Department of the Army

Department of the Army

HEADQUARTERS, unit name

number Street name

installation, state zip-code

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD                                                                                1 May 2020

SUBJECT: Army as a Profession of Arms

1. A profession is an occupation that requires specialized training and sets of skills. Ordinarily, professionals provide non-partisan advice and service to their clients. While these individuals receive direct and sometimes definite remuneration for their work, there is no expectation of other business advantages. Based on this definition, it is indisputable that the military is a profession of arms. Indeed, members of the Army require years of coaching before they become eligible for expert work. Furthermore, they carry out diligent service to colleagues and citizens of the country they serve. Also, these groups of specialists, whether on their own accord or otherwise, take up the role of fighting, killing, and/ or dying on behalf of their clients, the country’s citizens. Ultimately, the soldiers are compensated for their work. By describing different elements of professionalism, this essay will endeavor to explain why the Army is a profession of arms.
2. Like other professions, the contemporary Army is characterized by corporateness. According to Huntington, this is a sense of unity and the state of belonging to a group. Corporateness is characterized by two key dimensions; a collective identity and the desire to exert authority over membership in the profession. In the armed forces, wearing of uniforms is the single, most noticeable way members show their shared identity. As an example, the American Navy observe that wearing uniforms is indicative of the authority and responsibility the government has vested on the wearer. Also, people who put on “the cloth of the nation” share this identity of authority and responsibility. The inclination towards controlling membership is exemplified by how the military set standards for entrance into the profession. To be a member, one must meet the set criteria. Those who fulfill those standards are then sent to military training, and upon successful completion of the training, one is accepted into the army ranks. Fundamentally, this initial training serves to transform a civilian into a military profession.
3. Every profession has practitioners who possess expert skills and knowledge in their field. Doubtlessly, the military’s expertise is the “management of violence.” The management of conflicts includes the organization, equipping, and coaching of soldiers. Thanks to historical and personal experiences, the Army comes up with conceptual frameworks that are adopted, advanced, and honed at the military education institutions. In turn, the trainees will apply the principles while solving practical military problems. At a local level, the Army has a social responsibility. Here, military officials identify the needs of their clients; the society, upon which they apply their professional expertise and experience to suggest a course of action. As an example, the Army is used to promote internal development and order. During disasters and crises, the Army is tasked with the provision of civil relief.
4. Professionalism is fundamentally built on ethics and ethos. Professional ethics are the moral standards any profession commits itself to uphold. In most armies, this professional ethics is clearly written in official documents. They provide guidelines on how a soldier should conduct themselves towards their colleagues and members of the public. Moreover, they specify how the authorities should handle cases of indiscipline. For example, the Code of Conduct for Members of the Armed Forces of the United States has six articles which advise on how the armed forces should act while in combat. Besides, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) stipulates the rules for the regulation of air, land, and naval forces. Through the UCMJ, the court-martial is given the power to try members of the armed forces. On the other hand, professional ethos dictates the desired levels of performance. The core of military ethos is formed on the four values of leadership, loyalty, respect, and duty. Every soldier, their rank notwithstanding, is expected to abide by these four values while discharging their duties.
5. The primary responsibility of all profession is to provide beneficial services to the members of the society. Professionals identify their clients’ needs, use their knowledge to arrive at a decision, and give recommendations on how to address those needs. The military profession expects its officials, as they strive to identify their country’s security needs, to comply with the elected political officials. Toward that end, soldiers are expected to defend their country from individuals or countries that have opposing political opinions from those of their political leaders. With this expectation, the main service the Army provides its clients is protecting them from external attacks. The Army is also expected to provide humanitarian services during natural disasters. They usually are one of the first groups to be called upon.
6. That the Army is a profession is unarguable. This is because they provide the service of defense to its citizens. They also have self-governing ethics and ethos, commitment to selflessly serve their citizens, and duty to honor this commitment. Lastly, their expertise in combat and the ability to convert civilians to military professionals augment their status of the profession of arms.