What It Means to Be a Profession of Arms
As a Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Army, it is required to understand the profession as a whole, and how it benefits Soldiers and their developmental progression. According to An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms, “The U.S. Army’s professional ethic is built on trust with the American people, as well as with civilian leaders and junior professionals within the ranks” (2010). It is our responsibility as Soldier’s and professionals to ensure that we retain all teachings and experiences as a tool within the Military profession.
When understanding Profession of Arms, we must understand that profession is known to increase the percentage of motivated professionals. It inspires, rewards, and creates an effective atmosphere for preparation of duties. Soldiers are often trained outside of their MOS, so that they are able to adapt in all areas of the Military. This training is preparing Soldiers to be strategic leaders. According to An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms “The preeminent military
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Which means that the roles would be balanced differently. Proper training should help provide leaders with the necessary tools that will give them the courage to balance challenging obstacles. Without strong leadership, the Army as a whole would be unbalanced. Leaders are responsible for Soldiers and their personal and professional lives, completing tasks, and missions. It is expected for Officers and NCO’s at times to have an inconsistent balanced climate due to all of the responsibilities that comes with the rank and responsibility. According to An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms “Army leaders below the ranks of sergeant major, colonel, and general officer make their own part of the Army more professional daily even if they don’t control the levers of the major developmental systems, policy, and resources”.
The United States Army has been a leader in military prowess on the world stage since its inception in 1775, and with such a record, it is reasonably assumed that there must be solid foundation within the organization working to maintain the high level of performance. The Noncommissioned Officer Corps is one institution within the Army that serves as a large portion of this foundation that makes it the fighting force that it has always been, and the noncommissioned officers have been an integral piece since the very inception of the Army. The Prussian General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, organizer of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, encapsulated this idea when he coined the noncommissioned officer (NCO) as the backbone of the Army. (Arms, 1991) In an Army that is continuously adjusting to world around it while maintaining its status as the military leader to all other nations, the Noncommissioned Officer Corps has always provided the platform for continuity through a growing rank system based on its original core, an evolving training program to develop effective leaders, and a creed that moves us forward while remembering the rich history of the corps that came before us.
The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture.
After more than ten years of persistent counterinsurgency (COIN) conflict and multiple simultaneous responses to several natural disasters, the United States Army is at a crossroads regarding professional education for its officers and enlisted force. Considering overseas contingency operations in Iraq are due to conclude in December 2011 and by 2014 for Afghanistan, it is plausible that strategic planners are considering the future make-up of what will constitute the Total Army Force to include new educational criteria for what could be a smaller force than was needed for present day operations. While this may be “peace dividend” speculation, there is precedence for the Army to reevaluate its force structure and personal qualification requirements after every major conflict over the last century. . Even though defense budget reductions should redoubt army equipment priorities, training deferrals because of persistent contingency operations have inhibited enlisted professional development despite that counterinsurgency operations require refocused soldiers training to improve their sense of situational understanding and application of observable operational ethics through conceptual enlisted leadership evaluation efforts.
The Army requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. From the moment a soldier transitions from the civilian sector into the Army, he is indoctrinated with training. Regardless of rank, the Army demands each soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective Military Occupation Specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he is required to continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue developing their skills through academic studies, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view argues that anyone can learn these skills; however, statistics show less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating a soldier is a rare mix of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes as “effectiveness rather than efficiency.”2 Much like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must provide truth, and law which must provide justice, the profession of arms must provide secur...
In the other definitions, The Army Doctrine reference Publications states the definitions of the profession. The Army defines a profession is a trusted self-policing and relatively ...
The most notable difference between these two levels of leadership is the part that leaders take in soldiers’ training. Both types of leadership are actively involved in the training process. Tactical Leaders participate directly in the training process on a daily basis, whereas organizational leaders act more as supervisors. Tactical leaders always are close to the front, right next to their subordinate soldiers both in the barracks and on the field. They mostly exert their leadership by personal presence and “lead by example” model. The organizational leaders will be more involved in providing a broad vision, developing concepts, setting up the goals and guidelines, and planning the training process rather than executing it. These different dimensions of responsibilities require different levels of education accordingly.
