The Army Profession: A Narrative
Abstract
In 2010, the Secretary of the Army, John M. McHugh, and the Army Chief of Staff, General George W. Casey, directed the TRADOC Commander, General Martin Dempsey, to conduct a review of the Army profession. General Dempsey's review gave rise to the Army Profession Campaign. In the literature supporting the Army Profession Campaign, Army leaders described the Army as a profession with two sub-professions: the Army Profession of Arms and the Army Civilian Corps. Defining civilians a part of the military profession is a significant departure from existing practice and raises the following question: Why did Army leaders adopt the Army Profession concept? This all-inclusive model of the Army as a profession is ahistorical and begs the following question: Why did Army leaders adopt it? A survey of key profession of arms models, sociological research on professions, and research on organizational theory and narrative theory suggests that Army leaders may have developed the Army Profession concept as a rhetorical device aimed at improving or reinforcing discipline within the Army. Organizational theorist Valerie Fournier describes a theory of professionalization in which an organization s leaders use the concept of a profession to inculcate behavioral norms within the organization. Research into the Army Profession concept supports the inference that Army leaders developed the Army Profession concept as a rhetorical device.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA583869
Entities
People
- Sean P. Finnerty
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College