White Paper In The Army

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 Army is a way of life; a culture designed to understand, embrace, and demonstrate its understanding. Throughout the entire existence of the Army its culture has been based on elements such as oaths, creeds, the Warrior Ethos and the Army Values. The elements of the Army’s culture are the basis for ethical conduct. Soldiers have been taught to uphold and live by the Army Values but they have not necessarily been taught to remain a professional while upholding these standards. By instilling ethical and moral value into the professional soldier the military is ensuring that all soldiers, even lower level soldiers, are able to make complex and tactical decisions for a strategic effect. If the Army has unethical soldiers they risk failure. Failure due to unethical soldiers can have strategically far reaching implications for the Army, our client nation, and international allies.

Despite recent calls for constitutional protections in a military court of law, a soldier continues to be barred from many due process privileges enjoyed in civilian courts. The soldier is stripped of dignity by public reduction in rank, status and removal from his or her

a. Through the publication of the Army White Paper, the Profession of Arms, the commanding general of TRADOC aims to open dialogue amongst the Army in order to discuss its role within a professional framework. The first segment of the article begins with the discussion of the United States Army as a “Profession of Arms.” The primary aspects of a genuine profession are that it generates uniquely expert work, it takes years of study and practice in order to be proficient, the organization and its members earn trust through its means of motivation and self-control (or ethic), and its motivation itself is intrinsic and inspirational. This article reminds us that the Army’s primary task is to defend our nation, meaning its Soldiers must be prepared

Frequent deployments and changing times created a distraction in the Professional aspect of the Army. The distraction created a deficiency in maintaining the highest standards of the Profession of Arms. In an effort to refine their understanding of the Army Profession, the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff directed that a review of the Army Profession be conducted, thus the creation of the Profession of Arms Campaign.

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 conclusion, the direction of the Army will advance forward in a professional manner that reflects a Profession in Arms and a Professional Soldier. I believe that understanding the importance of what it means for the Army to be a Profession of Arms and what it means to be a professional Soldier displays respect and pride in the eyes of the American People. This respect and pride re-enforces trust and continues to build hope for the

Every uniformed Army professional knows the Soldier’s Creed. The tenth line of the Soldier’s Creed - “I am an expert and I am a professional,” is a powerful statement recited during significant occasions including enlistments, graduations, first formations, promotion boards, change of command ceremonies, and deployment ceremonies. The NCO Creed even includes the bold statement, “No one is more professional than I,” in the opening line. For these words to ring true, the Army must deliver training sufficient to certify professional Soldiers and leaders at all levels. The Army’s ability to recognize this need and adapt its methods speaks volumes for the Profession of Arms. The three components of the Army’s leadership model -

Information Paper on The Profession of Arms, An Army White Paper In 2010, the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff directed that the Commanding General of Training and Doctrine Command lead a review of the Army Profession. This came at the height of nearly a decade of very high operational tempo in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Army leadership felt this immense stress upon the force could potentially cause the Army to lose touch with the foundation of its ethic and what it means to be a profession.

According to the “Profession of Arms” handbook, the crucial five key attributes of the profession (organizational level) and the Army professional (individual level) are closely linked together and the goal is that once in the profession a soldier evolves into a true professional of this humble occupation. The first key attribute of the profession is Expertise that evolves into Skill. The second one is Trust. The third key attribute is Development that evolves into Leadership. From my personal experience, the Army shapes exceptional leaders through ongoing training and advancement opportunities within the organization. The fourth element consists of the army values that shapes the character of the soldiers. And last but not least, the service which evolves into the intrinsic duty that a true soldier fells to serve and defend his/her country (The Profession of Arms,

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.

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

I have never thought of the Army as not being a profession of arms. To me it has always been one in the same, but as we look back in history, we see that it has not always been that way. It was that only Officers and Warrant Officers were the only ones in the Army considered professionals. Noncommissioned Officers (NCO) were looked at more in the light of being worker bees or blue-collared workers and not professionals. As time has moved on, we see the perception of the NCO Corps and the Army as a whole has changed to show that all who serve in the Army are professionals.

Providing expert customer service, building trust, and enhancing tactical and technical knowledge are just a few qualities expected when considering Profession of Arms. Through numerous deployments by my peers and I have shown that determination, training, and embodying the army standards are essential qualities every junior NCO needs to possess to accomplish the mission successfully. Chaos and continuous conflict have transformed the Army into a complex network of missions overseas with little to no room for error. Soldiers have done an outstanding job of accomplishing their duties and portraying the Army in a positive light. However, this doesn’t make the Army a profession as stated in the article, “Our client, the American people, gets to make that judgment of the extent to which we are a profession and they will do so based on the bond of trust we create with them based on the

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