The United States Army as a profession: expertise, ethics, and trust

Army Profession

Since the United States committed to maintaining a standing army, the profession of arms has been built into the system. However, factors like the all-volunteer service, and the lack of a designated agency to address matters of professionalism directly have led to questions of whether or not the United States Army is a profession. There are several factors that underscore the fact that the Army is a profession, including the nature, structure, and function of the Army in the United States. The criteria of membership are clearly elucidated in Army documents and doctrine. Moreover, there is now a pressing need to redefine the nature of Army service and leadership as fully professional in light of the threat of private mercenary enterprise. The Army is most definitely a profession, and must remain one for ethical reasons. The core professional functions of the Army include developing expertise in key areas of strategic specialization, anticipating the hybrid threats of the future, and protecting the ethical codes under which the Army operates. Trust and ethics are the primary criteria of professionalism in the Profession of Arms.

The Army is a profession because it trains personnel in areas of expertise, with broad applications within the military institution as well as in the private sector. One of the defining features of a "profession" is the emphasis on "uniquely expert work." Army personnel are trained to be effective and develop mastery. Moreover, army professionals "require years of study and practice before they are capable of expert work," upon which society depends. Within the Army framework, professionals are trained for years and develop areas of specialization. These areas of specialization and their respective fields would not be accessible in any other sector. Only within the United States Army can soldiers receive the level of expertise in areas as diverse as strategic analysis, engineering, and political theory. [1: United States Army. "The Profession of Arms." 2010, p. 5] [2: Ibid, p. 5]

Another core feature of a profession is the provision of services that are essential and which cannot be provided in any other manner. Just as a patient needs a doctor to perform surgery, a citizen needs the Army to accomplish specific goals. Ensuring the welfare of the nation and protecting its boundaries are core goals that demand skillful responses. No Army function is arbitrary. On the contrary, tight budgets and resource constraints, coupled with rapidly emerging new threats makes it so that every single Army function has a direct purpose, function, and procedure. Because of its emphasis on professionalism and training, the Army stands prepared for the hybrid threats of the future like cyberterrorism, and transnational terrorism. The Army trains personnel who are uniquely skilled in specific areas of expertise that, when combined, create a potent professional unit. [3: United States Army. "America's Army: Our Profession." Sept 2014.]

Professionalism entails gaining and maintaining the public trust, which is why the Army must remain committed to its core ethical goals and prove accountability. One of the primary reasons why the professionalism of the Army is sacrosanct is the threat of encroachment by private military contractors. Private military contractors are "morally problematic" because "the continued use of mercenaries harms the professional soldiers fighting along side them by undermining the profession of arms. Private military contractors do not operate under the same ethical framework or legal umbrella as the Army, and there is a lack of both accountability and transparency when private contractors are used. On the other hand, the American public entrusts The Army to carry out combat duties. Trust is based in part on professionalism and a commitment to certain standards of operation. Professions "earn the trust of the society because of effective and ethical application of their expertise." [4: Marcus Hedahl. "Blood and Blackwaters: A Call to Arms for the Profession of Arms." Journal of Military Ethics, Volume 8, No 1, 2009.] [5: United States Army. "America's Army: Our Profession." Sept 2014. Retrieved online: http://cape.army.mil/Army%20Profession/cape-appam-web-sep14.pdf, p. 1]