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During the Iran-Iraq war Iranians in small craft had been attacking other shipping in the area where the American cruiser USS Vinson was patrolling.

Intelligence sources told the Americans that Iranian F 14 fighters had been operating out of the Banda Abbas air base practising what appeared to be anti-ship attacks.

The American cruiser’s Aegis radar system picked up a plane apparently in an attack profile, warned it several times in both English and Iranian, used IFF beacons to test its intent, but received no response.

You know the sequel: an Iranian Airbus was shot down with the loss of many civilian lives.

Subsequent investigations showed that the Americans acted appropriately according to their protocols regarding rules of engagement.

Recently an expert on international terrorism said he believed the destruction of the Pan Am jet at Lockerbie was in retaliation for that incident.

Questions: 1. How much do you rely on technology in a situation like this, with the possibility of serious, and disastrous, error occurring? 2. Would you have ordered the shooting down of that plane? What other alternatives would you have followed? Would you have been prepared to take the first casualties before taking such drastic action?

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A crew member on your ship had an accident a few years ago and was given several blood transfusions.

The blood was contaminated with the AIDS virus and he became infected.

(He was not a homosexual).

Question: Should he be discharged? What is the proper, and humane, course of action?

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You are commanding a ship in the South China Sea. You sight a refugee boat with people starving, many sick, and all in obviously desperate need. But your maritime commander back at base tells you not to stop and help, as you are late with your mission to monitor a Soviet ship passing through the area and he orders you to make all haste to catch up with it.

You give a few supplies and hurry on, but it is later discovered that most of the refugees died.

Questions: Would you have obeyed or disobeyed the base commander? When, if ever, is it right to disobey a superior officer’s orders? The person who jumped ship in Perth to avoid going to the Gulf: what is your reaction to this incident?

Rowland Croucher