Providing for the Common Defense? The Effects of Recent Arms Trade Reform on the Army Profession

Abstract

Three administrative reforms within the Department of Defense--the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense (The Packard Commission of 1985), the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act (1986) and the Foreign Military Sales, Reinvention Initiatives (1996 to present)-have had a detrimental effect on the U.S. Army as a profession. Reforms that focused on streamlining bureaucratic processes for DOD weapons acquisition and arms exports have inadvertently compromised affective-based attributes that define the Army as a profession. This study employs concepts from sociological analysis to define profession and the functions unique to a profession in modern society. In light of these definitional and functional attributes, the study concludes that reforms in arms acquisition and exporting are actually contributing to a trend toward de-professionalization in the US Army.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA415964

Entities

People

  • Isaiah Wilson

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Business Administration
  • Department Of Defense
  • Foreign Relations
  • Globalization
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Acquisition
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Policy
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.