| dc.description.abstract | The Norwegian Military Ethos is an outcome of the adaption from an existential defence force to a functional expeditionary force. The Chief of Defence (CoD), General Sverre Diesen has called for a cultural sloughing of the military profession that will lead to an extensive focus on unit- and profession based identities for the Norwegian soldier. To what extent and by what characteristics this cultural re-programming has caused effect in the units, are yet to be seen. Little research has been done on this subject, which is the main reason for this qualitative study of the Telemark Battalion. With a basis on the only fully professional Army battalion, this study aims at to what extent the new Military Ethos has been implemented to Telemark Battalion and what factors that can give an explanation to the degree of implementation. Five officers, all with platoon level experience from operations overseas, affiliated to Telemark Battalion, are the focus of this study. Trough interviews they have shared their views on what primary groups by which they identify themselves and what their characteristics are. Even more so, they have explained what factors which have been crucial in order to create a military ethos on their level. The findings suggest that their primary groups are summed up to be: the combined arms system around the company battle group, the professional soldier community and the officer corps. They also shared their views on other groups that were part of their identity, in the study referred to as secondary groups and informal groups. The findings have been studied trough a theoretical lens. The two main factors which they see as crucial for the military ethos on lower level is, mutual operational experience and continuity. They see Telemark battalion’s experiences in Afghanistan, as far more influential on the military ethos, than incentives and regulations initiated back home. They see continuity as a necessity for maintaining a proper level on the combined arms system. Othe factors, together with the above, leads to the impression that there is no sufficient basis for a military ethos, as the CoD demands, in Telemark battalion. Not all of the five officers are comfortable with the normative military ethos and military profession, suggesting that the unit should be the basis for their greater purpose. And they did not agree that the instrumental value of the military achievement should be their only focus. They seek purpose in a just cause. That suggests that the military ethos, due to various factors, of which some are analyzed in this study, is just partly present in the Telemark battalion. | en_US |
