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Summary On Profession Of Arms

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Summary of the Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms
The Profession of Arms what it means to be a profession and if the Army meets this condition. Three main questions asked, what does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms? What does it mean to be a professional Soldier? How are we as individual professionals and as a profession meeting these aspirations? (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.1)
What does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms?
To the first question, what does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms, there are several terms used to help define the link between the profession and the professional. Each set pulls one word for the Profession and ties it to the Professional; expertise-skill, trust-trust, development-leadership, …show more content…

This start with artifacts, which make up the base level of what a Soldier is. (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.10) These artifacts then feed into the beliefs and values of the organization. If artifacts and values to not line up there will be an undermining of the authority within the organization. The next piece in the defining what it means to be a professional Soldier falls into three cultural dimensions; the personal identity, the community, and the hierarchy. (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.10-11) These three domains of culture do not always fall directly in line and do change over time. It a leader’s job to shape the interaction between them. This shaping is most evident in times of change when the largest schism between the three dimensions is likely to …show more content…

The army is grounded in the concept of protecting human rights, with the use of lethal force, but only when necessary. (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.11) This is accomplished by following moral judgment, adapting to operational context, and instilling professional values and virtues. (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.13) To continue to meet aspersions of professionalism four basic responsibilities to moral values must remain constant. These require a clear understanding of the value of the operation, the threat posed by the enemy, the permissible moral cost to us and the enemy, and a clear vision of what winning is. (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.13) Following the four responsivities allows a Soldier to properly view the principal use of force and the concepts of necessity, discrimination, and proportionality. (CG TRADOC, 2010, p.14) Although there are many pieces of this puzzle they must all be working in unison or there will be split from what is morally right, causing the actions of the individual and the organization to drift away from the professionalism that is required. When these pieces are working together a Soldier will have a clear idea of self-command, empathy, and moral pride; versus when these pieces diverge a Soldier will begin to struggle to find their moral compass and embody these additional traits. (CG TRADOC, 2010,

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