Making the Right Decision: A Proposed Army Decision-Making Model

Making the Right Decision: A Proposed Army Decision-Making Model examines the challenge Army professionals face when decisions involve competing values, moral ambiguity, operational requirements, and legal responsibilities. Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Jared L. Vineyard argues that current Army doctrine provides insufficient guidance for navigating complex ethical decisions and proposes a clearer four-step framework: Discern, Deliberate, Decide, and Deeds. The model incorporates the Army Ethic, the leadership concepts of Be, Know, and Do, and three standards for evaluating decisions—whether they are ethical, effective, and efficient. Vineyard recommends integrating the model into Army education and operational training so soldiers can develop the judgment, moral courage, and critical-thinking skills necessary to make difficult decisions in both peace and war.