An Army White Paper, The Profession Of Arms

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “a profession is a calling requiring specialized training, often long and intensive academic preparation.” Today’s Army fits the very description of a profession.

Ongoing efforts to continue developing the skills needed to promote efficiency and effectiveness continues. The Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms (2010) notes that “as the Army reflects now on what it means to be a profession in the midst of persistent conflict, a central questions frames major challenges now facing the Army’s strategic leaders: the sergeant

The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of an Army white paper, the “Profession of Arms.” The U.S. Army should be “The Profession of Arms” and each soldier should be “The Professional Soldier.” (U.S. Army, 2010). It is important for “The Profession of Arms” to develop expertise, trust, development values, and service at the organizational level (U.S. Army, 2010) l. Also, it is crucial for “The Professional Soldier” to develop skill, trust, leadership, character, and duty at the individual level (U.S. Army, 2010). So, the “Profession of Arms” is comprised of experts and experienced soldiers who dedicate their lives to defend the U.S. Constitution and the American way of life (U.S. Army, 2010).

Being a profession isn’t a title that is just given but earned by being an expert, adapting constantly, and maintaining the approval of the client (which are the American people) in the job that is set forth in and out of battle. As long as trust and effectiveness are maintained as a Profession of Arms, the title as a profession will continually be in the eyes of the people. All this is possible by the Army to continually learn in the process to do the job efficiently just as a doctor is continually learning from patient to patient.

Professions require expertise certified through extensive training, trust earned through a self-policed Ethic, and the utilization of intrinsic motivating factors, such as camaraderie. The Army defined as a Profession of Arms consists of experts certified in the ethical use of land combat power in defense of the Constitution and in service to the American people. The Army must cultivate Professional Soldiers that exemplify the attributes of Skill, Trust, Leadership, Character, and Duty. The moral and legal foundations underlying these attributes and the Profession of Arms as a whole, are the American values laid out in the Constitution.

What does it mean to be a profession? Before reading this article, I would think being a professional was about your military bearing, your attention to detail, accomplishing the mission, taking care of Soldiers, and having a positive attitude. I’ve worn this uniform for eight years and I always had an outlook on what a professional Soldier involved. After reading the article a professional Soldier almost was the exact thing I thought a professional would be. In addition, the article would also reference to a professional taking time to progress. Professionalism isn’t something that comes overnight and how to be a professional needs to be geared with developmental training.

What it means to be an Army Profession is embedded in the Warrior Ethos, the creeds and the Army values. “I will never quit, I am an expert and I am a professional.” Integrity, Duty, and Personal Courage are the most prevalent terms to the Human Resource Sergeants within the Army ranks. Understanding what it means to be a Profession, and what role the Human Resources Sergeant has in the Army profession will help the future of the Army grow and produce versatile Soldiers.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines profession as, calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation; a principal calling, vocation, or employment; the whole body of persons engaged in a

It is important for a leader to understand that completing essential tasks to meet mission goals, personal development, and providing future leaders the tools to procure success are all equally important and should be balanced. Times may call for one responsibility to be a higher priority that the other, so it is imperative that leaders are able to differentiate what skills apply to certain situations. “Strategic leaders, for example, must control personnel development, evaluation and certification, and assignment and utilization processes in ways that motivate aspiring professionals as they progress through a career of service,” (TRADOC, 2010). The cycle of learning, training, and accomplishing goals creates a culture of duty-oriented Soldiers with dedicated character and leadership

Many Soldiers consider the military to be an average job, similar to an office employee and not a defined profession. A tenant of the Army NCO Corps is professionalism. A profession can be likened to a trade that incorporates apprentices and journeymen. The United States Army defines a profession as an essential service to society (HQDA, 2013, p.1-1). Professions require large investments of time and education on the part of the organization and Soldier.

As Army Professionals, it is our duty to produce clear, concise work. Effectiveness is key to our line of work as a “social trustee” of our profession. As professionals, we go through years of extensive amount of study, practice, and research to ensure that we are capable of expert work. To fully understand the importance of our role as Human Resource Sergeants, we must first understand not only what it means to be a profession, but our culture and ethics as well. These key components are specifically to maintain the profession while the leaders are the components that holds the profession together. Without these components, our profession couldn’t exist.

A Profession is not only earned through continuing education, but life experiences as well. Soldiers who demonstrate excellent leadership are sought for their knowledge and expertise

Human resource Sergeants responsibility for profession of arms is one of the most important values we have. To better understand the importance of the profession of arms; I will explain the meaning of profession of arms. The profession includes key factors which are expertise, trust, development, values, and service. Each factor is what makes profession of arms attainable. One way to excel at the profession of arms is to do what is best for the United States. We serve the people of the United States and we are implementing services that we are trained and ready to provide them. Some of which include protecting the United States and its allies from terrorists to national disasters. We are there for them and we will support their decisions. The trust factor; not only must we look out for the interest of the United States but earn their trust as well. Trust is not easily given and we have to put in the effort to demonstrate that we are there for them.

The key attributes of the Army Profession are trust, honorable service, military expertise, stewardship of the profession, and esprit de corps; they distinguish and build up the Army as a military according to ADRP 1, The Army Profession. The difficulties of fighting, an impressive and dangerous adversary, in an unfriendly and uncertain environment, physical and mental weariness, detachment from friends and family, and unknown anxieties wear on even the most experienced Army professional; therefore esprit de corps is the most important.

Professionals in the United States Army stand apart from others engaged in particular careers in the civilian world. While many vocations contain some of the characteristics of professional, a lot of careers do not include all of the elements necessary to distinguish themselves as being as close to a professional as a United States soldier. Professionalism grows depending on the time and service they have in the Army. A professional has specialized knowledge and skill which can only be acquired through prolonged education and experience. Such skill and experience form the basis of objective standards of professional competence that separate the practicing professional from their peers and