Woke, Weakness and The Warrior Spirit

 

It has become fashionable in Academia and the Media to demonize that term “Warrior.”  Based on how they use it and the connotations they apply consequently I fully understand and endorse such condemnation. I, however, do not associated the word “Warrior” with the trappings they apply and so will continue to consider it as the best expression possible that captures my thoughts on what it means to be a member of the Profession of Arms.

One of the things that my own journey in higher education is teaching me is that choosing those ideas that appeal to one and rejecting those that don’t is very much at the heart of the intellectual debate. I don’t mean to suggest that it isn’t done with thought and rigorous analysis but rather to reflect that such contentions are core to improving the actual discussion. So, I choose to adopt the ideas of the Warrior Spirit as used for so long by the late Dr Bill Bentley.  A champion of Clausewitz and Design Thinking, Bill would often tell me when we worked together that the needed component to be successful in the Profession of Arms was a Warrior’s Spirit. He described this has having the Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Emotional elements necessary to engage in the fight. He understood, much earlier than I did, how this was an equation of multiplication vice addition. Meaning if just one of those elements had zero value, then the output was automatically zero. Each was necessary, none were capable of offsetting a shortfall of another let along being sufficient on their own.

I think about this and Bill’s thoughts, a lot. Pretty much everyday.

I’m also aware that the quality of the public dialogue has been cheapened by a number of major elements including but likely not restricted to the advent of Social Media, the evolution of Main Stream Media, as well as the increased populism of both Left and Right aligned Politicians. I am sure that there is more that has diminished this conversation but itemizing these is sufficient to demonstrate my point. The privileging of ideas in Academia is excusable when supported by deep thought, analysis and substantiated by evidence. The evidentiary cherry picking by individuals who lack all of those redeeming features should be seen as an anathema, rather than the gospel so many consider it to be.  

I, like so many, watched the 6^th January attack on Capital Hill with horror. Not because of the violence, which to many was shocking but to most military pers with deployed experience would not be so jarring as an actual activity. What was jarring was that it could happen in a Western Democracy and quite frankly one just south of our border.  But if that event was unsettling, the follow-on debate, including the attacking of serving members for being “Woke” when daring to speak critically of those moments has been, for me at least, even more worrisome.

Ultimately, I have interpreted that criticism as being essentially: “If you care to inform yourself, if you are determined to care for others regardless of their circumstance then you are Woke and that is weak and that diminishes our military capability.”  Applying my view of the Warrior Spirit the exact opposite is true. If you are not constantly trying to improve your understanding of the operating environment, informed by deep and comprehensive study and if you have no compassion for your fellow human beings then you are failing on every element that is essential to success.

This is not to say that I don’t have concerns about the readiness of our military nor that they are being gradually weakened.  For those with whom I have worked you will fully anticipate this: We are increasingly fat and lazy as a military force. I have always believed that there is a direct cost to this now systemic challenge. I wrote an additional number of paragraphs on this but having re read them realized they were a distraction from my main point which is if being Woke is being better informed and caring more, than it contributes to vice takes away from our Warrior Spirit. I can’t help but add this is not a generational issue as the young women and men joining are neither less or more fit than previous but rather those in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have simply just stopped trying to be deployably fit. ..but I digress.

Obviously, given my background, I am more than comfortable with the application of violence, or the threat thereof, to achieve a policy objective. Many people don’t like that idea. In fact, most assiduously avoid such direct language. But such avoidance has no bearing on the actual reality of why we have a military force. Yes the CAF can fill sand bags, it can help in LTC homes and it can do many of those things well when needed. Indeed, it should. But that is not our raison d’etre.  A nation’s military is designed with purpose and focus: To fight. The word “Warrior” seems far too aggressive for some. Those are invariably in two groups: There are those who do not believe in military force regardless of circumstance. I admire these people (whilst thinking them utterly naïve) and remain grateful for their voices. The other group just want to avoid thinking about the things they might agree are necessary but would prefer to use language that doesn’t force them to think about the reality of conflict and what it means. I reserve all of my disdain for such individuals.

The reality is that the world is becoming more not less chaotic. The fight of our lifetime, that of climate change, will indisputably make regional conflict more not less common. It will make those conflicts harder to fight in every single way. Do we need to be fitter to be ready to engage in those conflicts, absolutely, but equally inarguably and additionally we need to actually be “more Woke.” To prepare our team to fight effectively we must inculcate a Warrior’s Spirit described by whatever language you wish to adopt. Being Woke, adds to, does not diminish the Warrior.