Professional Soldier

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.

A group of strong and honorable individuals that are professionals in the Profession of Arms protects the United States of America. We are professionals because we choose to dedicate our lives to our Nation and its people. All Army professionals meet the Army’s certification criteria of competence, character and commitment. The five essentials characteristics of the Army Profession are trust, military expertise, honorable service, esprit de corps and stewardship of the profession. By having these characteristics and practicing them in our daily lives, we have earned the trust of our leaders, peers, subordinates and the citizens of our nation.

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.

As the Army transitions from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization is well served to take a long look in the mirror. After ten plus years of deployments, our combat tested warriors are sure to possess more than enough valuable knowledge to reinforce and improve upon our status as a profession. A TRADOC published paper explains “to be a professional is to understand, embrace, and competently practice the expertise of the profession.” I believe the profession of arms exists and there are many components that reinforce this argument. Among these components, initial entry training and institutional learning, shared values, and a monopoly on our mission are three of the most important tenants. All Soldiers must graduate

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 United States Army is always constantly changing as we are a living breathing organization. From the time that Soldiers were drafted into the Army and went straight to war, to the Soldiers just signing up and doing their time and getting out. In today’s Army there are more and more of our service members staying in twenty years or even longer turning the Army profession into their careers and livelihood. As the Army continues to change we have begun to shift to be a better professional Army. “Professionals require years of study and practice before they are capable of expert work” (DA HQ, 2010, p. 2). Professionals use life-long pursuit to build their knowledge to become an expert in their field. In turn, they then lead, train and develop other Soldiers to become skilled professionals in their

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

In a world of doctors, lawyer, scientists, and corporate executives how can the U.S. Army be regarded as a profession? The answer to the question might lie within the concept of the basic branches of the Army, and the specialized skills and equipment that set them apart from one another. This question might also be answered by examining the concept of putting untrained, well-armed, militia through a warfighter exercise, and comparing the results versus some so called Army professionals. One can look back in history, and examine the foundation and formation of the United States Army to garner a better understanding of it as a profession. Though these concepts are not all inclusive they will help to better understand why the Army is considered a profession by many, yet questionable by others.

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.

Military Expertise is the next characteristic in the Army profession. In chapter three of (ADRP1) it states “Military expertise is the design, generation, support, and ethical application of land power, primarily in unified land operation, and all supporting capabilities essential to accomplish the mission in defense of the American people” (ADRP1, 2013). That would explain military expertise as a whole for the Army but, there are a lot of different experts within the Army profession. Inside the Army profession there are many different professions and professionals an example would be the aviation branch compared to the combat arms branch two way different professionals within the same Army profession. It takes every ones expertise working together to make the army work as well as it does. Military

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.

Janis Karpinski once said “The war was declared over - the end of major combat operations - in May 2003. Release procedures got under way immediately; reducing the population from 8,000 to just over 300, of course, requires fewer military police soldiers.” As a child, I always wanted to protect my country and be a part of a positive cause. The career of a ARMY Combat Operations Enlisted is an challenging and remarkable career,because of the duty you do for your country and all the training needed. The research will describe the career of ARMY Combat Operations Enlisted soldier, what is required to become a successful, and the impact this career has on society.

Janis Karpinski once said “The war was declared over - the end of major combat operations - in May 2003. Release procedures got under way immediately; reducing the population from 8,000 to just over 300, of course, requires fewer military police soldiers.” As a child, I always wanted to protect my country and be a part of a positive cause. The career of a ARMY Combat Operations Enlisted is an challenging and remarkable career, because of the duty you do for your country and all the training needed. The research will describe the career of ARMY Combat Operations Enlisted soldier, what is required to become successful in this career, and the impact this career has on society.

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

Millerson identifies the first component of a profession as “higher-grade, non-manual occupation”. Many academics agree that a key component of a profession is specialized skill based on a body of knowledge.3 Initially, many will contend that the U.S. Army does not pass the first requirement. Soldiers work long and hard often completing tasks requiring physical strength and endurance. At first glance, the composition and mission of the military undermines the definition of a profession.