Profession of Arms

THE ARMY WHITE PAPER, THE PROFESSION OF ARMS - ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Write an argumentative essay that addresses whether the Army is a profession of arms, what the criteria is, and what it means to be a member of that profession.

There is big discussion nowadays whether the Army is Profession of Arms or not. The purpose of this essay is to describe arguments why the Profession of Arms is a “true” profession. I will prove some criteria, which demonstrates the Army as Profession of Arms. My philosophy is based on three arguments: Army as Profession of Arms fully respond to the definition of profession; Army profession cannot be occupational job; Army is integral part of society, which need it; members of Army profession must possess qualities that are not typical for the rest of society.

First lets see what is a profession. According Webster’s Dictionary, a profession as an occupation requiring specialized knowledge and training comprising of long and intensive academic preparation. Based on this, the Army is without a doubt a profession. The Army is constantly recruiting and developing new Soldiers to become leaders. It maintains its standards by testing and recertifying personnel to ensure that they continue to meet the high standards of the profession in all aspects. Moreover the Army has own schools for education and training. Professionals generally begin their professional lives by completing a higher education program in their chosen fields (law, medicine, engineering, and so on). Professional military education (PME) provides the Army's corollary to civilian education programs and complements the training of military officers who have a corresponding civilian profession. PME provides progressive levels of military education that prepare military officers for leadership. Day by day Soldiers are trained, they are trying to learn something new and to deepen their existing knowledge. Not all of them have the same skills and abilities; every soldier is unique....