Dealing with Social Conflicts in the Military

Conflict is an inevitable whenever people - whether close friends, family members, co-workers or romantic partners – disagree about their perceptions, desires, ideas or values. Regardless of the substance of the disagreement, conflict arouses strong feelings. The population 's tolerance for reinterpretation of institutional values, beliefs, norms and ethics rose significantly due to significant changes in American social norms in the 20th Century. This tolerance, in conjunction with a transition to the primacy of personal rights over institutional needs has resulted in a society where the good of the many has become subordinated to the good of a few. It has been said that if society as a whole were more like the military in this regard, the U.S. would be a better place. Although diverse, the U.S. military is strengthened by the unified goal of preserving freedom.

All branches of the Armed Forces of the United States are a reflection of America -- virtually every possible ethnic and religious group is represented in each of these organizations. The military is comprised of men and women from all over the United States and other cultures (countries) working together with a single purpose: to protect and defend the Nation and fight for freedom. The Armed Forces is and has been a representative of the nation 's population since its creation. Today’s members of each Armed Forces branch are part of a team with a unique character and identity, where each is judged by his or her performance -- never by race, color, religion or gender. This paper will attempt to address the Social conflicts at work on military life which includes issues such as women in combat, homosexuals in the military and gender-integrated basic training. Additionally, this paper will provide information on how these social forces have impacted the military and what steps the Army and other services have taken to resolve them to build a more modular and cohesive force based on transformation and

References: Aspin, Les, Secretary of Defense, “Direct Combat Definition and Assignment Rule,” memorandum, January 13, 1994. before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, Washington, D.C., March 17, 1999 Spencer, Jack, (2001), Why the Social Experiment of Gender-Integrated Basic Training Has Failed, from http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/EM758.cfm, retrieved on 15 Mar 08. Warner, Margaret, (1997), Marching Side By Side, Transcript, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/april97/coed_4-30.html, retrieved on 15 Mar 08.