There, all ok? Good. It's actually a really good curriculum, and I have learned a lot. This is apparently a change, because the Captains' Career Course of the past was a "gentleman's course" where everyone passed and no one really learned anything. Now there are people failing tests and being recycled out of each class, the curriculum is intensive, fast-moving, and (in the case of the Signal Corps) pretty technical. I am having a blast.
We recently got an assignment to write a couple of pages on the Army as a Profession of Arms. This concept is getting some serious emphasis from the Chief of Staff of the Army, and has been incorporated into the culture at every level, starting at basic training. Now big tough captains get to hear about it, and give our two cents. So what I thought I'd do is, I'm going to publish my essay here. It's a short read- enjoy! And tell me what you think. (Disregard the fact that this is the first essay I have written since literally 2004.)
“I
am an expert and I am a professional.” Every Soldier in the Army has said these
words, excerpted from the Soldier’s Creed. But are all Soldiers experts and
professionals? Is the Army, in fact, a profession? And what does this mean for
today’s Army leaders and Soldiers?
The
Army White Paper The Profession of Arms
states that “The Army is an American Profession of Arms, a vocation comprised
of experts certified in the ethical application of land combat power….” (The Profession of Arms [2010], 4). It
also asserts, like the Soldier’s Creed, that all Soldiers are professionals. “An
American Professional Soldier is an expert, a volunteer certified in the
Profession of Arms….” (The Profession of
Arms [2010], 4).
If a profession is “a paid occupation, especially one
that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification” ("Definition
for profession"), the Army certainly qualifies. The Army White Paper also
lists several characteristics of professions: produce uniquely expert work
requiring years of study and practice, contain a self-policing ethic, and
motivate using intrinsic versus extrinsic factors (Combined Arms Center 2010, 2).
The Army meets all of these criteria as well. All Soldiers are paid, and
require some training and certification before being allowed to perform their
duties. The Army also has a very well-established continuing education system
for Noncommissioned Officers (NCO), warrant officers, and officers. Soldiers
are also indoctrinated with the Army Values from their first day of service,
and are taught to maintain and enforce standards and ethics. The Army is
absolutely a profession.
Are all Soldiers professionals, though? Consider civilian
professionals—doctors must complete seven years of undergraduate and
post-graduate study, followed by four years of residency. Lawyers must complete
a seven-year course before earning a juris doctorate. Upon examination of the
training received across the spectrum of military personnel, only senior
Soldiers receive equivalent amounts of training. All Soldiers must complete
Basic Combat Training (BCT), Advanced Individual Training (AIT). NCOs must
complete BCT, AIT, and further education as part of the Noncommissioned Officer
Education System (NCOES). Warrant officers must complete all NCO requirements, Warrant
Officer Candidate School and their basic and advanced courses. Officers must
complete a baccalaureate degree, the Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) and
specialized training in their branch. Then officers must attend advanced
training and education courses at every rank through Colonel. Junior enlisted
Soldiers simply do not meet the qualification of a profession—they don’t have
time. Only senior NCOs, Warrant Officers, and Officers receive “prolonged
training.”
The Army, then, can be considered a Profession of Arms,
but only senior Soldiers, having received advanced training and having gone
through the formal education processes of the Army, can be considered
professionals. Dr. Kevin M. Bond, in an article published in Joint Forces
Quarterly, says that “It does a disservice to the very ideals of
professionalism… to declare that by virtue of membership in an organization a
person is a professional. More importantly, declaring that all Soldiers are
professionals ignores the need to train, educate, and develop Soldiers both
professionally and personally.” (Bond 2011, 66). He argues that leaders must
focus on Soldier development at all levels and provide opportunities to grow
and develop. (Bond 2011, 67) The Army must develop this paradigm further. A
Soldier who has gone through 15 weeks of BCT and AIT has not met the requirements
of his profession. Leaders must instead think of junior personnel as skilled
tradesmen. Once leaders adopt this mindset, they can focus their efforts on
developing professionalism through training and education, and truly consider
our Soldiers “experts and professionals.”
Bond, Kevin M. “Are We Professionals?” Joint Forces Quarterly 58 (2011), http://www.ndupress.ndu.edu (accessed
June 25, 2012).
"Definition for profession - Oxford
Dictionaries Online." Oxford Dictionaries Online.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/profession (accessed July 2, 2012).
"The Profession of Arms." Army
White Paper (2010), http://cape.army.mil/armyprofession.html (accessed
June 25, 2012).
