Analysis of The United States Army

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This paper will not bore with the definition of a profession. The United States Army is about more than words, it is about action. The action of over 238 years of tradition and service. The Army is a profession. A profession requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. A member of a profession must wholly commit himself and his skills to a calling which is entrusted by the public. A profession provides its members with intrinsic value which motivates beyond financial gain. The Army is a higher calling which demands all of these qualities and more. 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... ... middle of paper ... ...ties of the people he serves and continues to develop himself in service of others. As a professional, a soldier lives these words through action. Bibliography Eikenberry, Karl and David Kennedy. “America and Their Military, Drifting Apart,” The New York Times. (March 2013). http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/opinion/americans-and-their-military-drifting-apart.html?_r=0 (accessed 9 FEB 14). Feickert, Andrew and Stephen Daggett. A Historical Perspective on “Hollow Forces.” Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, January 2012. Jones, Jeffrey. “Nurses Top Honest and Ethics List for 11th Year.” Gallup Economy. (December 2010). http://www.gallup.com/poll/145043/nurses-top-honesty-ethics-list-11-year.aspx (accessed 9 FEB 2014). U.S. Army. An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms. West Point: Center for Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE), December 2010.

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