Jules Xavier
Shilo Stag
Retired US Navy SEAL Jocko Willink recently joined LCol Joe O’Donnell for a presentation to 1RCHA at the GSH Theatre — the topic of discussion was the Canadian Armed Forces’ ethos: “trusted to serve.”
1RCHA’s CO opened the first half discussing ethical principles and military values. During his address to an attentive audience, he highlighted the importance of moral courage and loyalty.
Meanwhile, Willink highlighted his perspective on the following virtually from a large screen on the theatre stage: Importance of discipline, fighting spirit, duty, accepting unlimited liability, readiness, leadership, and teamwork in upholding this ethos. The renowned author also emphasized the significance of discipline in the military, stating it is the foundation of all success in the field.
He further explained discipline is not only necessary during training, but also during combat. He told his audience “the harder you train, the more the soldier brags, and the less they bleed. That to me is how we improve fighting spirit.”
Moreover, Willink spoke of the importance of duty and accepting unlimited liability, stating that as soldiers, they have made a commitment to serve their country and must be willing to accept any consequences which come with it.
He urged the soldiers listening to him from the comfort of their theatre chairs to always be ready and prepared for any situation, emphasizing that readiness is key to success in the military.
Willink also highlighted the importance of leadership, stating leadership is not limited to a few individuals, but is everyone’s responsibility. He emphasized “leadership to me is everybody stepping up,” and every soldier must be willing to lead when the situation demands it.
Finally, Willink spoke of the significance of teamwork, stating taking care of troops and executing a mission are not mutually exclusive. He urged 1RCHA soldiers to work together and support each other to achieve their objectives.
Overall, Willink’s presentation was well-received by 1RCHA soldiers — his insights on the Canadian Armed Forces’ Ethos and the importance of discipline, fighting spirit, duty, accepting unlimited liability, readiness, leadership, and teamwork served as a reminder of the values soldiers must uphold in order to successfully serve their country.
The CAF ethos: “trusted to serve’ is the most essential doctrine in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). As you progress in rank, this doctrine is formally taught and discussed on all common career-related professional military education programs; however, this is not enough. Leaders have the most significant impact on CAF culture and cohesion. As a military leader, one must demonstrate the highest standards of conduct and professionally socialize this ethos in one’s daily military service, to ensure soldiers live up to its ideals.
The CAFs’ ethos acknowledges military service is a privilege and is founded upon the trusted relationship the CAF builds with Canadians, the Government, and those within the Defence Team. Those who trust the CAF have confidence in our professional military advice and service because they recognize our purpose, character and commitment to deliver successful results.
Soldiers who embody and live the military ethos allow their profession to operate with the trust of those within the organization, with the trust of the Government of Canada, and of Canadians. The CAF ethos has three ethical principles founded on The Constitution Acts 1867 to 1982 which in turn describes the basic principles of the Canadian democratic government and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These principles are the foundation of the CAF Ethos and underpin strength of character.
CAF personnel prioritize service to the country, the military and their teammates ahead of themselves as a personal commitment to mission success. As military professionals, soldiers posted to CFB Shilo place service before self to maximize team effectiveness. CAF members must be committed to mission success. As military professionals, soldiers understand and expect to develop and embody a fighting spirit to overcome the hardship and risk which can be a part of achieving mission success.
The Stag approached LCol O’Donnell afterwards, with a Q&A interview regarding the Canadian Armed Forces’ Ethos: “trusted to serve” and why he brought in a retired Navy SEAL for his virtual presentation.
Shilo Stag (SS): Who is Jocko Willink and what was his role in the CAF professional development session 1RCHA held on the “trusted to serve” ethos?
LCol Joe O’Donnell (JO): “Jocko Willink is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, retired US Navy SEAL who was Commander of Task Unit Bruiser in the Battle of Ramadi, Iraq. His role in our brief was to give perspective on the professional expectations laid out in our doctrine. I thought It appropriate to seek out perspectives of someone who has seen and reflected on his experience in sustained and high tempo combat operations for us to consider. As many of the concepts in Trusted to Serve were in line with what he has written about — discipline, leadership, duty, fighting spirit, unlimited liability, etc I thought it fitting to hear his thoughts.”
