Profession Of Arms Essay

Profession of Arms 2012 Shaping of the Army after 10 Years of Conflict SSG Hinch Leo C. Small Group Leader: SFC Wilson
Senior Leader Course 91X-12-034 01 June 2012

Abstract
The changes that the Army has underwent over the past ten years on a Soldiers point of view while serving within the organization. It assess the impacts of a decade of persistent conflict on the all-volunteer Army rationalization and shape for which changes were made and possible further ones to be made. The physical and professional appearances have interacted, as well as the manner in which the Army operates and fights a war.
In the content of this paper it will cover the definition of Profession
of Arms, Professional Soldier, and what is expected from all Soldiers’ now days. Regardless of what transformation it has conducted, members still fight for the same historic cause, to defend the constitution and the rights of the people within our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Our profession as Soldiers has severely changed over the past 235 years, even more so over the last ten years. We can credit the change to both the current shift in culture within our younger generation as well as our nation’s ongoing vigilance and multiple combat operations. “The Army, as an American Profession of Arms, has begun a new era of training and strategic planning to meet changes in the world. A decade of repetitive deployments has left the Army, in the words of General Casey, “stressed and stretched.” (TRADOC, 2010) There is one thing has not and will never change. That is the fundamental purpose for serving within our military. “The Army is entrusted to defend the Constitution and the rights and interests of the American people.” (TRADOC, 2010) A volunteer Army embodies the spirit of people serving their country for a greater cause than that of its own.
In our nation’s current generation has taken all lessons learned from history and applied those to potential future and present conflicts. They have diversified themselves, equipment and the force to be able to take the fight to the enemy in multiple types of combat environments. The Army, after Desert Storm, trained and expected to fight in a jungle environment. Even after engaging an enemy in the Desert, we continued to wear green camouflage pattern uniforms known as the battle dress uniform (BDU). Soldiers were maintained to higher discipline standard and were always ready to foot-march everywhere they went. Training was performed to the most fundamental level. We used hard copy maps and protractors to navigate to our destinations. Currently we wear a more diverse uniform to be worn in multiple combat environments. We have also updated our equipment stock to meet the demands of a more unconventional fight.
Currently, we are at a point in our profession that defines the future of our military and the way we fight.
We must remain very flexible, able to fight in any situation, condition, and environment. We may face a conventional force one day, save a life of a citizen in our country the next day, and face an unconventional enemy that does not adhere to the Geneva Convention the next. Therefore we have adapted to the current combat operation requirements, still keeping in mind the past wars, and looking forward to what seems like the probable future conflicts and operations. In the “Profession of Arms” book, the text states “Profession of Arms sponsors continuous self-assessment, learning, and development that together enable the Army to be an adaptive, learning profession.” (TRADOC, 2010) We have relaxed some standards, but have created a climate that attracts and eases the current youth and U.S. population to serve their country. This allows the military to enlist and retain members and allow them the opportunity to implement their ingenuity that shapes the future of our defense. This country has some of the most intelligent minds of the world. In our military we are encouraged to learn continuously, ranging from institutional civilian education, career training at all levels of advancement as well as task focused training. Seek self improvement and bring it back the organization to share with others. That is the core model of a soldier’s
career. In conclusion, the military serves the people around the world. Reacting to conflicts weather it evolves: the defeat of enemy forces, the recovery of a community destroyed by natural disaster, or the security of the Nation. Failure is not an option to the Army. If we fail the military profession would have devastating consequences. The Army military professionals study, work, and train throughout their careers to ensure the Army profession will not crumble when it is call to duty. Individual members of the Profession of Arms are distinguished from those of other professions by the "sacrifices" they assume in their oaths of office. While members of some professions engage in dangerous tasks daily, only members of the Armed Forces can be ordered to place their lives in danger anywhere at any time. They risk their life for the greater good of the nation. These unite members of all the Services in their common purpose: defending the Constitution and protecting the Nation's interests, at home or abroad, against all threats.

Reference
TRADOC. (2010). Profession of arms. Schatz Publishing Group.