The Army White Paper

This paper defines a profession as producing uniquely expert work, requiring years of study and practice, earning trust of clients through ethic, and using intrinsic motivations (CAPE, 2010, p. 2). The Army meets the four criteria to qualify as a profession. First, the Profession of Arms has a unique purpose that no other organization can fulfill. Soldiers perform the essential task of fighting for and defending the United States (CAPE, 2010, p. 2). Secondly, the military requires years of training as well as tests and certifications before members are accepted

Well, “Professions produce uniquely expert work, not routine or repetitive work.” (“The Profession of Arms” 2010 page 2) The Army as a whole does not just have one function. The Army is first and foremost ready and available to defend the American People. Second, the Army is always working on improving and striving for the future. The Army is always looking at how to modify and improve the tasks at hand and learning from the mistakes. The Army Profession earns the respect of the American people through hard work and never giving up. “The U.S. Army’s professional Ethic is built on trust with the American people as well as with civilian leaders and junior professionals within the ranks.” (“The Profession of Arms” 2010 page 11) The HR Sergeant plays a major role in the Army Profession.

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.

What does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms? To understand the Army is to understand the Soldiers. They are volunteers from numerous backgrounds with various experiences, but merge to share a single identity: their willingness to preserve the safety of the U.S. and its Constitution from threats despite the potential cost of their own lives. With this responsibility, Soldiers must consistently display ethical and controlled lethal force in the battlefield. Soldiers are professionals through their technical employment, ethical actions, and cultural

The purpose and intent of the Army Profession of Arms is to continually strive to

To be a Profession of Arms is a subject that hits close to home and not a subject I take lightly. Serving close to ten years in the Army, it is something I could not be taught but was something I had to live and experience. I’m always asked by close friends and relatives why do I do what I do? What is so appealing about the Military that makes me want to keep reenlisting? I try to explain to them the best I can but I have grown to realize that nothing I say to them is going to make them understand why I love the Army. It’s a life style. Something that has to be lived in order to completely grasp what is so appealing. I embrace the suck and when it’s over I smile and laugh because those are memories I will always keep with me. In this paper I will touch base on what it means to be a Profession, the Balancing Role of the Professions Leaders, The Army Professional Culture, and the HR Sergeants Role in the Army Profession.

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.

Throughout the history of warfare, there have been countless attempts to professionalize the world’s militaries. Examining the United States “Profession of Arms” is often service driven after major wars/campaigns as the force faced reductions in size, change of mission, or change of force structure such as post-WWII, Vietnam, the end of the draft, end of the cold war, and end of OIF/OEF. As an example, Charles C. Moskos examined the profession in 1977 with respect to the establishment of the all-volunteer force and whether it was deviating from a calling and transforming into an occupational model. Moskos’ primary concern was the occupationalization of a calling and the methods in which the military could adapt and re-invigorate the calling

We are a profession in our own, exactly what is meant by this statement? Our organization alone speaks for itself by the level of gratitude and respect received daily from others: our family, peers, and communities. We are our own family, full off comradery and loyalty, enough to give to any new basic trainee or welcome any new sister or brother in what I call a big fraternity. Not only do we share similar experiences but we all look alike…I mean dress alike. We have uniformity which allows either family member to judge upon the other because our outfits and shoes are similar, therefore we have no room to speak past others. Can our profession advance further in leadership roles? Remembering to teach and educate our fellow Soldiers, and also remain ethically professional.

The purpose of this document is to provide a standard for what the Army, as a profession of arms, should look like, in order to begin a discussion to see if the Army is achieving this standard. In doing so, the author defines the key attributes of a profession of arms, describes the Army’s professional culture, and discusses the Army Ethic.

In this paper, I will explore our building blocks in becoming Army professionals by looking and understanding our history and traditions, our impact in the profession as HR and the HR role in leadership development. We must be able

The authors of the white paper break the discussion down into four parts: the Army as a profession of arms, the Army’s professional culture, the Army ethic, and external relations. In the first section, the term ‘profession’ is defined as a calling, requiring lengthy study, and having a set of principles by which it governs its actions. The piece posits that the profession of arms is unique in its capacity to

The purpose of the Army White Paper, The Profession of Arms is used to facilitate in an open dialogue to ignite discussions among the Army professional community and those who support it. By trying to identifying the differences between a Profession of Arms and a professional Soldier. For over ten year now the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff have been reviewing just that very same question of what defines them both and what is the difference between a Profession of Arms and a Professional Soldier.

The complete definition of the profession of arms provides all members of the Armed Forces with a common understanding of what it means to be a military professional. Understanding the nature of military professionalism, its relation to the military ethos and

The army profession is as old as the nation itself. It was born out of necessity rather than a lucrative enterprise. It is the profession of arms that has withstood the test of time and conflict through the will, determination, and values of its soldier and the nation that it represents and defends. By definition, profession is the act of developing expertise and operating that expertise in benefit of the society which it serves (ADRP 1-0). In light of that, the army created through the constitution, and professionalized by each soldier. One may debate that being in the army is more of an occupation as opposed to a profession. Although the terms may be linked to a degree, the terms are not identical. The occupation is the job. It is what we do. The action without the passion the profession is the driving force, that which is bigger than the job and given life through the actions, values, and esprit de corps of those that practice the occupation. It is instilled unto each soldier from initial entry through the seven core army values and the warrior ethos. Our