Is Cheating Illegal in the Military?
When it comes to serving in the military, it is natural to wonder if there are any rules regarding academic or professional cheating. Whether it’s a college-bound ROTC cadet or an seasoned Army officer, it is important to understand that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental aspects of military service.
Contents
What Does “Cheating” Mean in the Military Context?
In the military context, cheating refers to various forms of academic or professional misconduct, including but not limited to:
• Fabrication: Falsely recording information, data, or knowledge
• Larceny: Stealing intellectual property or ideas from someone else
• Deception: Misrepresenting knowledge or skills
• Sabotage: Destroying or tampering with material in order to affect someone’s performance
• False certifications: Falsifying records or certifications of any kind
• Plagiarism: Passing off the work of others as one’s own
These definitions and examples are relevant for service members, ROTC students, and Military Officers Advanced Course (Officer) students.
Is Cheating Illegal in the Military?
The Simple Answer: Yes.
Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) deals with breaches of duty, false statements, and noncommissioned officer (NCO) misconduct. Cheating in any form can result in non-judicial punishments, such as reprimand, extra duties, fines, or Article 15 proceedings.
Moreover, some military academies have strict policies against academic misconduct. For instance:
**West Point
At West Point, aculty members are bound to enforce the Honor Code: Don’t Lie, Cheat, or Steal; Respect Yourself, West Point, and Those in Charge. Violation can result in a courts-martial, dismissal from the academy, or confinement to prison.
United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
In a memo to cadets and personnel, the Superintendent and Chief Judge of the Academy Board for Academic Integrity noted, "Academic Integrity means honoring the intellectual and cognitive endeavors of others, keeping honest records, presenting truthfully, and **dodging no danger while it is to your utmost powers to avoid them***" (emphasis mine). Disregarding academic honesty is considered a significant academic dishonesty and will likely lead to severe punishments, such as dismissal.
The rules and regulations apply differently at each military service institution; however, one point is clear: Cheating in the military can seriously compromise career growth and even result in loss of commission, a disciplinary action that carries harsher consequences than civil repercussions in the United States, with the exception of courts-martial.
Common Violations and Their Possible Punishments
| • | Acute Cheating | Punishments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabrication | |||||
| • | Larceny of Intellectual Property | ||||
| Deception: Impersonating, false information, or making forged certificates | |||||
| • Sabotage: destroying data or tampering with instruments of assessment | |||||
•
To avoid these problems:
Ways to Avoid Cheating: Building Integrity and Dishonest-Free Culture
• Do the hard work: When working on assignments, practice diligent studying, and learn content comprehensively.
• Participate fully and willingly: Engage positively and actively in educational training sessions, discussions, debates, and other social contexts, which can encourage collaborative knowledge sharing.
• Take responsibility: Do your research, cite original material fairly, and report authorial errors.
• Mentor students wisely: As a professor, tutor, or advisor, take the time to establish mentorship relationships that involve fostering trust, accountability, and respect for honest endeavoring.
• Instill a culture of peer reporting and support: Discourage secrecy and encourage friends or comrades who witness cheating behavior, regardless of the motivations (insecurity, over-burden, desperation or manipulation, etc.), report cases honestly and confidentially if applicable.
Summary
To summarize, the primary reason cheating is considered an unacceptable, detrimental action in the military environment is that it not only destroys trust but also fundamentally corrupts the professional foundations on which the integrity, dependability, and veracity of military careers must stand. A significant deviation from the original moral expectations of the academy cadet oath, loyalty lies primarily in the fact of non-commission, courts martial, and legal complications resulting from the breaking code integrity.
