The Army White Paper, The Profession Of Arms

THE PROFESSION OF ARMS

The Army White Paper, the Profession of Arms, is a response to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff as to what TRADOC thinks the Army Profession is and takes a closer look at the “Profession of Arms” is and what responsibilities it entails. The paper is divided into five sections which include the army as the profession of arms, the army’s professional culture, the army ethic, the army ethic and external relations, the conclusion and follow on for future work (Army, 2010, p. 1-18).

First, the paper begins by trying to define what the profession of arms means how that can be applied to the Army. Specifically, the author draws upon defining a profession, expounding on what authorities are granted to that profession,

The connection between the Army culture and the Army ethic begins with highlighting that the profession of arms is not just an individual mandate but also an institutional one. We cannot expect the Army ethic and culture to resonate among all soldiers unless it is echoed at all echelons across the Army. The culture suggested has different levels which include artifacts, surface level things that can be “seen, heard, and felt”, espoused beliefs and values, or what the Army thinks is important based on doctrine, regulations, and policy, and the basic underlying assumptions. Based on the underlying assumptions, we can then gain functionality by deriving “…major cultural dimensions.” (Army, 2010, p. 10) The three cultural dimensions are professional identity, community and hierarchy. The author suggests that these cultural dimensions will never be in balance and it is the challenge of leadership to manage them and find new and innovative ways to solve new problems (Army, 2010, p.

The Ethic explains the questions of how and why we fight which explains to Soldiers why they fight, reassures citizens that their trust in their military is correct, and to continue to inspire citizens to join the military in order to protect their homes and families in the most noble and honorable fashion. The Army Ethic is broken into multiple components including the foundational values, ethical principles, moral values, and the principles of use of force. The components of the Army Ethic are the foundation of character that is instilled in soldiers for the understanding of how war is to be conducted as humanly as possible. Fighting as humanly as possible is important because it drives perception of the United States and in the long run will reap the benefit of not only the trust of the US Citizen but the citizens of the world as well as the soldiers to the left and the right of every soldier (Army, 2010, p.