Analysis of Good Order and Discipline in Military Contexts

This essay provides an overview of good order and discipline within a military context, particularly focusing on the navy. It highlights the importance of maintaining professional standards for individual and unit success, emphasizing that good order and discipline is vital for military effectiveness. The essay discusses the challenges in defining the term, noting that while a precise definition is elusive, its essence is easily sensed and applied in various duties. It underscores the significance of fair treatment, leadership by example, and consistent standards in fostering an environment of good order and discipline. Furthermore, the essay addresses the necessity of disciplinary actions for breaches and encourages senior officers to promptly address issues to prevent escalation. The reference list includes publications that delve into the psychosocial aspects of military service, recruitment trends, and substance use within the military, enriching the context of maintaining order and discipline.

Running head: GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE 1
Good order and discipline
Institution
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Good order and discipline
In the military context, good order and discipline is something which is quite complicated to
define but very easy to sense. Ainspan, Bryan, & Penk,(Eds.). (2016).point out that it is all about
initiating, maintaining, and implementing professional standards which set the conditions for an
individual and military unit success. Any sort of thing which disrupts or interferes with those set
conditions is said to be contrary to Good order and discipline. Good order and discipline
represents a vital military principle that sets the navy apart from the rest of the society. Thus,
every soldier in the navy is supposed to ensure there is good order and discipline for them to
succeed in all their endeavors. They must know how to apply it in all their military undertakings
whenever they are in the line of duty.
Wirtschafter, (2014),once said that discipline is the soul of any soldier because it makes minute
things formidable, brings success to the weak, and esteem to everybody. For a long time, navy
militaries have acknowledged that discipline is a vital determiner of effectiveness. Since time
immemorial, navy soldiers have always recognized the significance of discipline in all their
doings. Soble, (Ed.). (2006) penned that good order and discipline is the fourth aspect of combat
effectiveness and thus for any military field to triumph in any mission, good order and discipline
is a mandatory. This understanding has prompted navy authorities to establish punishment for
disciplinary breaches to aid ensure good order and discipline. Such practices have impelled navy
militaries to put into practice all codes and act strictly within the confines of good order and
disciplinary.
As mentioned earlier, the term good order and discipline does not have an agreed-upon
definition. This is so because many experts cite that there is no precise definition of military

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discipline and so for many decades nobody who has provided any meaningful clarity (Laurence,
& Matthews, (Eds.). (2012). Even renowned seniors in the navy could not put terms into words,
penning that the term good order and discipline is difficult to describe but quite easy to sense. It
is a hard to pin down concept that might mean different things in different contexts and
environments. However, everybody in the navy is aware that ensuring good order and discipline
is vital for any mission accomplishment. There is no time to discuss its meaning, what is
important is to take its sense and apply it in all duties. Regardless of any unanimous definition,
navy officials should always address how actions directly or indirectly are infracting good order
and discipline in their legislative jurisdictions.
It is prudent to note that maintaining an atmosphere of good order and discipline is vitally a
matter of the way individuals perceive their environment. If navy soldiers are contented, lead
with authority, are acknowledged for their attainments, and are handled justly, then they shall
respond by doing their duties to the best of their capabilities. Thus, the easiest way of
ascertaining good order and discipline is applied is by ensuring that every soldier is treated fairly
and all aforementioned aspects are well catered for. This is in line with Asch, Heaton, & Savych,
(2009) arguments that recruits or young petty officers are always willing to follow seniors who
are more consistent in their decisions and treat subordinates with care.
So, for good order and discipline condition to prevail in any navy unit, senior officers must lead
by example. They should set and maintain standards which they must also be able and willing to
follow without insubordination. For their subordinates to maintain and apply any condition set by
the seniors, they need to see whether what is deemed to be within the boundaries of good order
and discipline is humanly possible. They can only recognize that it is practical by emulating the

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performances of their seniors. So, for the concept of good order and discipline to be successful,
officials are encouraged to show the standards of conduct and performances they expect from the
soldiers they are in charge. Most of them, if not all, will obey and follow their seniors’ examples.
Those who fail to obey should face the wrath of the law and must be dealt with thoroughly on a
case by case basis. Navy seniors are discouraged from postponing any disciplinary action since it
causes the conditions to deteriorate till more serious measure becomes necessary (Bray,
Pemberton, Lane, Hourani, Mattiko, & Babeu, 2010).

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References
Ainspan, N. D., Bryan, C. J., & Penk, W. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of Psychosocial
Interventions for Veterans and Service Members: A Guide for the Non-military Mental
Health Clinician. Oxford University Press.
Asch, B. J., Heaton, P., & Savych, B. (2009). Recruiting minorities: what explains recent trends
in the army and navy? (Vol. 861). Rand Corporation.
Bray, R. M., Pemberton, M. R., Lane, M. E., Hourani, L. L., Mattiko, M. J., & Babeu, L. A.
(2010). Substance use and mental health trends among US military active duty personnel:
key findings from the 2008 DoD Health Behavior Survey. Military medicine, 175(6),
390-399.
Laurence, J. H., & Matthews, M. D. (Eds.). (2012). The Oxford handbook of military psychology.
OUP USA.
Soble, A. (Ed.). (2006). Sex from Plato to Paglia: MZ (Vol. 2). Greenwood Publishing Group.
Wirtschafter, E. K. (2014). From Serf to Russian Soldier (Vol. 1076). Princeton University Press.