Category: Army Values

The Five Pillars: Trust, Expertise, Stewardship, and More

Young Americans believe that joining the Army is just another job. That is not true; the Army has developed itself to being something more than a job but it is a profession. It hasn’t been easy to sustain that image when you constantly hear soldiers on the News in a negative way. The purpose of this paper is to provide the basic concept of how Leadership and The Army Profession affect the Soldiers. The Army Profession has five essential characteristics that the leadership needs to produce positive results in Soldiers.

First, the five essential characteristics are trust, military expertise, stewardship of the profession, esprit de corps, and honorable service. Leadership has to possess the characteristics of the Army Profession and follow the “Leadership Requirement Model” (LRM) to start remolding Soldiers into professionals again. So, where does it all have to start? It has to start beyond the “Army Oath of Enlistment,” Basic Combat Training(BCT), and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). The unit level is where leaders have to implement the Army Profession, and it begins with the first character, which is trust.

Building Trust: The Core of the Army’s Bond with Soldiers and Citizens

Secondly, trust is the foundation of the Army‘s relationship with American people, Soldiers, and their families. Leaders have to instill in Soldiers that, just like in the Army Profession, trust is earned, not given. Units as a whole have to show Soldiers that they want to build trust between them and their families. How? They need to start having more FRG meetings from the companies down to the squads. When Soldiers go through tough times, personally or professionally, your willingness to endure those struggles with them will build trust. Give them all your knowledge about the Army Profession.

In order to give you knowledge, you must develop expertise in four fields:

• Military-technical: How the Army applies land power to accomplish the mission.
• Moral-ethical: How the Army accomplishes the mission in the right way according to the values of the American people.
• Political-cultural: How the Army understands and operates in a multicultural, complex world.
• Leader-human development: How the Army recruits, develops and inspires Army Professionals.

A leader who is not certified cannot build Army professionals. All leaders should be certified in the Mission Occupation Specialties (MOS) and have additional training in their field. Then, they can recommend and promote further avenues for training and education. “Our professional responsibilities is to continually advance our expert knowledge and skills in land power and to certify Army professional.”

Leadership Through Army Values: Beyond Duty

Thirdly, if you look at the 3C’s of the Army Profession, stewardship of the profession falls under “committee.” “Stewardship is the responsibility of the Army professionals to strengthen the Army as a profession and care for the people and other resources entrusted to them by the American people.” The leadership has to embrace and advocate the Army Values, including the standards of the profession. Soldiers are like newborn babies. If they see you do something, then they will follow. Leaders have to watch what they do and what they say. If higher-ups lead by example in the right way and show pride in what we do, guess what? Most Soldiers would do the same. Not only do we have to uphold the standards, but we also have to enforce them as well.

A leader that enforces the standards is a leader who cares and takes their profession seriously. Once again, having our Soldiers understand that our work is more than a job is what stewardship requires of us. The more they will see how Leadership and The Army Profession affect them, the more Soldiers will act in a positive way.

Fourthly, our winning spirit can help leadership build positive Soldiers. Having cohesion in the Organization and between Soldiers and Leaders is Esprit de Corps. That feeling alone can have anyone or group accomplish any mission, no matter how big or small. Leaders have to motivate their Soldiers to be more and be better. Get them “hyped” to pass a PT test, to pass a promotion board, and to deploy. Esprit de Corps and resilience go hand in hand.

Leadership can build morale even during the setback, but most importantly, teach Soldiers to do the same even in their personal lives. It’s almost like having that “silver lining” mindset. There is always some good in everything bad. “Our shared identity, sense of purpose, and winning spirit strengthen our individual and collective commitment, resilience, and courage – a never-quit resolve – enabling us to persevere and accomplish even the most arduous mission.

Finally, the last characteristic is “honorable service”. Honorable service is also a part of one of the 3C’s of the Army Profession: character. Leaders have to “lead by example and demonstrate courage by doing what is right despite the risk, uncertainty, and fear; we candidly express our professional judgment to subordinates, peers, and superiors.”

By joining the Army Profession, swearing by Oath their “true faith and allegiance” to the Constitution, Army Professionals commit themselves to Honorable Service, foregoing some of the rights of their fellow citizens. Most importantly, they surrender the “right” to make choices or to take actions that disrupt the Army Ethic.

In conclusion, leadership has to take responsibility for Soldiers having this bad taste in the Army. It is our job to promote and have a conversation with our Soldiers about the profession. If we conduct ourselves in a good manner, then our Soldiers will follow. Leadership needs to uphold character, competence, and commitment to producing well-disciplined, well-trained, and well-educated Soldiers. There are learning and teaching tools, as far as the five essential characteristics and the 3C’s of the Army Profession, at our fingertips. How about we grasp it and start using it on ourselves and the Soldiers and show the world how professional the Army really can be?

