New Age Military Progressives: U.S. Army Officer Professionalism in the Information Age
Abstract
As the Indian Wars ended in the last decades of the Nineteenth Century, the U. S. Army experienced an identity crisis, sought out a new raison d'etre, and transformed itself to meet new responsibilities. Calling for internal reforms to adapt to a new century, progressive "Young Turks" conceptualized a fresh role for the Army grounded in perpetual readiness for war. The officer corps implemented a successful transformation process that set the conditions for America's important participation in the First World War. A century later, the Army's raison d'etre is again in question. Victory in the Cold War and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union eliminated America's major enemy and call the Army's institutional purpose in the New World Order into question. Like its late Nineteenth Century predecessor, the officer corps must again reassess the range of its professional duties and transform itself to meet the 21st Century's evolving strategic conditions. The officer corps will have to establish the institution's intellectual direction and manage associated cultural changes. By adopting a fusionist perspective of professionalism, the officer corps can best broaden the dimensions of its martial expertise, renew its professional identity, and enhance its political effectiveness with civilian leaders.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 08, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA389799
Entities
People
- David R. Gray
Organizations
- United States Army War College