Click here to access a copy of the paper 'The Importance of the Military Mess'
Military messes contribute to fighting power by acting as a nexus point that enhances unit esprit de corps, cultivates leadership attributes, and fosters a binding military ethos. By performing this role, a mess contributes to the development and strengthening of the moral component of fighting power, which ‘embodies those individual and organisational characteristics that are fundamental to success — morale, integrity, values, and legitimacy’ . Regrettably, few authentic messes remain and I believe that as members we have become morally dislocated from institutions that once acted as wardens of tradition and principle. The institution of the mess is an important instrument for the development of leadership, the delivery of professional military education, instilling and fostering of ethos, and developing resilience.
In this paper Benjamin establishes the importance of the military mess by examining the role it plays in three aspects of the profession of arms: soldiering, ethos and behaviour.
Your paper highlights the differences between civil and military society. For right or wrong, contemporary Australian military culture has increasingly conformed to civilian norms and wider cultural expectations. The extent to which a mess environment ‘confronts the friction between cultures’ is open to debate. Tribalism, abuse of alcohol and unacceptable and non-inclusive behaviours were not uncommon in unit messes of the past.
I also think the demographic ownership aspect Pip mentions needs to be considered. Over the last decade or so, I have only really observed traditional mess life at Canungra where there were captive audiences and relatively few off-base options for socialising. Big area messes were invariably deserted during visits over the past few years. The contemporary generation of young officers either have little interest in socialising on base, or today’s messes hold no appeal. I suspect both apply.