Professional Soldier : A Review

The Army’s Professional Culture. Although there are multiple cultures throughout the formation, the Soldiers shed their differences and unit for a single belief: the calling of selfless service for the nation. Simply, the culture is to be a family. Soldiers not only have their families, but also their brothers and sisters in arms to share and pull each other through the darkest and happiest of times. Furthermore, climate complements culture. A Soldier must never feel like the Army is more of a job than a calling. Without selfless service, the formation loses its identity. Even if there are outliers in the formation, the Army reminds those individuals of their expected behavior through the Warrior Ethos. Additionally, an engaged leadership can mitigate a degrading climate.

The Balancing Role of the Profession Leaders, is challenging. U.S Army strategic leader’s main objective one, balancing the link of the Army current situation and its future area of operation. Profession leaders understand, if balance is not meet, the Army cannot function at its

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.

The main idea of this publication is to create a collective understanding of the Army Profession by providing the Service members the guidelines and definitions of it and the Army Ethic. Fail to follow or even understand the concept of rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad have been the reason of studies, due to the consequences this could bring upon the service. This publication defines the membership and affiliation of competent individuals in character and commitment, five essential characteristics legitimize the Army as a military profession, trust, military expertise, honorable service, spirit de corps, and stewardship. Trust is vital in society at school, at work, at home, among the citizens, trust in the skills of those you depend on, and trust that the mail will be deliver to your home to give an example. American people perhaps have lost or are close to lose the trust in the highest level of government being this the direct orchestrator of the actions perform by the armed forces, after planning and rehearsals every move is directed and now that the population does not support or agreed with many of these actions government has to act to regain the support and reassurance of the masses. American people as society trust their arm forces to perform their duty to protect them and their country, support and defend the constitution society trust the strongest Army in the world due to the technology it possess and the will soldiers have

Trust is the foundational attribute that every professional Soldier should possess. Despite sustained military conflicts throughout the world over the past thirteen years, we have still been able to maintain firm belief in our reliability as an Army. When it comes to confidence from the public other organizations such as the police, the government, the media, and various other organizations do not have the same level of trust that the American people have in us. Trust is the most important of the five characteristics of the Army profession. Without trust we would lose the support of the American public, trust is the embodiment of our profession, and trust drives the four other characteristics of the Army profession.

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)

Trust is the most important factor in the civilian-military relationship. Military expertise, honorable service, Esprit de Corps and stewardship of the army are all essential components in the Army professions of arms, however, trust as a starting point, outweighs all other actions. This is plainly stated in ADRP 1 The Army Profession “Trust is the bedrock upon which the United States Army grounds its relationship with the American people. Trust reflects the confidence and faith that the American people have in the Army to effectively and ethically serve the Nation, while resting assured that the Army poses no threat to them” (pg. 2-1).

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

Moving forward, our Army's primary purpose is steadfast and resolute: to fight and win our Nation's wars. But we all know that the Army must be able to do much more than that. Today, we require an Army that is adaptive and innovative, flexible and agile, integrated and synchronized, lethal and discriminate. Even more critical in today's complex and uncertain environment, the Army is the decisive arm of the Joint Force in a broad range of missions. Historically the Army has been focused on a specific set of needs, but these needs and the means in which they are resourced have changed. So we must fundamentally change how we do business. As we keep adding rocks to our Soldiers' rucksacks, all leaders must remain cognizant over time. Everyone's load can get too heavy and cause permanent wear and tear. So it is a good idea to

Trust between peers knowing that your battle buddy has your back in combat and trusting that the next guy on guard duty won’t fall asleep and let the enemy through the gates while you’re sleeping. Trust between Soldiers and their leaders. Leaders build trust through his or her competence, character, and commitment (ADRP1, 2013). Trust between Soldiers their families and the Army. I trust the FRG will keep my family informed when I am unable to and provide assistance in my absence. There is also Trust between civilians and the Army. The country trusts us to serve and protect the Constitution. Trust is a very essential part of our profession and is only earned not given.

Leadership, according to the Army doctrine, represents individuals’ ability to influence people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization (“Leadership” FM 6-22). However, the varying characteristics of individuals that the Army attracts may instill this doctrine in many different ways, leading to different representations of leadership. Some individuals choose to lead their subordinate in a stern matter, only displaying matured emotions and a “tough-loving” attitude to guide them in the right direction. Others

As stewards of our profession, commanders ensure that military expertise continues to develop and be passed on to aspiring professionals through operational development. It is during this developmental phase that Professional Soldiers put their knowledge and skills to the test. Operational Army units certify and recertify their Professional Soldiers through repetitive and realistic training events including the Combat Life Saver Course, platoon live fires, and exercises at the National Training Center. In the course of these challenging and realistic experiences, the Army’s operational units develop Soldiers and leaders prepared to maintain high standards, discipline, and operational readiness. Operational development and adaptability will continue to drive changes in Army doctrine, organization, leadership, and education as we enter the post-war era. Without this kind of development, the Army could not maintain a well-disciplined professional fighting force.

Profession of Arms is composed of trained military experts that hold the highest regard in effectiveness, professionalism, and ethics. With the ever changing times, professions are continuously evolving, as well as the demand for progressive training. Professionals must ensure their skill training is updated along with the systems used within their field. The professions also must uphold their basic soldier skills as well as their corresponding abilities in leadership. Unlike civilians, it is often forgotten that military professionals must hold a multitude of expertise needed for combat and within their occupation.