LEXINGTON, Va. April 24, 2025 — The Virginia Military Institute Ethics Team won first place at the Military Ethics Case Competition held April 12 at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership in Annapolis, Maryland. This is the third time the team has been victorious at the prestigious competition.

The event is open to federal service academies and invited senior military college. In addition to VMI, this year’s competitors included teams from the USNA and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Members of the team who traveled to Annapolis include Riley Malone ’25, cadet-in-charge; Suzanne Leaptrot ’25; Ryan Manning ’26; and Kaiden Minter ’26. They were sponsored by the Center for Leadership and Ethics (CLE), and coached by Col. Patrick Looney, deputy director of the CLE.

This year’s case, titled, “Striking the Right Balance,” focused on the friction between the commander-in-chief, civilian leadership, and senior military leadership. The case centered on the actions of Gen. Mark Milley as reported by journalist Bob Woodward in the later part of the first Trump administration. The central dilemma with which teams needed to respond was the relationship between the contents of the oath of office, with its promise of primary loyalty to defend the Constitution and an officer’s duty to respect the chain of command. Teams assessed the case in advance and prepared a 20-minute in-person presentation, followed by a 20-minute question and answer segment, where competitors faced challenges by a group of judges.

Malone, who has been a member of the team since 2023, summarized his tenure, “I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot about law and philosophy and some of the ethical challenges people face every day, especially those in the military. I am grateful to have been a part of the team, and hope more cadets take part. It is a great experience.” Upon graduating in May, Malone will commission into the U.S. Army. 

Leaptrot, who is a new member of the team this year, reflected, “No matter how exhausted I am, the ethics team never fails to energize me. We have an incredibly interesting, smart, and passionate group of people who come together to talk about things that matter, which is an important muscle for citizen-soldiers to exercise. We will face many ethical dilemmas in our lives, in civilian or military careers, and we are fortunate to prepare ourselves for these difficult conversations.”

The VMI team won the competition in 2021 and 2023. They were presented with a large trophy that will be on display in Marshall Hall. The USNA and West Point teams placed second, and third respectively.

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE