Military and counter-insurgency experts are calling for a new set of ethics for the US armed forces, a report says.
The Sunday Times of London said that the experts allege that the current "creed" for the US military encourages violence over rational thought and that with the heated situation in the Middle East, a more constructive "ethos" would be more appropriate.
The "Warrior Ethos" now used in training has a US Marine say in part, "I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat."
The future crises that relate to Iraq and Afghanistan "will be a struggle for hearts and minds," retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, said. "We're in a different environment now and that requires different techniques."
Newbold is a former Pentagon director of operations.
During the Vietnam War, US troops clung to the "Soldier's Creed," which focused on a soldier's duty to avoid disgracing the uniform or the country in any way, the Times said, a concept that experts like Newfold believe should be infused again into the US military.
"A strategic corporal can have a lot more impact on the course of the war than a general, so it's critical that soldiers and marines appreciate the consequences of their actions," Newbold told the newspaper. "The old Soldier's Creed came down to 'doing the right thing.' I like that."
US military needs new ethics, war experts say
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