The Profession of Arms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Profession of Arms - Research Paper Example This work employs the ethical processing model to examine the ethical issues facing the modern US military after a decade in persistent wars. In this regard, this paper critically evaluates some three fundamental aspects of the contemporary US military: professionalism, culture, and ethics in the US military. In the analysis, it compares military professionalism with civil professionalism, points out the differences, justify military actions, and points to the direction military professionalism should take. Military culture is also discussed in lengths in addition to being compared with military climate. In evaluating ethics, this paper illustrates possible platforms and avenues of achieving virtues behaviors among individual soldiers in the US military. Finally, this work comes up with a compelling conclusion in which dialogue in light of the discussion presented in this paper is pointed to as solution to ethical issues facing the US military. This paper builds a convincing professi on of arms in the US after a decade in war. INTRODUCTION After close to a decade in war, the performance of soldiers and leaders in the United States Army has continued to be magnificent. While some critical skills have eroded along the way, the US Army is different from what it was in 2001, and continues to be an Army in transition—learning, always seeking to meet the needs of the American People. As a profession—a profession of arms—it is appropriate for the army to examine itself particularly at these times of transition to ensure that that it appreciates and lives up to the principles that define a profession. This can be achieved by understanding three critical ethical issues; what it implies for the army to be a profession of arms; the meaning of an individual being a professional soldier; and an examination of how individual professionals and the army as a profession is working to meet these aspirations after a decade in war (Casey, 2009). THE ARMY AS A P ROFESSION After years of study and practice, the military, like any other profession, should be able to produce uniquely expert work—away from routine or a repetition. In exercise of military professionalism, the military, just like the sick need a cure from the medics, should be able to provide security to the defenseless. In so doing, effectiveness, rather than pure efficacy, should be the defining factor. In this light, one of the ethical issues that face the US military is the continuous development of expertise and the subsequent utilization of that expertise in the best interest of the society only. The security that the American society cannot provide for itself, and without which it cannot survive, the military should provide. In so doing however, the military should employ its expertise only in accordance to the values held by the Nation (Dempsey, 2010). One of the factors that underline the existence of the army is the applications of lethal force. Unlike other prof essions, the weapons and operations of a soldier are lethal, and individual soldiers must be ready to kill and die in response to the needs of a republic. However, the US Army aspect of professionalism has waned over the years, depicting itself more as an occupation than a profession (Casey, 2009). In particular, the US military has gone professional during expansion and later phases of war while it turns ‘occupational’ during contraction and after wars. A good illustration to this aspect is the post-World War 2 in Korea and post-Vietnam. The coming to being of an all-volunteer force in 1971 and the subsequent rebuilding of the Army NCO Corps Post-Vietnam did not end this trend. This was followed by more professionalism during Desert Storm and more of managerial aspects over the next decade. Today, after close to a decade in war, the US army exhibits more traits of a professional outfit as opposed to the institutional side of the army. However, in the contemporary globa l era of persistent conflict, the professional