Upholding Human Dignity as a First Principle: Preventive Moral Injury Work in NATO Chaplaincy

This reflective article proposes a strategic principle for North Atlantic Treaty Orgnization (NATO) military chaplaincy services aimed at strengthening preventive efforts related to moral injury in war. Contemporary military research increasingly recognizes the moral, spiritual and existential consequences of warfare, which are not fully addressed by traditional psychiatric models, yet a growing body of scholarship highlights the role that chaplains may play in addressing moral injury. However, knowledge of how to prevent moral injury during ongoing full-scale war remains limited. The article draws on empirical insights from Ukrainian military chaplains operating in a context of full-scale war, where their work largely centers on sustaining ethics, morality, and character among military personnel. From these experiences, an overarching principle is derived: human dignity first. Defending human dignity is understood as a continuous effort to counter dehumanization and preserve the human dimension in a context that persistently erodes moral boundaries. Within NATO, each member state retains full responsibility for its own chaplaincy services, making structural standardization neither feasible nor desirable. This article argues, however, that the principle of human dignity first can function as a unifying, non-programmatic framework for NATO chaplaincy without altering national structures, roles, or cultural contexts. At the same time, it supports operational effectiveness, leadership, and decision-making and may be understood as an implicit preventive approach to moral injury. In conclusion, human dignity first is proposed as a strategic principle that may strengthen cohesion, interoperability, and long-term sustainability within NATO military chaplaincy.