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Character Is (the) Key! The Application of Virtue Ethics to Improve Officers’ Education

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Book cover NL ARMS Netherlands Annual Review of Military Studies 2019

Part of the book series: NL ARMS ((NLARMS))

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Abstract

Officers’ education in The Netherlands is the responsibility of the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA). Within the NLDA the Royal Military Academy, the Royal Netherlands Navy College and the Faculty of Military Sciences each play an important part in teaching young cadets and midshipmen the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to become a successful officer. Recent developments put the present model under pressure. Internationally, instability is increasing leading to more emphasis on national security and rising Defence budgets. Technology is playing an increasingly dominant role with new warfare areas emerging like cyber and robotics enabled by artificial intelligence. The Netherlands Armed Forces anticipate on these developments by striving to become a more agile and adaptive organisation. Apart from possible changes in composition of the armed forces, future officers will increasingly have to deal with a complex, highly technological environment leading mixed and changing teams of specialists and still be able to achieve relevant results. To prepare them sufficiently, this chapter argues that all the institutions of the NLDA have to cooperate more closely than ever. In the opinion of the writers, character building has always been at the heart of officers’ education and will continue to provide solutions for the future. For this they have introduced a framework consisting of military virtues serving as a backbone connecting the different elements of officers’ education provided by the individual institutions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Ministerie van Defensie 2017 [Dutch Ministry of Defence 2017].

  2. 2.

    Ministerie van Defensie 2016 [Dutch Ministry of Defence 2016].

  3. 3.

    For example, in 2019 the ratio MSC:SOC will be Army 45:192, Navy 68:75, Airforce 45:90 and Military Police 15:30. Source: Order NLDA 2019, November 2018, Annex F.

  4. 4.

    In 2019 the NLDA will train 90 specialists spread over the different services and 96 reserve officers (all Army). Source: Order NLDA 2019, November 2018, Annex F.

  5. 5.

    Hennis-Plasschaert 2017.

  6. 6.

    Main 2017.

  7. 7.

    Joosten 2017, p. 15.

  8. 8.

    Mills et al. 2016.

  9. 9.

    For example due to the introduction of F35 and other new weapon systems. Although they will be partly replacing old systems thus creating a temporary requirement for personnel.

  10. 10.

    Ministerie van Defensie 2018a, b, c [Dutch Ministry of Defence 2018].

  11. 11.

    Ministerie van Defensie 2017 [Dutch Ministry of Defence 2017].

  12. 12.

    For example, the training of 90 Airforce cadets in 2019 with an abbreviated SOC of 3 months. Source: Jaarplan NLDA 2019, Annex F.

  13. 13.

    Herder et al. 2017, p. 6.

  14. 14.

    TNO is a Dutch knowledge institute and the permanent partner of the MoD for a large number of innovative projects.

  15. 15.

    Herder et al. 2017, pp. 18–20.

  16. 16.

    Although ‘value’ and ‘virtue’ are not the same, they are often interchanged. The term ‘virtue’ is closest to those characteristics of moral sound behaviour and good leadership in the military context and therefore used in this chapter. See: Oltshoorn 2011, p. 6; Dalenberg 2017, p. 51.

  17. 17.

    Oltshoorn 2011, p. 4.

  18. 18.

    Oltshoorn 2011, p. 132; Vries 2013, p. 2.

  19. 19.

    Vries 2013, p. vii.

  20. 20.

    Vries 2014, p. 292.

  21. 21.

    Vries 2013, pp. vii–viii.

  22. 22.

    Bauer 2018.

  23. 23.

    Clayton 2005.

  24. 24.

    MacIntyre 2013, p. 191.

  25. 25.

    During his inaugural address at the NLDA historian Klinkert introduced his ‘historic method’ as part of officers’ education. The ‘historic method’ comprises of analysis of military history in order to develop the reflective capabilities and critical thinking of aspirant officers. Klinkert 2018, p. 17.

  26. 26.

    Voltaire 1759.

  27. 27.

    Ministerie van Defensie 2013 [Dutch Ministry of Defence 2013].

  28. 28.

    Vries 2013, p. 15.

  29. 29.

    Schön 1983.

  30. 30.

    Vries 2013, p. 101.

  31. 31.

    Moelker 2017, p. 48.

  32. 32.

    Governance & Integrity/COID [Central Organization Integrity Defence] 2014.

  33. 33.

    Ministerie van Defensie 2018a, b, c [Ministry of Defence 2018].

  34. 34.

    Vries 2013, p. 6.

  35. 35.

    Van Iersel et al. 2002, p. 281.

  36. 36.

    Herder et al. 2017, p. 18.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Military Academy, Netherlands Defence Academy, PO Box 90002, 4800 PA, Breda, The Netherlands

    Joost Doense

  2. Royal Netherlands Naval College, Netherlands Defence Academy, PO Box 10000, 1780 CA, Den Helder, The Netherlands

    Jaco de Bruijn

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  1. Joost Doense
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  2. Jaco de Bruijn
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Correspondence to Joost Doense .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, The Netherlands

    Wim Klinkert

  2. Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, The Netherlands

    Myriame Bollen

  3. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Marenne Jansen

  4. Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, The Netherlands

    Henk de Jong

  5. Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, The Netherlands

    Eric-Hans Kramer

  6. Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, The Netherlands

    Lisette Vos

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Doense, J., de Bruijn, J. (2019). Character Is (the) Key! The Application of Virtue Ethics to Improve Officers’ Education. In: Klinkert, W., Bollen, M., Jansen, M., de Jong, H., Kramer, EH., Vos, L. (eds) NL ARMS Netherlands Annual Review of Military Studies 2019. NL ARMS. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-315-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-315-3_3

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