Maintaining the Professionalism of the U.S. Army Officer Corps

摘要

In order to maintain status as a profession, any group of people practicing a specific line of work must ensure they continue to meet the requirements associated with the definition of a profession. In recent years, the U.S. Army has instituted policies and practices that cause some to worry about the detrimental effect they will have on the professionalism of the U.S. Army Officer Corps. There are three policies in particular that cause concern. These policies are the decisions to outsource Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) instruction, Intermediate Level Education (ILE) curriculum development and instruction, and doctrine writing. This paper will address the definition of a profession and discuss how officership fits within the model of a profession. It will examine trends and issues in the U.S. Army that led to the decision to outsource ROTC instruction, ILE instruction and doctrine writing and examine why each of the decisions potentially undermines the profession. Lastly, it will discuss possible outcomes if the leadership of the U.S. Army fails to reverse these decisions and postulate a solution. The decisions to outsource ROTC Instruction, ILE instruction and doctrine writing place the Army on a path toward loss of control over its other professional jurisdictions.