References

1. U.S. Army. (2012). ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession. Department of the Army.
2. U.S. Army. (2019). ADRP 1 The Army Profession. Department of the Army.
3. Don M. Snider & Lloyd J. Matthews (Eds.). (2010). The Future of the Army Profession. McGraw-Hill.
4. U.S. Army. The Soldier’s Creed. Department of the Army.
5. U.S. Army. Army Values. Department of the Army.
6. Wong, L., Bliese, P., & McGurk, D. (2003). Military leadership: A context specific review. The Leadership Quarterly.

The purpose of this essay is to show how diversity is fundamental to an organization’s development and success. Statistics show diversity, without a doubt, is becoming more and more predominant in all aspects of daily life. The US Army, in particular, is one of those organizations that is composed of individuals from different countries and ethnicities from around the world. The members of the US Army vary in race, age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic background. Diversity and a multicultural environment are vital to be as successful as possible. With diversity comes different perspectives, building a more effective organization.

Diversity: Enhancing Problem-Solving

Diversity will provide more than just productivity to the organization. It will also give a different perspective. Having together individuals of various backgrounds with different life experiences will provide different ideas or perspectives that others may not have ever considered or been aware existed. Being from different backgrounds, each member has their own unique way of viewing a problem, formed by the individual experiences that they have had in their life. When encountering an issue, it is better to have multiple analyses and approaches rather than everyone contributing the same ideas and conclusions. Having different points of view will lead to more productive answers to the encountered problem.

Cultural Diplomacy in the Army

Accepting diversity makes us better human beings. When you experience diversity in your everyday life, you expose yourself to different people. These people will bring to you their unique cultures, traditions, and practices that are unlike your own. You begin to learn the skills to communicate and interact with others. In the US Army, we have many allies as well as adversaries. It is vital we know our allies’ culture to build stronger bonds with coalition forces. In Gandhi’s words, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.’ – Mahatma Gandhi. It is also crucial to know how the enemy works and thinks.

By having members of our team speak the same language and know the enemies’ traditions, we have a better understanding of the way they work. This will lead to having the capability of predicting their next moves. Our nation’s military wants to communicate to other nations they are not there to conquer. It must show for glory, but to help people gain their God-given freedoms back, we must be able to communicate this to the locals of the different nations we are involved with. Winning the hearts and minds of the people is our best chance of making a lasting impact.

Fighting Prejudice Through Acceptance

When diversity is promoted, the first step is taken, not just tolerating but true acceptance of surrounding neighbors and their cultures. Through increasing contact, exposure to, and communication between new people with unique ideas, individuals will see that they may have more in common than they thought. Alternatively, they may find out they are still different, and that is okay, too! Increasing familiarity with these differences can alter perspectives, facilitate acceptance, and diminish the misconceptions and prejudices that fuel discrimination.

The second reason there is value in diversity is the multicultural environment that has numerous benefits for personal growth. Learning how to accept and be more aware of team members’ cultures. It can help remove previously held stereotypes. Diversity and inclusion breed productivity as the ability to learn and grow from each other is exponentially expanded.

Diversity is embracing and rejecting hate and prejudice in all forms. We have led on these issues throughout our history but know that we as a military are also susceptible to the forces of bias and prejudice, whether seen or unseen, deliberate or unintentional. These things have no place in our military because they can degrade the morale, cohesion, and readiness of our force. This is why we must keep working to do better.

References

• Seidman, Gwendolyn. “Why Do We Like People Who Are Similar to Us?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 18 Dec. 2018.

Defining Harassment and Assault: How Army Values are Compromised

Sexual assault and sexual harassment continue to be a problem within the Army ranks. But with all the training soldiers are now receiving, why is this still a problem? First, we need to understand what harassment is characterized by. Harassment is unwelcome, inappropriate remarks or physical advances both in and outside a professional environment. On the other hand, sexual assault is defined as a threat or an attempt by the use of physical force to abuse a victim who does not or cannot consent.

Sadly, this problem is not unique to the army but is also found across all branches of the military. A few major scandals that have made headlines were the 1991 scandal at Tailhook, where 83 women and seven men were assaulted by aviation officers. Many of the perpetrators of these cases were distinguished or held positions of power. In comparison, the army has made strides to implement early intervention and prevention. I believe change must come to our culture at both the individual and company levels.

The Evolution of Army Policies: Taking Steps Toward Prevention

Like many problems in the army, these issues have been met with changes to policy. In 2004, the Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force was established. This brought about the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response(SAPR) Office. Also, in 2013, the National Defense Authorization Act increased mandatory training and implemented anonymous reporting. Sexual assault and harassment have widespread and long-lasting effects, which forever change the lives of service members, civilians, families, and coworkers. Sexual crimes stain the public’s view of the military, decrease company morale, and negatively affect the overall readiness of the army.

