An Assessment of the Profession of Arms free essay sample

What does it mean to be a professional? A professional is defined as a qualified and experienced person in a work environment that conforms to the standards of skill, with competence and character. After nearly a decade of war the Army has decided to focus on creating professionals rather than just creating warriors. Leaders have realized the importance of being a professional and want to ensure that every soldier and civilian member of the Army understands the same importance. Therefore, the Army has begun implementing the Profession of Arms. The Army is an American Profession of Arms, a vocation comprised of experts certified in the ethical applications of lethal land combat power, serving under civilian authority, entrusted to defend the constitution and rights and interest of the American People† (Gen. Casey, 2010). After reading General Casey’s statement on what it means to be a Profession of Arms I realize the importance of ensuring that the traditions and values o f the Army are upheld well beyond war. We will write a custom essay sample on An Assessment of the Profession of Arms or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is essential for the Army to develop itself as a profession. By developing professionals the Army is ensuring that service members have leaders with expert knowledge and ethical behaviors. Unlike other professions the Army is based on unique fields of expertise and demonstrated competencies. Even though, the Army is structured differently from civilian careers it is still imperative that soldiers have character and skills that will transfer into the civilian sector. By adapting to a Profession of Arms the military has began preparing for the next phase; a phase that may be different from a war environment. Ethics is the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct. The Profession of Arms mentality will teach soldiers of all ranks to conduct a self assessment and transform into a trained expert with high ethical values. By transforming the warrior into the expert the military is ensuring that ethical values are maintained. It is important that soldiers have ethical values because their duties have an unlimited liability. Soldiers have an unlimited liability because they have taken an oath which ultimately places his or her life on the line. This sacrifice may increase the odds of a soldier participating in unethical situations. When an American citizen sees a soldier in uniform they will formulate their opinions of the military based off of that one soldier. I believe that if a soldier possesses character they are motivated intrinsically and will benefit the Army as a professional by upholding its ethical values. 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. Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston stated that soldiers must be taught professionalism based on science and art. The science of teaching means making certain that military members understand the laws, the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, and all regulations. The Art of teaching soldiers means ensuring that they are able to apply the sciences of being a professional. â€Å"The Art and science of ethically fighting wars and establishing a more just peace using lethal land combat power to uphold and defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic- and to advance our foreign policies abroad† (CAPE, 2010). After listening to Sergeant Major of the Army Preston, I realize the importance of building blocks for educating service members and incorporating the profession of Arms. The expertise of implementing science and art will manifest itself into specific fields of knowledge: the military technical field, the moral and ethical field, the political and cultural field, and the most important field human development. Without Human development, maturity will not be attained and progress will be inevitable. The steps that the key leaders have taken to improve the military are essential. It is critical that the Army be evaluated to ensure that soldiers understand what we have been through over the last decade. To monitor the transformation the Army has created the Center for the Army Profession and Ethics campaign which is known as CAPE. The Army has decided to introduce the Campaign for the Profession of Arms to develop leaders of character and competence required to meet the dynamic challenges of the 21st Century. This campaign is designed to define and reinvigorate what it means to be a professional in the Profession of Arms. As we embark on this mission, we must reflect on the values and traits that define and distinguish us as a unique profession† (LTG Caslen, 2011). After careful review of The Center for the Army Profession and Ethics campaign I noticed several steps that the campaign has taken to reach soldiers of the 21st Century. One of the most crucial steps that I have noticed is the advance in social media. CAPE has realized the importance of sites like Twitter and Facebook and has created links to reach the social networking soldiers. The campaign has also begun to reach soldiers by utilizing the media streaming network YOUTUBE. In the new Army transformation, all of these advances are great steps and will aid in the success of the Professional of Arms. Ultimately, the success of organizations transformation and adapting of the Profession of Arms depends on the commitment of all soldiers and leaders. If soldiers are unable to learn or unwilling to learn, based on the arts and sciences of professionalism the Army will not be able to move past the last decade of war. Our country has placed special trust and confidence in soldiers as individuals and in the Army as an institution to perform our duties. Exemplary duty can achieve a trust relationship with Americans and a high vocational status. The ethical improvement will demonstrate both effective military expertise and the proper employment expertise. The Profession of Arms outlook will bridge the gap between civilian professional and warrior. I’m excited about the implementation of professionalism. I want my soldiers to be able to transform from a warrior to a professional before the end of their military career, this way they are prepared when their obligation is over and are not at a disadvantage. I believe that character and job competence is the only way to surpass the current era of conflict and CAPE will work with officials to strengthen the Army. References Center for the Army Profession and Ethic (2011). Retrieved on July 23, 2011 from http://cape. army. mil/index. html USACAPE1. Army Profession of Arms (FULL) Part 1 of 2. Retrieved on July 23, 2011 from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=PEjnKJwLrFU USACAPE1. Army Profession of Arms (FULL) Part 2 of 2. Retrieved on July 23, 2011 from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=GFnRM56Oejkfeature=relmfu