SS: Will 1RCHA invite other guest presenters to future professional development sessions?
JO: “As we develop our professional development plan for the coming year I think certainly will consider it. The feedback from this engagement was positive so I’ll see what my team comes up with.”
SS: How did Jocko Willink’s experience in the United States Navy SEALs relate to the CAF Ethos?
JO: “There were a lot of similiarities in his experience and our values. He spoke of how to maintain an unwavering dedication to a mission while simultaneously looking after welfare of your soldiers. How gave his experiences on how to work together seamlessly as a group of individuals and be cohesive as a unit. Willink also emphasizes the importance of discipline and personal responsibility in his approach to leadership. He believes discipline is essential for success in any endeavour, and leaders must lead by example in order to inspire their subordinates to perform at their best. This is echoed in the CAF Ethos, which emphasizes the importance of loyalty, integrity, courage, excellence, inclusion and accountability.”
SS: What were some of the key takeaways from Jocko Willink’s presentation?
JO: “I took a lot of notes. My favourite point he made was on fighting spirit. He said, ‘The harder you train, the more the soldiers brag and the less they bleed.'”
SS: Why did 1RCHA conduct a professional development session on “trusted to serve” — CAF ethos?
JO: “Trusted to Serve is a publication that came out in 2022, and although we had discussed it as leaders in 1RCHA we hadn’t discussed it yet as a Regiment. So when A Battery returned from Op REASSURANCE and we had four of five batteries in country, I thought it was a good opportunity to discuss our new approach to CAF ETHOS as it guides our conduct on and off duty.”
SS: What steps is 1RCHA taking to ensure all military members understand and embody the “trusted to serve” ethos?
JO: “We started with a detailed briefing on the military values and professional expectations outlined in the document, going forward we are going to include a lot of what is in Trusted to Serve in how we train and operate as a unit. It’s important “the audio matches the video” in that what we say is important is reflected in our day to day business.”
SS: What impact do you hope the “trusted to serve” ethos will have on the overall culture of your unit?
JO: “Within all ranks at 1RCHA, the leadership’s approach to the CAF Values outlined in Trusted to Serve has been stellar. I think this conceptual framework will further catalyze our collective pursuit of excellence.”
SS: As a military leader, how do you consistently reinforce the CAF ethos’ values and principles through action, especially when it may seem challenging to do so, because one’s actions or inactions influence others whether they realize it or not?
JO: “The best approach as far as I can tell is for the CAF ethos to conceptually permeate and guide everything we do whether on a deployment, training or even when conducting administration. If we cast aside the consideration of our CAF Ethos to just being an annual mandatory brief or a website link somewhere, to me it stands the risk to become a routinized briefing akin to an airline safety brief and the attention paid to it would be similar.”
SS: What is the CAF Ethos, and how do you use it as 1RCHA CO?
JO: “The CAF Ethos describes who we are as military professionals. They are the characteristic spirit of a culture and community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.”
SS: Building teams means creating an inclusive climate where all team members are valued, supported, respected, and where they can develop a sense of purpose and belonging — as a leader, how do you ensure this happens among the 1RCHA ranks?
JO: “This is captured in my CO’s philosophy and I reinforce this to the leadership of 1RCHA whenever possible. Quite frequently we discuss this as a Command Team with my RSM, or with my 2IC, adjutant or Ops and training staff. As the saying goes, though talk is cheap so I ensure my actions are aligned with CAF values.”
SS: Finally, from your perspective as a military leader, how do you encompass the CAF Ethos into your role as 1RCHA CO?
JO: “As a student of martial arts I’ll draw from Miyamoto Musashi and his Book of Five Rings which I’ll paraphrase, ‘If you wish to lead others you must first lead yourself.”
More than 250 Gunners from 1RCHA took part in a recent briefing held at the GSH Theatre featuring retired US Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. The briefing introduced 1RCHA to the CAF ethos — “trusted to serve.”
