Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, has warned American soldiers to watch their behaviour following months of scandals that have caused major embarrassment and in some cases violence.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta
Speaking to soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia, where Mr Panetta began his military career as an Army lieutenant nearly 50 years ago, the defense chief delivered a personal plea, urging troops to honor their military values.
"These days, it takes only seconds - seconds - for a picture, a photo, to suddenly become an international headline," Mr Panetta said. "And those headlines can impact the mission that we're engaged in, they can put your fellow service members at risk, they can hurt morale, they can damage our standing in the world, and they can cost lives."
The message, which military leaders have also been pushing in recent meetings with their commanders, reflects a growing concern about the broader effects of the widely publicized episodes: the mistaken burning of Koran, images of Marines urinating on Afghan insurgents' corpses and photos showing US soldiers posing with Afghan police holding the severed legs of a suicide bomber.
It is unclear, however, how the entreaties will reverberate across the military and what actual impact they may have on a young, battle-hardened force strained by 11 years of war.
While there have been some quiet complaints and discussions by military leadership about flagging discipline, the more public campaign to raise awareness among the ranks has been slow to expand.
This is the first time Mr Panetta has personally pressed the issue during a troop visit, and the Army and Marine Corps leaders have delivered similar messages during more private meetings with their mid-level officers.
Mr Panetta was careful on Friday to stress that only a very small percentage of the force is involved in the scandals and that no one is deliberately acting to sabotage their mission or put fellow soldiers at risk.
But, he said, "these incidents concern me and they have to concern you ... because a few who lack judgment, lack professionalism, lack leadership can hurt all of us, and can hurt all of those men and women who serve this country with distinction."
Insurgents have used the incidents to incite violence and undermine US efforts to win over the Afghan people, considered critical to counter-terrorism operations.
The incidents have reinforced the perception of Americans as unfriendly or occupying forces who do not understand the culture or the religion of the people they are supposed to protect.