Bridging Expectations Versus Reality
Chaplain’s Corner
By Chaplain (Maj.) Glen Thompson, U.S. Army Signal School
Article published on:
in the Spring 2026
Edition of Army Communicator
Read Time:
< 3 mins
Professor John Hare of the Divinity School defines the "moral gap" as "the
profound space between one’s ethical ideal and one’s actual living
according to that ideal." This concept offers a potent analytical
framework for understanding the "Expectations vs. Reality" paradigm within
an ethical context. For military professionals, the institutional
expectation is the embodiment of the seven Army Values: loyalty, duty,
respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.
However, the exigencies of daily operations often reveal the challenge of
consistently upholding these ideals. The resulting divergence between
expectation and reality constitutes not merely a source of professional
frustration, but a fundamental ethical condition.
As an Ethics instructor at the U.S. Army Signal School, my goal is to
equip every officer attending the Signal Basic Officer Leadership Course
(SBOLC) and Signal Captain Career Course (SCCC) with the cognitive tools
necessary to bridge this moral gap. Our curriculum is structured upon a
three-tiered approach: diagnosing the gap, providing bridging frameworks,
and fostering leadership across the gap.
Diagnosing the Moral Gap
The initial phase of instruction focuses on developing the officers'
capacity for moral self-awareness and situational diagnosis. Through
analysis of case studies – wherein Soldiers failed to adhere to the Army
Values or the standards of the Army Profession – we illustrate how minor
ethical deviations can escalate into significant institutional and
leadership failures. This method cultivates a sense of professional
vigilance, teaching future leaders that ethical consistency is critical
regardless of other operational successes. The objective is for officers
to learn to identify the moral gap in themselves, their peers, and their
environment.
Providing Bridging Frameworks
Secondly, the curriculum provides practical, doctrinal, and proactive
frameworks that enable officers to navigate ethical dilemmas. Instruction
is grounded in established models, including Transformational Moral
Leadership, the Army Leadership Requirements Model (Army Doctrine
Publication 6-22), the Army Profession, and Army Ethical Standards. To
translate theory into practice, we furnish two key instruments:
-
Ethical Climate Assessment Survey: Officers are provided with a survey
tool to assess, improve, and maintain a healthy ethical climate upon
arrival at their future assignments.
-
Annual Ethics Program: This resource contains a 52-topic syllabus,
enabling leaders to systematically integrate ethical training into
their unit's long-range calendar.
These tools are designed to facilitate proactive engagement, empowering
officers to train their Soldiers for integrity-based responses
before a crisis occurs.
Fostering Leadership Across the Gap
The final objective is to encourage officers to see their role as
extending beyond personal morality to the ethical stewardship of their
organization. The focus shifts to the officer's capacity to positively
influence the moral gap within their subordinates. The frameworks provided
are not merely for personal use but are tools for coaching, training, and
mentorship. By actively and consistently addressing ethical issues, a
leader reduces the collective moral gap within their platoon, section, or
company. This process normalizes discourse surrounding ethics and
morality, thereby fostering an environment where Soldiers are equipped
with internal safeguards and are more inclined to make ethical choices in
the honorable service of the nation.
In conclusion, bridging the moral gap is the fundamental work of a leader.
It begins with courage to diagnose our own shortcomings and is advanced
through disciplined application of ethical frameworks. But most
importantly, it finds its expression in leadership that actively closes
this gap for others. By normalizing conversations about ethics and
empowering officers to be agents of positive moral change, we are
investing in the very soul of our Army. The goal is not to create perfect
leaders, but to develop resilient ones who can navigate the space between
expectation and reality with integrity, building units where honorable
service is the unwavering standard.