Spartan Spirit - Best for the West - Episode 1: The Western World, Spartan Spirit, and Cultural reform’s impact on military morale
Podcast Notes:
· The ‘West’ is the culture of democracy and individual rights. It can be narrowed down to those countries that promote those two key tenets. References:
o AC Grayling “War”
o Sofia Lyon of the University of California
o Kwame Appiah of New York University
o Professor Sam Huntington “Clash of Civilisations”
· This podcast advocates a strong Western society to ensure its foundations are enduring.
· The West’s roots can be found in Ancient Sparta’s legacy.
· Ancient Spartan History.
· Cultural reform’s impact on the modern military.
o Cultural reform in the ADF:
§ Stemmed from a 2011 sex scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA)
§ Led to a review of the treatment of women in the ADF (the Broderick Review) and a 2012 review of abuse in the ADF (The Piper Report).
§ culminated in the Pathway to Change program in 2015.
o Is “Guys” a gendered or neutral word? https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/07/07/guys-defense-gendered-etymology/
o https://theconversation.com/tinkering-with-tribalism-women-and-cultural-change-in-the-adf-16329
o https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14702436.2019.1575698
o https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB10040.html
o https://www.stripes.com/news/australian-army-chief-orders-ban-on-so-called-death-symbols-1.524725
o https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-28/death-symbol-ban-not-political-correctness/9696674
o Open letter to Chief of Army re death symbology ban - CONTACT magazine (contactairlandandsea.com)
· In summary, Morale is critical to military success. Anything we do in the West that detracts from success in future battlefields must be called into question. The ‘politically correct’ cultural reform (particularly the drive towards individualism) that is sweeping Western militaries must be filtered to ensure we do not weaken our militaries while seeking to be ‘inclusive’ and ‘individuals’. The military is not reflective of society and must not be weakened by the drive for individual rights. Such reforms fail the test of the Spartan Spirit and could lead to weakening of the Western World.