The first question to ask oneself is “is the situation serious enough to justify taking action?”. An officer in a coalition has to consider the likely costs and benefits of taking action and make a decision on whether or not the ‘right’ course of action really is also the ‘best’ one once the broader context has been taken into account.

• One of the main challenges of a coalition is ensuring that all forces work effectively together, despite differences in culture and tactics.

• There will likely be a ‘right’ action to take in such a situation, but you may not be the right person to carry out this action.

• However, you should also consider what the effects of your actions might be on coalition relations.

• Sometimes the political benefit an ally brings outweighs any military gain they could possibly make.

See 8 of Hearts

David Whetham, ‘The Challenges of Ethical Relativism in a Coalition Environment’, Journal of Military Ethics, 7 (2008).