Factors Driving Sexual Crimes: The Need for Cultural and Individual Change

What influences sexual crimes to occur in the first place? While this is difficult to pinpoint, there are several individual, social, and economic dispositions that foster these behaviors. Individual factors can be drugs and alcohol, lack of empathy, and a sense of entitlement. Childhood and adolescent victimization or perpetration, as well as exposure to sexually explicit media that portray hostility and violence, are also contributing factors. Negative attitudes toward the opposite sex are often fostered by hyper-masculinity and gender stereotypes. In fact, historically, sexual crimes were regarded as the spoils of warfare. Our current culture perpetuates this idea by supporting male superiority and sexual entitlement.

There are also social elements to factor as influences of sexual crimes. This includes negative family environments and histories, such as emotional distance, abuse, and violence, as well as associations with delinquent peers. Community and economic factors can consist of poverty and lack of opportunities. High levels of crime with little police and judicial support, as well as a general tolerance within a weak community, are also contributing factors.

Due to current changes in policy, Soldiers are now more comfortable reporting sexual crimes to their command. According to the results of the 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (WGRA), there was a decline of 2,100 sexual assaults in the army. This is compared to the same survey taken in 2014. So, how do we end sexual violence in the military?

Sexual violence will not end by merely changing command culture. I believe it must be everyone’s responsibility to make changes to our culture. Parents should display reasoning while resolving conflict and expressing positive views toward emotional health and academic achievement. It is every individual soldier’s duty (legally and morally) to speak up when they see or think something is wrong. And above all, we must teach and demonstrate empathy. Empathy is characterized as a genuine concern for how one’s actions can affect others.

References

1. Department of Defense (2017). Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.
2. Turchik, J. A., & Wilson, S. M. (2010). Sexual assault in the U.S. military: A review of the literature and recommendations for the future. Aggression and Violent Behavior.
3. Sadler, A. G., Booth, B. M., Cook, B. L., & Doebbeling, B. N. (2003). Factors associated with women’s risk of rape in the military environment. American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
4. Morris, E. (2016). The Impact of Hyper-Masculinity on the Army Values. Oxford University Press.

Strategic Sustainment: Army Values in Action

Background. The U.S. Functional Concept for Sustainment is the framework for providing logistics, personnel services, and health service support to build creative development and integration of inter-organizational, multi-national, and joint partners for future capabilities. Personnel and systems sustain the Army’s operation to integrate processes and deliver services and support. This concept focuses on strategic, operational, and tactical responsibilities, allowing leaders to learn from past lessons and develop new ways to sustain the Army in complex environments. The basis of this concept development encourages growth in the sustainment force and creates capabilities-based assessments that emphasize operational adaptability at all echelons.

Functional Level Capabilities Required for Human Resources. The Army’s awareness of being able to now identify and foresee the enemy’s next move clearly identifies its evolution of sustainment service support within operational environments. It is required that all Army assets have the critical skills to respond rapidly to adverse situations. To accomplish this, talented individuals who possess these skills must be recruited, managed, and retained. At a strategic level, the future of the sustainment mission is dependent on continued joint command relationships, force generation, readiness, and accountability.

Uniquely, being able to adapt operationally by keeping the Army’s educational capability agile guarantees more combat-ready Soldiers and effectively puts the right people in the right positions. This sustainment process also includes the Army Reserves and National Guard from a positioning and readiness point of view, which, without their support, the Army’s future sustainment mission will not happen. Nevertheless, the development, adaptation, and resiliency of future leaders drive a more ready, dynamic, and synchronized force.

The tactical goal of this sustainment capability is to master the skills to survive in uncertain conditions. At this level in the sustainment warfighting function, sustainment capabilities require timely decision support given from higher so that field commanders can operate efficiently and effectively on the battlefield.

Echelon Sustainment: Navigating Battlefield Challenges

Sustainment by Echelons. The future Army sustainment forces require highly trained, inspired, and adaptive leaders to lead organizations during difficult times and are extremely knowledgeable in continuing sustainment operations.

Generating the force’s primary mission is to sustain and generate the operational Army’s capabilities for employment. The Army Concept Framework has paved a path needed to allow Army sustainment forces to build relationships and enlist in creating a more powerful way to obtain a competitive advantage. This framework offers the rational support for formal revisions and future investments required to boost the Army’s capacity to manage operations. The Army’s Operational Concept is an extension of the Army Concept Framework. It identifies that Army forces will be critical elements of joint operations to make supportable results.

The operating forces’ role is to participate in combat and the integral supporting elements thereof. At this level, sustainment leaders accomplish mission requirements by having the knowledge to maneuver on the battlefield and anticipate enemy actions. Survivability, anticipation, thinking critically, and understanding their role in the operational environment increase leaders’ ability to engage and combine unified war operation capabilities.