Have you ever wondered about the meaning behind the words, "Profession of Arms?" Or what it takes to be part of an organization? There are many occupations, but none quite like the Army Profession of Arms. Typically, I would refer to Webster for a concise definition of the Profession of Arms however; a definition does not exist in the dictionary. I believe a definition of the Profession of Arms is not readily available because it is internal and personal to each
As a Non-commissioned Officer you can expect me to be a professional leader dedicated to taking care of soldiers, the mission, and the army way of life. You can expect me to use Army Regulations, Technical Manuals, and direct orders from my superiors as my guidance on what actions to take in each situation faced whether tactical or technical. I will not be afraid to make sound and timely decisions in the absence of my leadership’s orders. When left in charge I will take charge.
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 wanted to know how to shape the future of the Army as a profession and the effects the past decade had on our profession.
The benefit of having a concealed weapons permit in the United States of America is that fact that you know you are always safe not having to depend on others, but having the ability to protect yourself. “In June 2008, the court ruled the law that strictly limited the possession of handguns in the Washington, D.C. area as unconstitutional (Levinson).” In our nation’s capital this happened, because if individuals were not given the right of a concealed weapon or any kind of gun that is not going along with the Constitution of the United States. Which States “"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. (The Bill of Rights)" “The court ruled that
The NCO Creed states, “I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army” (‘The NCO Creed’). That verse alone should be the most inspiring part that all Noncommissioned Officers should love to hear because it’s true in many aspects. The question to ask is, are we driving it in the right direction. There has never been a time in our history when Soldiers needed competent and strong leaders more than today. The social complications that our young Soldiers face are beyond what any generation before them has had to endure and learn and navigate. The military are looking for leaders who can be role models for these Soldiers. Anyone can tell a soldier what to do, but a good leader can show, direct and motiva...
In the United States Army, there are two categories of rank structure, the enlisted corps and the commissioned corps. The enlisted corps within itself contains leaders, who are referred to as Noncommissioned Officers, or NCOs. These individuals, whose ranks range from Sergeant to Sergeant Major, are responsible implementing the guidance and command policies provided by the Commissioned Officers and commanders in their units. NCOs are also responsible for the welfare and training of junior personnel. The US Army provides regulations and manuals with step by step guidance for the most trivial of tasks, but it fails to spell out specific and concrete information on how to be an NCO. There are publications, such as “The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer” and regulations on leadership, but they lack specificity and objective instruction for how to accomplish the aforementioned responsibilities of an NCO. The knowledge and skills of an NCO are instead acquired through training and experience, the products of which are NCOs of varying quality. A good NCO is one who knows and fulfills the written laws and regulations of Army doctrine, has the character of a good soldier and leader, and is able to strike a balance between written law and doing what is right even if the two seem to contradict one another.
Being an Army Officer means that the officer is not only a good leader, but also understands his soldiers and knows that their lives and jobs are just as important as they are. An Army Officer must be able to complete their objective and continue their mission even in times of confusion or despair. I have all these qualities and am getting better as I get more
Non-Commissioned Officers are deficient in vital areas of leadership due to a lack of training. This leads to inexperienced Soldiers becoming inexperienced leaders. The NCO corps needs to develop and enforce comprehensive interactive training that will challenge the next generation to achieve a functional level of communication skills before advancing to leadership positions. This will generate leaders who can write effectively, speak meritoriously and teach adaptively while training others to do the same.
An officer's ability to lead his or her soldiers is contingent on the officer's knowledge of his soldier's skills. The US Army Officer is a professional, providing expertise, leadership, and an example for his soldiers to follow. Every soldier is a subject matter expert, trained in a specific competency. An officer, that soldier's leader, needs to be able to employ that soldier effectively. That means understanding a soldier's skills. An Officer needs to further have the ability to train that soldier outside of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) schools. This means a successful officer must become proficient in, if not an expert of, his soldier's competencies. For an average soldier, this would mean several MOS style training schools. In intelligence, a soldier can be anything from a Prophet...