S4 Ep6 The Ethics of Special Ops: Raids, Recoveries, Reconnaissance, and Rebels

Join Harry Moffitt as he talks with Dr’s Deane-Peter
Baker, Roger Herbert, and David Whetham about their new book The
Ethics of Special Ops: Raids, Recoveries, Reconnaissance, and
Rebels.


At the end of the Afghan campaign a number of Special Operations
units were subject to investigations of alleged war crimes.
In response, these three distinguished scholars have written a
compelling book, looking at how we might learn the lessons of
this time. In this broad ranging discussion, Harry, Deane,
Roger, and David cover many related topics, including the ethics
of war fighting and why it matters, how to prepare soldiers for
the moral challenges of the battlefield, and some of the
techniques they use in training and development, including The
King’s College London Centre for Military Ethics Playing Cards,
found
at http://www.militaryethics.uk/en/playing-cards .


 


The Ethics of Special Ops: Raids, Recoveries, Reconnaissance, and
Rebels (Cambridge University Press 2023). 


 


Dr Deane-Peter Baker is an Associate Professor of Ethics in the
School of Humanities and Social Science at UNSW Canberra, and
Director of the Military Ethics Research Lab and Innovation
Network (MERLIN). He is also a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in
the Kings College London Centre for Military Ethics. 


Dr. Herbert is the Robert T. Herres Distinguished Military
Professor of Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy. Previously, he
served for 26 years as a Naval Special Warfare officer, including
commanding SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, Naval Special Warfare
Unit 3, and the Naval Special Warfare Center. 


Dr David Whetham is Professor of Ethics and the Military
Profession at the Defence Studies Department of King’s College
London, based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College at
the UK Defence Academy where he coordinates or delivers the
military ethics component of courses for between two and three
thousand British and international officers a year.