The Army White Paper addresses issues which centralized on the professionalism the Army has gone through the past decade of persistent conflict. It is not the final word on professionalism it is rather the beginning of understanding the management of transition and change within the Profession of Arms. It addresses issues related to professionalism from the perspectives of ethic and trust. It places the responsibilities to maintain the profession on the leaders at all levels by establishing culture and character within units as well. What does it mean to be a Profession?
Professions produce uniquely expert work which requires years of study, practice, and development (The Profession of Arms, 8 December 2010). Professionals often refer to their profession as a calling not a job. They earned the trust of their clients by the applied Ethics in their perspective professions. The Profession of Arms often prides itself on its transparency which allows the American people, the client, to maintain the trust of the public it serves. The Army profession must reflect on the character of its relationship with the American people, faithfulness to the Constitution and the values of the Nation. The Profession of Arms, 8 December 2010). The trust is fundamental in the Profession of Arms by the American people after all it is them who elect the civilian authority that enforces the oath of its Soldiers, the Constitution .
American people trust the Army as a profession to get it right and place leaders at the right levels who are qualified, competent, and leaders of character. The clients understand and trust that they Army Ethics provides this as the framework for developing leaders and Soldiers professional character. The Military Review: The Profession of Arms, September 2011) The professions morals and ethics must be enforced within all ranks of the Army in order to allow the client to maintain the trust in the profession. If the trust is broken with the American people then the profession may face repercussions by their clients which may take years to restore.
The Army is an American Profession of Arms, a vocation comprised of experts certified in the ethnical application of land combat power, serving under civilian authority, entrusted to defend he Constitution and the rights and interests of the American people (The Military Review: The Profession of Arms, September 2011). The oath of office that the Profession of Arms make to the constitution binds the military professional to incur moral responsibilities, including adherence to treaties governing the ethical application of land power and respecting the rights of persons (The Profession of Arms, 8 December 2010). In order to defend the values of the Nation it requires expertise, skills, development, trust, and character as a framework to produce quality leaders in the profession.
The profession’s moral-ethical capabilities must also be manifested at both the institutional and the individual levels. At the individual level, Soldier’s basic concept of moral-ethics are the Warrior Ethos, it serves as reminder to commitment of their duty to defend the clients and their values. At the institutional level leaders must conduct operations in accordance with laws and principles set by the government whose laws and army traditions and values require honorable behavior and the highest level of individual moral character (The Military Review: The Profession of Arms, September 2011).
Therefore, when the profession fights, it fights for the American people’s values. The Army as a profession must maintain the American people, the clients trust. The trust needs to be enforced to the lowest levels in the profession through its ethics. Even though a decade of conflict has passed by, the fundamentals the Constitution provides to the Profession of Arms must never be forgotten and applied throughout the constant changing environment of the Army.