Enduring Attributes of the Profession: Trust, Discipline, Fitness
Abstract
The past 10 years of conflict have had an enormous impact on our military. Personnel, equipment, families, and the institution as a whole have all been stressed and hastily adapted to support units as they deploy, return, rearm, reequip, retrain, and deploy again. Now is the time to recommit to our profession, take a hard look at the trends of individual and unit behaviors, our policies, doctrine, training, and supporting programs to ensure we can meet the challenges we will face as part of our post-war transition and preparation for an uncertain future. There are three critical and enduring attributes that underpin the profession and the professional. They are trust, discipline, and fitness. The Army as an institution earns its trust from the people, and as a profession, we must earn that trust daily. Discipline is embodied in our faithful adherence to the oath we have taken as members of the profession to protect and defend our Nation and its values. Our fitness prepares us mentally and physically to meet the demands of our profession. When you say it aloud, you think: "that's a no brainer." Yet as I review the initial results of the Profession of Arms Interim Report, I am not so sure. The Army has a cohort of young soldiers and future leaders who define those three traits through the prism of their experiences in combat operations, when they return from a deployment, and even when they are away from their duty. Interestingly, their definition changes and their application of those traits change or are inconsistent. So let me discuss those enduring attributes, discuss why they are important, why we need to ensure we maintain these attributes with the highest of standards, and talk to their impact on the Army's move to the future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA570011
Entities
People
- Robert W. Cone
Organizations
- United States Army Training and Doctrine Command