
“Don’t go Jack” — it’s a phrase that every defence force member knows well but is lost on the rest of us.
It means never dob in your mates, don’t admit who might have been responsible for bad actions, and always have each other’s backs. This mantra is excellent to build small group cohesion, esprit de corps and fighting capability.
However, it also begins the process of subverting command, encouraging bad behaviour and compelling fellow members to cover up incidents and protect wrongdoers.
Looking out for your mate starts on day one of basic training in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Crikey is committed to hosting lively discussions. Help us keep the conversation useful, interesting and welcoming. We aim to publish comments quickly in the interest of promoting robust conversation, but we’re a small team and we deploy filters to protect against legal risk. Occasionally your comment may be held up while we review, but we’re working as fast as we can to keep the conversation rolling.
The Crikey comment section is members-only content. Please subscribe to leave a comment.
The Crikey comment section is members-only content. Please login to leave a comment.