Value gap and combat morale: Values that are lived vs. values that we are defended

This paper presents the results of an empirical study conducted in 2024 among cadets of the Military Academy at the University of Defence in Belgrade, addressing the increasingly relevant problem of the value gap between members of the armed forces and the civilian population, with specific attention to the impact of this gap on combat morale. The issue is examined within the broader framework of contemporary strategic challenges and the postmodern social environment, a setting in which dominant societal values - shaped by processes of individualisation, consumerism, and relativisation of collective obligations - frequently prove incompatible with the ideals of military service, such as duty, sacrifice, and loyalty. The study builds on a substantial body of research conducted over the past several decades in Western societies, where the value gap has been documented most clearly in states that have abolished or suspended compulsory military service. In these contexts, a widening divergence in value orientations between the military and civilian sectors has been shown to erode mutual understanding, weaken societal support for the armed forces, and adversely affect the cohesion necessary for effective military performance. By situating the Serbian case within this comparative framework, the author seeks both to identify parallels and to highlight distinctive national characteristics. The empirical findings reveal a trend consistent with those observed in the aforementioned Western societies: cadets clearly perceive the existence of a value gap and tend to regard military values as superior to those prevailing in broader society. This hierarchy of values, while potentially strengthening internal cohesion within the armed forces, also carries risks. When the armed forces are perceived - both by themselves and by society - as operating within a distinct and superior moral framework, the potential for alienation increases. Such alienation can undermine combat morale in a profound way, particularly given that, in times of war, the military's mission is to defend the society's vital moral and cultural foundations, not merely its institutional or territorial integrity. The author frames this dynamic in terms of the military ethos as both a repository and a defender of a nation's most essential values. In the Serbian context, this issue acquires particular historical weight. The bond between the military and society has traditionally been one of the most important determinants of combat morale, sustained not only through shared historical experiences but also through the institution of compulsory military service, which served as a bridge between civilian and military spheres. The suspension of conscription, combined with broader social transformations, has weakened this link, creating conditions in which the value gap can deepen. The paper concludes by emphasising the strategic importance of addressing this problem as a matter of national security. The author proposes two principal measures: first, strengthening military education in the fields of social sciences and humanities, with the aim of cultivating officers capable of understanding and engaging with the society they serve; and second, reintroducing compulsory military service, both as a means of transmitting military values to the broader population and of re-establishing the reciprocal trust that underpins combat morale. Such measures, the author argues, are not merely institutional reforms but essential steps toward ensuring that, in a time of crisis, the armed forces and the society they defend remain united in their values, objectives, and sense of purpose.