The Moral Domain of War

Major Grady uses original research obtained from surveys-that focus on the Vietnam War-completed by F-105 pilots in an attempt to analytically determine the moral domain of war factors that enable a pilot to fly in combat. He states that the moral domain consists of the motivation forces originating from within a person's heart and soul, viewing motivation in war from the pilot's perspective. This emphasis shift gives insights that indicate a fundamentally different set of motivation factors operating on the pilot than generally assumed from projecting ground-combatant motivation factors on airmen, further arguing that the combat motivation factors affecting pilot behavior in combat adheres to a pattern emanating from the moral domain of war. Major Grady believes this process will allow the United States to maintain vigilance over likely threats to our national interest, allowing us to keep our superior capabilities by continually analyzing the threat. With the long lead times for fielding new weapon systems and the complex task of developing new processes, he concludes that this important effort should help to minimize surprises and enhance cooperation between coalition forces.