ARMY officer cadets are being given training in how to overcome the desire to abuse prisoners and inflict revenge on the enemy, The Times has been told.

Princes William and Harry are among the first to take part in the revised course, which became part of the academic curriculum at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the autumn. Prince Harry has already completed the course while Prince William, who entered Sandhurst in January, will take the course on “disordered passions” next term.

The changes were introduced by Sandhurst’s new senior chaplain, who is the first Free Church minister to hold the post. Baptist Padre Jonathan Woodhouse, who teaches the lessons with a staff officer, denied that they were in response to allegations of abuse by soldiers in Iraq.

However, the change comes after military commanders were stung by dozens of allegations of mistreatment by British soldiers against Iraqi civilians, and the scandal of Abu Ghraib. Twenty-one British soldiers have been charged with abuse in connection with service in Iraq.

The theory of disordered passions stems from the Just War theory and the 13th-century teachings of St Thomas Aquinas. Cadets are taught to beware of responding to passions caused by hatred, an overwhelming fear of death or capture, a desire to inflict revenge or “cold indifference”.

Padre Woodhouse said: “One of the key things we teach is the danger of disordered passions. For example, the disordered passion of wanting to torture, wanting to inflict unnecessary pain. The disordered passion of being so cold and emotionally detached can dehumanise people. One has to be very careful to make sure these disordered passions do not surface and, if they do, that we manage them.”

Padre Woodhouse, 50, one of three chaplains at Sandhurst who saw live action when he accompanied the Army into Iraq in the invasion in March 2003, arrived at the academy in July.

The six core values that the princes are taught to value include selfless commitment, courage both physical and moral, loyalty, discipline, respect for others and integrity.

Padre Woodhouse said: “People are being asked to come into the Army from a society that may have somewhat different values. The Army is asking its officers and soldiers to take on these core values and explore them. They are not push-button. You can’t suddenly engender selfless commitment when you go on operations.”

The two princes, like all officers, have been trained how to take religious services in the field, in case they need to hold a service and no chaplain is at hand. Padre Woodhouse said: “One of the reasons why faith is an important dimension in the Armed Forces is because we are dealing with issues of life and death. If someone goes on operations there will be thoughts about getting on with the job. But there will be reflections on their own mortality.”

The new emphasis on moral ethics at Sandhurst was welcomed by Charles Reed, the Church of England’s leading Just War theorist and editor of a forthcoming collection of essays, The Prince of Peace: Just War in the 21st Century, produced jointly by the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.

Dr Reed said the ethical training was essential to equip officers and soldiers for situations such as Iraq, where the pressures were extreme and the “humanity” of the enemy could end up being denied.

ROYAL REVENGE

Torture was gradually abandoned from the mid-17th century onwards as it became clear that it was ineffective as a man on the rack would say anything to be released

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