Core Values and Corps Values: Transforming Character Development Training at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58315/jcld.v13.364Keywords:
military training, character education, honor education, core values education, service academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, institutional case studyAbstract
In 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy initiated a redesign of accession-level character education following senior leadership direction associated with Operation Fouled Anchor and the Accountability and Transparency Review. This article describes The Shield, a revised Core Values education program implemented during Swab Summer. Drawing on adult learning and social learning principles, the program shifts from a primarily lecture-based model to one centered on peer facilitation, guided reflection, and case-based discussion. Junior cadets are prepared and supported to lead small-group sessions with incoming freshmen (swabs), using recent administrative hearing cases to explore the Honor Concept and expectations for conduct. This article presents The Shield as a practice-oriented institutional case study, detailing the program’s rationale, structure, and delivery, with the aim of informing character and Core Values education efforts at service academies and related institutions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 William T. Glick, Mary Ellen Graf, Alexander Coburn
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors contributing to Journal of Character and Leadership Development agree to publish their articles under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License. Authors retain copyright of their work, with first publication rights granted to the JCLD.
