The Officer Profession: Officer Profession / Profession of Arms

"War Room" podcast, by Ty Mayfield and Jacqueline E. Whitt
September 21, 2018, streaming audio, 26:08
“The U.S. military and the militaries of many of its partner nations regard themselves as professional organizations and comrades in the profession of arms. The military is heralded as a profession composed of professionals who enact a unique domain of expert knowledge. But the meaning of this changes over time through the evolution of civil-military relations, global security, and new or emerging threats. The Army underwent a period of reflection at the turn of the century based on its Cold War experiences and renewed its commitment to professionalism. Is the time nigh for another such period? This and other questions are discussed between Ty Mayfield of Strategy Bridge and WAR ROOM’s Podcast Editor Jacqueline E. Whitt.”

James G Stavridis, Ervin J Rokke. and Terry C Pierce
Joint Force Quarterly, no. 81 (Second Quarter 2016): 4-9.

Thomas Crosbie and Meredith Kleykamp
Armed Forces & Society 44, no. 3 (July 2018): 521-543.

Mick Ryan
War on the Rocks (February, 8, 2018).

Mick Ryan
War on the Rocks (February 16, 2017).

Mick Ryan
War on the Rocks (March 23, 2017).

Melissa D. Boughton
Marine Corps Gazette 101, no. 6 (June 2017): 8-10.

David Tyler
Proceedings: United States Naval Institute 140, no. 4 (April 2014): 81-83.

Military Review (September 2011)
● Foreword – Raymond T. Odierno
● Enduring Attributes of the Profession—Trust, Discipline, Fitness – Robert W. Cone
● The Profession of Arms and the Professional Noncommissioned Officer – Raymond F. Chandler, III
● The Army Ethic, Public Trust, and the Profession of Arms – Robert L. Caslen, Jr., with Nathan K. Finney
● Intrepidity and Character Development within the Army Profession – Don M. Snider
● The Army Profession of Arms – Frederick Franks
● Growing Military Professionalism across Generations – Edward Cox, Kent W. Park, Rachel M. Sondheimer, and Isaiah Wilson, III
● Commentary: Doing the Right Thing – Anthony Mahoney
● The Chaplain Corps and the Profession of Arms – Douglas L. Carver
● Fight, Kill, Die, Buddy: Words Professional Soldiers Live By – Sean MacFarland
● Army Civilians—Professionals by Any Definition – Volney Jim Warner and Natalie Lui Duncan
● The Reflective Military Practioner: How Military Professionals Think in Action – Christopher R. Paparone and George E. Reed
● Leading Our Leaders – Tim Challans
● Controlling the Beast Within: The Key to Success on 21st-Century Battlefields – Douglas A. Pryer
● Becoming an Adaptive Leader – Harold H. Whiffen
● Developing NCO Leaders for the 21st Century -– John W. Proctor

Richard M. Swain and Albert C. Pierce
(Washington, DC: National Defense University Press, 2017).

Galvin, Thomas P. (Carlisle Barracks, PA: US Army War College Press, 2019).

Clarence J. Henderson, (Arlington, VA: Association of the United States Army, 2018).

Previous version of this LibGuide.

"War Room" podcast, Richard Lacquement and Andrew A. Hill
August 7, 2018, streaming audio, 33:54.
"In a follow-up to his article published in WAR ROOM in June, Richard Lacquement sits down with WAR ROOM Editor-in-Chief Andrew A. Hill to go over the aftermath of My Lai as it continues to influence Army professionalism today. The atrocities highlighted significant institutional problems across the Army. For example, a damning 1970 U.S. Army War College study exposed numerous morale and careerism problems that contributed to an environment whereby more My Lai events were possible. How did the institution respond, shaping the meaning of the Army as a profession today?"

Richard Lacquement
War Room (June 27, 2018).
"Our professional ethic must remain consistent with American values and high moral standards. The Army has made major improvements since the Vietnam War to refine our understanding of what it means to be a profession and to inculcate those values broadly throughout the army. We know this is an ongoing challenge that requires close attention to one of our most important jurisdictions of practice: the development of the future professionals. We must inculcate a praiseworthy ethic in the soldiers entrusted to us by American society to govern the use of coercive force or violence. We must remember our history, good and bad, so that we continue to learn, improve and do our best to avoid professional failures like My Lai."

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