How do we fix declining discipline?

<font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">

</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Calibri">I think I know where this question is coming from, but I don’t
know that discipline is at a low. The army is an evolving machine, and with
that we as leaders must evolve too. Now, especially, the Army is making a lot
of changes in a lot of aspects. I think what we are seeing is a total Army
learning curve. I remember when I first came in and a "smoke session"
was how a leader fixed everything, now not so much. I don’t think its bad to
get away from it, but I dont think it should go away all together either. I
hear a lot of belly aching about how the Army is getting soft. I don’t think it
is. I think the Army is making leaders think more, and the days of the instant
feedback are slowly fading away. We have to be more like parents to soldiers,
and less like Drill Sergeants. I don’t say that as babying them, but in the
respect that we must take responsibility for them, good and bad, and coach
teach and mentor. All of these are things that we are suppose to be doing, but
making Joe do 80 pushups was a lot easier. So simply I don’t think that discipline
is at a low, I think the Army is in the middle of evolution and it is a painful
change.</font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">

</font>

<P>I think that the percieved lack of discipline might be attributed, in a small part, to the lack of evolution on the part of the leader, or more importantly how we teach our leaders in the military. Social media, the internet and immediate information sources are somewhat new. I know the internet&nbsp;has been around a long time, but the way we can instantly access knowledge at the tips of our fingers on a smartphone&nbsp;is barely a decade old.&nbsp;I can remember myspace, but it seems like a distant memory. There are apps used now to instantly share news, both personal and otherwise.</P>
<P><BR>The junior enlisted that are in right now have never known a world with no internet. They are faster and smarter with technology. They have never known a world without smart phones. Their interaction and social connection is grounded in both those things. We can't make them disappear so we have to evolve as leaders. We have to learn how to use them responsibly and be able to teach the junior enlisted how to use them responsibly. If we want to remain relevant we are going to have to get smarter and faster than they are. </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>When my kids were teenagers (early 2000's) I wanted to know what they were seeing and listening to. I watched the tv shows they watched, I listened to the music they listened to. I didn't do this because I liked the same stuff that appealed to them. I did it so that I could understand what their world looked like outside our house.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>They already understood that there was no privacy in my house. If i wanted to search their rooms, emails, texts or anything at any time, I could and would. To do this I had to learn how to get to emails and texts. I had to learn how to get into email accounts and unlock phones. I had to evolve as a parent. It shocked them when I knew what they were emailing and would confront them with it. They realized that not only did I know what they were up to, I knew how to find out. </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>I used that as an example. As SGT B. said, sometimes a good smoke session is in order, but sometimes being two steps ahead makes more of an impact. The typical Friday safety briefing that says don't do stupid stuff on facebook, isn't going to cut it anymore. Using the POW flag or the coffin incident or any other screw up to get your point across is a good start. They have to understand the rippling and long lasting consequences. Those images are permanent now. No matter what, someone has them on a computer and repost them at any time. </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Yes, I do think leaders should use google, bing, reddit, or what ever else they have to use to stay on top of things. As SGT Dean said, we don't carry the rules around any more. We aren't force to memorize them. Maybe we should be. Maybe that will make an impression. But being able to show a junior enlisted in black and white that yes, they do have to abide by the regs and that you know how to find those regs and use them can be a powerful tool.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>As leaders we need to teach them the importance of traditions and carry on the old ways of doing things to some extent. But I also think we need to learn the new way of doing things and meld them together.</P>

Waterboarding......... When they have seen the light, that's when their eyes will open up and wake up to reality, just kidding.&nbsp; The punishment should fit the crime. They are your children, Soldiers. You must be fair, but stern with them. If you say something , you must mean it and also FOLLOW through with it. They will continue to complain about how picky a certain NCO is and if they mean what they say. We need to go back to pre-9/11 where garrison was about, cleaning until the early morning, GI Parties in the barracks, NCO presence throughout the weekend and so on. That's all I have to say about that right now. <br>