“The only way to form an army to be confided in, was a systemic discipline, by which means all men may be made heroes” - John Adams

 “The only way to form an army to be confided in, was a systemic discipline, by which means all men may be made heroes” - John Adams (1735-1826). In Ralph Waldo Emerson, journal, August 1851

One of the problems of any state is that it almost always needs a body of armed personnel to protect itself from outside aggressors, but it has no powerful defense against that armed force, if it turns on the state. There are multiple ways of dealing with this issue, such as having a small force, having an ineffective force, having disorganized force, effectively controlling the power of the purse, instigating regular purges of the command core, and so on and on. However, this only works if there is no danger from outside forces - if they are in need of an effective fighting force, then there is virtually no way to ensure that it never becomes hostile to the state. It might become hostile for many reasons, ranging from arrears of pay, to a badly managed war, or simply because the commanders of the armed forces realize that they can effectively accomplish a cue. If you cannot control a group of people by force, then what are you to do? You must control them by guile - or, in more general terms, what you cannot accomplish by physical force, you must accomplish by mental force. 

Thus, the only way to effectively control a powerful armed force within your country is by loyalty. That is, the members of the armed group must be loyal to the state. This is, in a primitive state, simply due to pay and reward. This is how Caesar in his day controlled the army, by having the funds, the history of victory, and promising them land. This is how mercenary forces are controlled today, for when the state ceases to exist, then so does their pay and contract. However, this is a precarious position to be in, as evidenced by the periodic rebellions in Roman history over various times that pay was in arrears, or grants of land were not timely enough. Occasionally an army may be loyal though habit and trust in a person, in a great leader, in a shining vision of pride and triumph, as in the days of Napoleon, of the days when to be king and to be general was one and the same. The army supports the head that directs them because they believe that head is one of their own, and always triumphant in the end, who helps them to raise the family and the country ever higher. This is also a precarious position to be in, because their loyalty disappears with every loss. Another way of ensuring loyalty is by sharing power, by giving the military class a strong voice in the running of the country, a seat at the table. This is, of course, intensely dangerous, as evidenced by the number of military cues that have taken place across history, from Rome to Thailand. 

Since outside forces will not suffice to ensure loyalty, the only option is an inside force. A moral force, a true loyalty and belief in purpose and the right. This is what we, ideally, seek to instill in the armed class of a nation, a sense of chivalry, duty, and honor. The soldier should be proud to defend his nation, to sacrifice for his country, to uphold the tenets of his constitution. The soldier must think that he, or she, or they, are heroes - and so must the nation. As you are seen, so do you become, and by holding them to that higher standard, they start to hold themselves to that higher standard, they start to try and become worthy of your trust and regard. One should be careful not to idolize too much, and not to raise up war and the warrior over heroism and the hero. One should also be careful not to cheapen the heroism either, to make it just another job, for that steals all pride from it. If you cannot instill that loyalty, if you cannot instill that pride, if the organization will not uphold itself to that high level of morality, then it must be destroyed in time, or transformed into something better, before it turns in the hand. Pay attention to the story before it ends, and you will see that, more often than not, heroes and villains are not born - they are made.