Conclusion. The future Army sustainment force has changed to a more functional and cross-leveling organization. The Army will move forward with radical change at all echelons to strategically accomplish the sustainment mission to build relationships in a joint environment, be able to rapidly respond and anticipate enemy actions on the battlefield, and, more importantly, train and retain talented Army forces.

References:

1. Baxter, L.L.J. (2022). Army Sustainment and the 21st Century: A Modern Perspective. Washington D.C.: Army Publications.
2. U.S. Department of Defense. (2021). The U.S. Functional Concept for Sustainment. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office.
3. Harrison, J.T. (2019). Leadership and Operational Adaptability in Modern Warfare. Journal of Military Studies.
4. Smith, A. & Reyes, T. (2020). The Role of Army Reserves and National Guard in Sustainment Operations. Military Operations Research.
5. Campbell, R. (2021). The Army Concept Framework: A Blueprint for Future Operations. Military Review.

After doing something bad as a kid, my dad would always ask me where are your morals, son. I would never know what to tell him. Maybe because I didn’t quite understand what he was asking me. As I grew older and joined the Marine Corps I started to understand his question. The Marine Corps had a strict set of values. Honor, Courage, and Commitment. We live by them. Understanding the Marine Corps’s values, I started to create my values. First, I had to understand morals. What I believed to be right from wrong. Morals lead to ethics. A system of beliefs that support my moral views. With morals and ethics, I was able to create my values. As I moved up the ranks in the military, my values were being tested. I was becoming a leader. I had to create my leadership values and decide if they were ethically correct. These are the challenges everyday leaders face. They must decide what leadership values are important to them and whether are they ethically and morally correct. Integrity and conceptual skills are two values leaders should strive to achieve.

Integrity is a vital part of leadership values. without integrity, leaders will quickly lose the trust of their followers. Leaders must be able to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. Too many times leaders will fail to make due on their promises or say one thing and do another. Leaders with integrity inspire confidence in others because they can be trusted to do what they say they are going to do (Northouse, 2016). In the movie Crash, a lot of the characters were lacking integrity. An issue would be presented to them and they would disregard it. They were not trustworthy individuals. Their ethics were questionable. A lack of integrity can quickly bring an organization down.

An ethical challenge I faced in the Marine Corps was integrity. I found that some of the leaders I worked with lacked integrity. They would say one thing and do another. As a junior Marine, I was in charge of logging and auditing flight hours for all the pilots in my unit. My leader at the time thought it was a great idea to fake the flight hour report. I advised him that this was not the right thing to do and that we would eventually get caught. I brought it to the attention of his leaders and I was ignored. I quickly learned that my leaders were not loyal or dependable. They lacked the integrity to do the right thing. A year later the unit is conducting its annual inspection. It was brought to the commander’s attention that the unit’s flight hours were not correct and were being manipulated. It is against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Law to manipulate flight hours and is punishable by jail time. I spent the next 2 months correcting over a year’s work of reports.

Another Value leaders should demonstrate is how to make a difference. Leaders should always strive to make a difference in an organization. Leaders must be able to think and create ideas to help followers or overcome adaptive challenges. Conceptual skills can help leaders do just that. Northhouse stated, “A leader with conceptual skills is comfortable talking about the ideas that shape an organization and the intricacies involved (Northhouse, 2016). When facing adaptive challenges an organization needs a strategic leader. “Conceptual skills are central to creating a vision and strategic plan for an organization” (Northhouse, 2016).

An adaptive challenge can be very difficult for leaders within an organization. Leaders must learn to overcome these challenges. ‘New environments and new dreams demand new strategies and abilities, as well as the leadership to mobilize them’ (Heifetz, 2009). Organizations that face an adaptive challenge on a daily require a Strategic leader. A strategic leader should be able to analyze the problem and facilitate an environment where employees can work as a team to create a solution. The military faces many Adaptive challenges. As a leader, I must be prepared for those challenges. I must ensure that my Soldiers are always ready for change. Recently, My Soldiers and I were out on a truck convoy. We had a truck go down in the middle of a training area. Our knowledge goes as far as basic troubleshooting and general maintenance. The truck had a clogged fuel line. There was no fuel getting to the engine. We were delivering rations to troops deep in the training area. I decided to ask my Soldiers their thoughts and how we could fix this. I ensured that I listened to all of their ideas. I asked them questions to help them create a more successful idea. According to Heifetz, “Adaptive challenges generate a loss. Learning is often painful. One person’s innovation can cause another person to feel incompetent, betrayed, or irrelevant” (Heifetz, 2009). Leaders must ensure that each member of the group works as a team. No one’s ideas are unheard even if it’s a small contribution. It took my team about 3 hours of trading ideas and different methods, but as a team, we figured out how to get fuel to the engine. We were late on the drop-off but as a leader, I was able to motivate, challenge their ability, create ideas, and create a stable working environment to accomplish that challenge.