There should be concern that American infatuation with technology and the materiel components of combat power are driving procurement that, in essence, is absorbing the defense budget. While the U.S. should continue to develop and integrate the most effective weapons that our society can provide, the military must remember that quality and quantity of materiel is only one factor of combat power; the other is moral factors. The most advanced systems in the world will not be effective unless operated and supported by personnel imbued with moral factors. The fundamental strength of our services will continue to be the individual Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine. The U.S. military must focus on the indoctrination, development, and maintenance of moral factors in service personnel because of the decisive impact they have on combat power. The time is present to focus attention on the human element that contributes convincingly to combat effectiveness by updating the principles of war to include moral factors.