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.