Army Profession

The Army White Paper, The Profession of Arms, provides an insight into what it means for the Army to be a Profession of Arms, what it means to be a professional Soldier, and how Soldiers individually and as a profession meet these aspirations after a decade of war. The Army is made up of numerous jobs that have multiple roles. One in particular is the Human Resource Sergeant. HR Sergeants are a profession of its own; they provide a broader framework for the Profession of Arms, balance the role of the Profession’s leaders, and are greatly influenced by the Army’s professional culture.

In order for the Army to be a profession, the American people need to determine and declare us a profession. We provide security and defense to our citizens and in exchange, they trust and honor that our decisions are for the benefit of our nation. The people do not regulate the Army, but they trust that the Army regulates itself thru its ethic. I quote, “The Army Ethic is the evolving set of laws, values, and beliefs, deeply embedded within the core of the Army culture and practiced by all members of the Army Profession to motivate and guide the appropriate conduct of individual members bound together in common moral purpose.” Laws alone will not make a soldier a professional; it is the way the army educates, motivates and shapes a soldier to become a professional. A competent professional with a strong character and commitment

Stewardship of the Army Profession is the last of the Five Essential Characteristics of the Army Profession, but in terms of importance, it is just as, if not more important than the other four. The United States Army’s ADRP-1, or Army Doctrinal Reference Publication 1, even defines stewardship as “the responsibility of Army professionals to ensure the profession maintains its five essential characteristics now and into the future”. Such importance is placed on this characteristic because Stewardship of the Army Profession is the one that ensures the other four are maintained. I sought out the definition of stewardship because despite having spent almost three and a half years and West Point, I was not entirely sure what the doctrine behind Stewardship was. In doing this, I felt like I was better prepared for both this paper and ensuring that the corrections I made were stewarding the profession. With this newly acquired knowledge, I set out to make my corrections.

Second, the Army is governed by two related ethos. On the first day of initial training Soldiers are taught the importance of the seven Army values and begin to memorize the Soldier’s Creed. Like doctors and lawyers, “the military is an expert group, charged by its client to conduct work governed by a professional ethic” according to Lieutenant General Robert Caslen. A recent study commissioned by the Army found that 93% of Soldiers share their personal with the one set by the Army. Again, according to Caslen “the Army Values have sustained our institution through some of our most difficult years and will continue to be the foundation of our profession.”

Army leaders must balance the link between the Army’s culture and it’s climate and institutional practices. When there is a proper balance it has a huge impact on the mindset of the Army’s Soldiers. Their actions or inactions impacts the five key attributes of the profession, and the four fields of expertise, and have long term effects on the Army’s culture and climate. These actions influence Soldiers’ perceptions that they are serving professional who have answered the call of service to the republic, it is important that Soldiers understand that their role is a calling and not just a job.

values, and dedication. The Profession of Arms is unique because of the lethal force of

Army Doctrine Reference Publication 1-0 states, “living by and upholding the moral principles of the Army Ethic” is the foundation to our profession. An organization cannot survive if there are no foundation for morals. The organization will internally implode. This is a critical fact for the Army. Individuals that do not have a foundation that aligns with the Army’s foundation is detrimental to the organization. The purpose for this short paper is to explore the fundamentals of our profession; examine the need for structure; how to return to basics of the profession; who needs to enforce standards; finally, implementing a culture change within the Army. Army leaders have categorized the four problems that currently plague the Army

Human Resources Sergeants are the leading contributor to the Ultimate goal of Readiness of the Force, while emulating the Army Professional Culture as leaders and providing the Army stability throughout our profession. What does the Profession of Arms mean? The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a Profession as “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation” (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary online).

The Profession of Arms (PoA) is an Army white paper released with the intent to encourage the conversation about the Army as a Profession, and expand on the four “key” attributes critical for the survival of the Army as an institution. This paper also briefly discusses the roles of Soldiers (at all levels), with the purpose of providing guidance on how to balance their roles, and adapt to changing variables while maintaining the main Army culture alive. The study highlights that the establishment of trust, is one of the most important attributes leaders should

The Army is an institution steeped in tradition and has a long line leaders of

To understand whether the Army is a profession of arms, we must understand the term profession and what it takes to be a professional. “Professions use inspirational, intrinsic factors like the life-long pursuit of expert knowledge, the privilege and honor of service, camaraderie, and the status of membership in an ancient, honorable, and revered occupation. This is what motivates true professionals; it‘s why a profession like ours is

As a soldier, when asked what our profession is in life, we never think to answer with “The United States Army”. Soldiers often attend battle assembly or report to work daily, not realizing that serving in the military is part of a Profession of Arms. The profession of arms is defined as a vocation comprised of experts in the ethical application of land combat power. The American people trust and depend on the protection of U.S. Army Soldiers to defend this country. This country looks to Soldiers as the experts of war but is that all they are?

The Army is a profession like any other, although it’s an entity like no other. Even though the Army has a very specific mission in wartime, there’s a very distinct level of professionalism. I believe this professionalism is instilled in us from early on in our career, during Basic Combat Training. During these nine weeks we are told that we are the world’s best military, and that when we’re in this uniform we represent the people of this country in everything that we do. Most people might associate a branch of the military with combat and wartime, and some would call a career in the Army a profession of arms, I think that there are so many other opportunities in the Army that it would be wrong to call it that. The Army has over two hundred

Webster’s dictionary defines the word profession as a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill. Many Soldiers would not consider the Army as a profession but a way of life. Some think the word profession belongs to everyday jobs like a plumber, mechanic, or doctor. Dr. Don M. Snider stated “the Army is a profession because of the expert work it produces, because the people in the Army develop themselves to be professionals, and because the Army certifies them as such” (Snider, D. M. 2008). In October 2010, the Secretary of the Army directed the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) to lead an Army wide assessment of the state of the Army Profession. We have been at war as a Country for over a decade and the Army

Professional soldiers differ from the ordinary citizen particularly in psychological and personal characteristics and qualities. A soldier professional does not want a war, but he wants to be prepared for the worst possible variant of development. We can say that working in the armed forces is characterized by several attributes. I think the expert work, self-improvement, ethics, fulltime commitment and discipline are the most important ones. The expert work comes out from the requirements for controlling highly specialized equipment and procedures that occur only under the conditions of the armed forces. For example, an engineer knows the procedures for mine-clearing, building floating bridges, command and controlling submarines, fire control of air defense systems, logistic equipment transfers and many others. All of these activities call for a maximal professional approach and adherence to precisely specified procedures, which can be achieved only by professionals with many years of experience. So, to move forward and improve our professionalism it is very important to consider self-improvement. In my opinion, learning from experienced master soldiers, be active in self learning and have good motivation are the right ways to succeed. A profession of arms can be, and it certainly is, a dangerous way to meet our life necessities. It would be quite ridiculous if somebody stated he worked for armed forces only for loyalty to the