In an often violent and dangerous world military defense systems exercise a major role in the
ways societies and nations function develop their aspirations protect themselves promote
their identities and shape their destinies. As we are only too aware at this time in global
history conflict war and peace are deeply entangled and often morally ambiguous. This timely
volume of essays offers contributions from Europe Africa and Australia. It raises fundamental
issues about the indispensability of the virtues in the military the relationship between
military and the public good the nature of combatants and a soldier's responsibilities for
humanity and peace moral and spiritual injury and new challenges for pastoral care in the
armed forces.
