Stewardship of the Army Profession and Civilian-Military Relations
There are five core characteristics that compose the Army profession; trust, honorable service, military expertise, stewardship, and esprit de corps (Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 1, The Army Profession, 2015, p. 6-1). While all are critical to maintaining a healthy Army, stewardship, as described in ADRP 1 chapter 6, is the central tenant I believe keeps the other four alive. Stewardship is the act of taking care of something. Without it, other core values merely come and go. Like a garden that has good soil, light, and water, it will all still wither away without a gardener to routinely provide more water, turn the soil, and prune the plants. Stewardship ensures Army Soldiers walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
The Army commits an immense amount of resources publishing doctrine about trust, developing classes on honorable service, and training military expertise. In practice though, these ideas are often an afterthought in the day to day …show more content…
Chief among these gaps is the lack of trust by the civilian populace that the Army is an effective organization. Effective means not only fighting wars but also winning them and while minimizing cost. I believe a strong sentiment has arisen in the civilian sector that the military is just a vessel of waste that has not brought a successful resolution to a conflict since World War Two. The military is not entirely at fault in this matter since national policy certainly has its own impact. To ensure the success of both and avoid finger pointing, the Army professional must apply strong stewardship in providing unique and vital expertise to the decision making process on both sides of the aisle (ADRP 1, p. 6-10). This means not always saying “yes”, not always war mongering for a violent solution, and admitting when a strategy is not
There are five core characteristics that compose the Army profession; trust, honorable service, military expertise, stewardship, and esprit de corps (Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 1, The Army Profession, 2015, p. 6-1). While all are critical to maintaining a healthy Army, stewardship, as described in ADRP 1 chapter 6, is the central tenant I believe keeps the other four alive. Stewardship is the act of taking care of something. Without it, other core values merely come and go. Like a garden that has good soil, light, and water, it will all still wither away without a gardener to routinely provide more water, turn the soil, and prune the plants. Stewardship ensures Army Soldiers walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
The Army commits an immense amount of resources publishing doctrine about trust, developing classes on honorable service, and training military expertise. In practice though, these ideas are often an afterthought in the day to day …show more content…
Chief among these gaps is the lack of trust by the civilian populace that the Army is an effective organization. Effective means not only fighting wars but also winning them and while minimizing cost. I believe a strong sentiment has arisen in the civilian sector that the military is just a vessel of waste that has not brought a successful resolution to a conflict since World War Two. The military is not entirely at fault in this matter since national policy certainly has its own impact. To ensure the success of both and avoid finger pointing, the Army professional must apply strong stewardship in providing unique and vital expertise to the decision making process on both sides of the aisle (ADRP 1, p. 6-10). This means not always saying “yes”, not always war mongering for a violent solution, and admitting when a strategy is not