Mission, Values, and Vision

Our Mission

We work to build a service-member and veteran led movement that ends militarism by transforming ourselves, military culture and American society.

Our Values

1. We value leadership and act with honesty and integrity to build mutual trust.

Leadership development forms the basis of our organizing model. We build our own personal power through transformation and growth as competent leaders, thereby building the power of our organization and movement. We work together from a place of honesty, communicating openly with sincerity and candor. We operate with integrity, holding ourselves accountable and creating mutual trust—the glue that holds our community together.

2. We value our community, treating everyone with dignity and respect.

We are not simply an organization. We function as a community built by our collective experiences as Global War on Terror veterans. As former and current members of the armed forces, we know the values currently underpinning American military culture dehumanize our so-called enemies, as well as ourselves. Everyone deserves dignity and respect; we recognize the humanity of all people.

3. We value solidarity and seek justice with compassion for all those affected by U.S. wars and militarism.

We share common human interests with all those affected by war and militarism. We understand militarism as a value system that prioritizes aggression, violence, and regimentation throughout many sectors of our society. We know that our own transformation is tied to the transformation of those we impact through war. Compassion guides us as we seek transformative justice and build solidarity with those affected by U.S. military intervention.

Our Vision

We strive for a world free of unjust war—a world without the political and economic conditions allowing militarism to exist, and without structural forces pushing our youth, our poor and those facing incarceration into the military; We strive for a society that prioritizes care for its warriors—where all who serve receive adequate benefits and the highest standard of compassionate care regardless of discharge status; We strive for a society that holds political leaders, profiteers, and war criminals accountable for the consequences of their actions; We strive for a political and military culture that embraces full human rights for service-members, veterans and all people; We strive for a political culture that prioritizes nonviolence, open communication, and democratic decision-making over militarism—a culture committed to building peace and preserving life, solving international conflicts through diplomacy and alternative conflict resolution; We strive for a political culture that acknowledges our nation’s moral responsibilities to the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, and all civilians adversely affected by U.S. military intervention. The United States must fully accept guidance from these affected peoples and provide support they find valuable; Finally, we endeavor for our movement to be an ally to the oppressed—a community connected in solidarity with war torn peoples, working across differences for reconciliation, mutual healing and collective liberation. 

Resolutions passed by IVAW