Profession of Arms Information Paper
INFORMATION PAPER
SUBJECT: An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms
1. Purpose. To provide an overview of An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms.
2. Facts.
a. The Army is a Profession of Arms based on providing uniquely expert work that is neither routine nor repetitive. Professions use inspirational and intrinsic factors like 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.
b. The Army’s professional culture is a system of shared beliefs held by its Soldiers. Institutions that endure have distinct cultures that shape their behavior, even though they are comprised of many ever-changing individuals.
c. The core of the culture is the Army’s ethics. The moral complexity of the Army’s lethality on the battlefield necessitates a strong professional ethos at the institutional level and well-developed character and ethos at the Soldier level. Moral values, such as the seven Army values, and ethical principals must be expressed through action to give them purpose. Leaders at all levels can set the conditions for an ethical culture where ethical and virtuous behavior is rewarded and unethical behavior is punished.
d. Trust is the cornerstone for the Army’s relationship with the American people. Soldiers swear to support and defend the Constitution, however, the Constitution alone is not the source of their authority. The source of military authority flows from the American people through the Constitution, through elected and appointed officials, to the officers they appoint, and finally to the Soldiers entrusted with executing orders.
e. As the Army assesses itself as Profession of Arms, there are major strengths that have sustained the profession as well as tensions within its professional culture and ethic. After nine years of war we need a thorough assessment across all the key attributes of
SUBJECT: An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms
1. Purpose. To provide an overview of An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms.
2. Facts.
a. The Army is a Profession of Arms based on providing uniquely expert work that is neither routine nor repetitive. Professions use inspirational and intrinsic factors like 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.
b. The Army’s professional culture is a system of shared beliefs held by its Soldiers. Institutions that endure have distinct cultures that shape their behavior, even though they are comprised of many ever-changing individuals.
c. The core of the culture is the Army’s ethics. The moral complexity of the Army’s lethality on the battlefield necessitates a strong professional ethos at the institutional level and well-developed character and ethos at the Soldier level. Moral values, such as the seven Army values, and ethical principals must be expressed through action to give them purpose. Leaders at all levels can set the conditions for an ethical culture where ethical and virtuous behavior is rewarded and unethical behavior is punished.
d. Trust is the cornerstone for the Army’s relationship with the American people. Soldiers swear to support and defend the Constitution, however, the Constitution alone is not the source of their authority. The source of military authority flows from the American people through the Constitution, through elected and appointed officials, to the officers they appoint, and finally to the Soldiers entrusted with executing orders.
e. As the Army assesses itself as Profession of Arms, there are major strengths that have sustained the profession as well as tensions within its professional culture and ethic. After nine years of war we need a thorough assessment across all the key attributes of