From Oct. 4 to 7, 1994 the First International Leadership Conference on Military Ethics was held outside Moscow. The conference, jointly sponsored by the International Educational Foundation and the Higher Humanities Academy of the Russian Armed Forces, had as its focus the production of a text for the moral education of the armed forces in Russia. In attendance were 12 academicians from the Higher Humanities Academy and 11 representatives of the Unification movement from Korea, the United States of America, Great Britain, Canada, Poland and Austria.

The International Educational Foundation, founded by True Parents and under the guidance of Dr. Joon Ho Seuk, produced a curriculum in 1993 for the moral education of high school pupils entitled "My World & I," which is currently used in school throughout the CIS and Baltic states. It is a multi-religious approach to moral education based on the Unification Principle.

The Higher Humanities Academy of the Russian Armed Forces is the most prestigious institution in Russia for educating military officers. In Soviet times it was responsible for teaching Marxist ideology to officers and cadets. When a representative of the academy came across the "My World & I" text, he concluded that something similar would aid the education of military officers and soldiers. At the request of Gen. Nikita Chaldimov and Capt. Yuri Noskov, who in March 1994 attended the Summit Council for World Peace in Seoul, the conference was held at a retreat site formerly used by members of the Soviet Central Committee.

In his welcoming remarks Dr. Seuk, president of IEF, shared his vision that such a curriculum eventually could be used for armed forces not only in Russia but also in other countries.

Gen. Chaldimov, vice rector of the academy, listed the major goals of the conference: 1) to discuss universal values; 2) to discuss the spiritual renewal of the armed forces; 3) to publish a book dedicated to developing the spirituality of the serviceman. He explained that since the fall of communism there had been no texts published on the spiritual development of the soldier. Previously Marxist ideology was the basis for such texts, but with the collapse of communism an ideological vacuum came to exist.

Presentations were divided among the military representatives and Unificationists. One Russian academician explained that after encountering the material provided by the Unification movement, he had stayed up all night to revise his presentation.

Jack Corley, executive director of IEF, spoke on True Father's life and Unification movement projects. William Haines, Unification Theological Seminary graduate and co-author of "My World & I," explained the "Spiritual and Moral Development of a Human Being." Dr. Anna Brzyska, a Russian co-author of "My World & I," spoke about the development of the high school curriculum project.

International Religious Foundation executive director Dr. Thomas Walsh explained the Unification Theory of Education and "Military Service and Family Life." Maj. Marcus Paine, who was in the U.S. armed forces for 17 years, spoke on "Spiritual and Moral Problems in the U.S. Military." Recent UTS graduates Franco Famularo and Andrzej Wadas presented aspects of Divine Principle.

Discussion topics included the meaning of global values, general social values and the values that govern military activity and duty. It was concluded that the target audience of the military curriculum text should be officers and soldiers. It was further agreed that representatives of the Unification movement would provide the book's general view of spirituality, while the Russian scholars would deal with specifics and how such values relate to the soldier. A tentative title for the book was agreed upon: "The Internal World of a Soldier."

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