Show Cadet at target practice For over 230 years, the Navy and Marine Corps Team has had success in both peace and war by reliance on certain values held by its members. These shared values are the most important factors that contribute to the success of the naval service. Our Core Values are honor, courage, and commitment. These values are enduring and are integral to the profession of arms. Our Core Values are neither situational nor merely workplace attributes; rather they epitomize the thoughts and deeds of a Naval Officer every minute of every day. Honor is a keen sense of ethical conduct, honesty, integrity, and responsibility. Courage is an attribute of naval officers who must exhibit this core value not only when it is physically hazardous, but also when morally challenged. Each must make the right decision in the best interest of the nation and the Naval Service without regard for personal consequence. Our freshmen (or Fourth Class) Midshipmen report aboard with character that has been formed through the diligent efforts of parents, family, teachers, coaches, religious and other youth mentors. It is our task to help each Midshipman continue to strengthen and develop that character so that they become the best Navy and Marine Corps leaders; to ensure that they can fulfill the sacred trust of successfully leading other young men and women into combat. Commitment to follow one's oath to the Constitution, to care for the safety, professional, personal, and spiritual well-being of each Marine and Sailor is the responsibility of every naval officer. Each must demonstrate respect toward all people without regard to race, religion or gender; treat each individual with human dignity; and exhibit the highest degree of moral character, technical excellence, quality, and competence.
Today's modern Navy can trace its roots back to 1788 and the colonisation of Australia. Our royal title was bestowed in 1911, and since then the Navy has been active in every ocean in the world.
Personnel in each of the three services live the Defence Values, also known as ‘Our Values’ which underpin everything they do. The selflessness of character to place the security and interests of our nation and its people ahead of my own. The strength of character to say and do the right thing, always, especially in the face of adversity. The humanity of character to value others and treat them with dignity. The consistency of character to align my thoughts, words and actions to do what is right. The willingness of character to strive each day to be the best I can be, both professionally and personally.
To live Our Values, our people will:
It takes a certain kind of person to prosper in the Navy. A willingness to work hard and to adapt to new situations is essential. Although leadership qualities are positive and will be called on in certain situations, above all else we value team players, who enjoy working with others to make things happen. You need a love of adventure for the stints at sea and a good sense of fun.
Respect the contribution of every individual Promote the wellbeing and development of all Navy people Communicate well and regularly
Challenge and innovate Be cost conscious Fix problems, take action Drive decision making down
Strengthen relationships across and beyond the Navy Be the best I can Make the Navy proud, make Australia proud
The Navy has a number of time-honoured traditions that survive today as a reminder of our rich history. They are important in building the Navy's esprit de corps, our spirit of comradeship, and our commitment to each cause, and include:
Over a century of loyal service The Royal Australian Navy was the first Service to be formed. Since being granted its royal title in 1911, the Royal Australian Navy has contributed to numerous national and international operations, and following World War II was the fifth largest navy in the world.
In addition to supporting international operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Navy continues to build on its reputation for assisting with disaster-relief, and supporting peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the world. In recent years this includes operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands and helping neighbouring communities affected by earthquakes and tsunamis.
The Navy’s core values are some of the simplest to grasp yet the most powerful of all the core values assigned to different branches of the military. According to the Department of the Navy Core Values Charter, the core values of the Navy, “build the foundation of trust and leadership upon which our strength is based and victory is achieved.” Used almost as a code of ethics, the Navy’s core values are first taught to new recruits during Naval Academy training. While there are many navies around the world, in this article I will focus on the United States Navy. The core values of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps hold that every member of the Naval service, from active members, reserves, and civilians, must understand and live by the core values of the Navy. Similar to the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps embrace three core values. (The U.S. Army has seven.) Read on to uncover them all. Founded October 13, 1775, as the Continental Navy, while the current core values of the Navy—honor, courage, and commitment—were adopted in 1992, the “principles on which the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps were founded continue to guide us today.” Let’s take a look at each of these values in full: 1) HonorAccording to the Department of the Navy Core Values Charter on the U.S. Navy website, the first core value of the Navy focuses on honor. “I am accountable for my professional and personal behavior. I will be mindful of the privilege I have to serve my fellow Americans.” The charter continues to state that members of the U.S. Navy will:
Being an honorable man or women is a value at the very core of military life. In my article on character traits I looked at numerous positive traits that, when combined, point toward honor as the ultimate value that the recipients of these traits must hold dear to them in order to be true to themselves. 2) CourageThe second of the Navy’s core values focuses on courage. “Courage is the value that gives me the moral and mental strength to do what is right, with confidence and resolution, even in the face of temptation or adversity.” The charter continues to state that members of the U.S. Navy will:
In the same way that the U.S. Army speaks of “personal courage,” the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps embrace “courage” as one of the core values of the Navy; something to be both celebrated and fostered in greater abundance. 3) CommitmentThe third and final core value of the Navy focuses on commitment. “The day-to-day duty of every man and woman in the Department of the Navy is to join together as a team to improve the quality of our work, our people and ourselves.” The charter continues to state that members of the U.S. Navy will:
Of the three core branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Navy is the only branch to include “commitment” as one of their core values. The Navy’s core values state that as a member of the Navy or Marine Corps you must be dedicated to your team; with this dedication expanding to their well-being at every level. Studying the core values of the Navy allows us to recognize the power of having core values not just in the military, but in our day-to-day, civilian lives. If you’re interested in hearing more from me, be sure to subscribe to my free email newsletter, and if you enjoyed this article, please share it on social media, link to it from your website, or bookmark it so you can come back to it often. ∎ |