Introduction
The profession is an integral part of adult life because every person needs a job to make a living. That is why people attend various educational establishments to master an occupation and find a place where this competency and skill can be turned into money. Some adults decide to commit themselves to the military art, and they join the army or enter military colleges and universities to become soldiers and officers in the future. These individuals represent the profession of arms and draw a duty to protect state security. Thus, the profession of arms should receive specific attention because it includes multiple components and can be interpreted in different ways.
Profession of Arms
To begin with, one should offer a clear definition of the profession of arms. According to the Government of Canada (2019b), this term “is distinguished by the concept of service before self, the lawful, ordered application of military force, and the acceptance of the concept of unlimited liability” (para. 2). The given quotation reveals that all representatives of the military personnel should engage in particular behaviors and have appropriate mindsets to be effective members of the system. However, the definition is not sufficient to understand the meaning of the profession of arts entirely, and that is why additional discussion is needed.
It is also reasonable to comment on the distinction between the profession of arms and other civilian professions. On the one hand, the occupation under analysis is collective, while civilian ones are associational (Government of Canada, 2019a). A profession is associational when its representatives act relatively independently, meaning that individuals do not require additional assistance to achieve specific outcomes (Government of Canada, 2019a). Examples include lawyers or healthcare professionals who directly cooperate with clients. In turn, collective professions imply that individual representatives or even groups cannot reach goals without joining their efforts (Government of Canada, 2019a). Thus, the military system is considered a single body that acts conjunctly to achieve final goals. On the other hand, the profession of arms cannot serve personal needs because it protects the interests of the state (Government of Canada, 2019a). In developed and democratic countries, the military system is a highly structured organization that welcomes obedience and is devoted to serving the state.
As has been mentioned above, the concept under analysis consists of a few components. According to Finney (2022), military professionalism relies on three elements. Firstly, people in the profession of arms should have appropriate expertise. This element stands for theoretical knowledge that individuals accumulate and use to understand how the military system works and what relationships exist among its numerous representatives (Finney, 2022). Secondly, the profession of arms can be defined by various norms. According to Finney (2022), they are the ethical use of force, obedience, non-partisanship, and other requirements. These findings demonstrate that military personnel should meet specific ethical standards and values. The rationale behind this requirement is that soldiers and officers should behave in a manner that supports the moral obligations of the given profession. Thirdly, civilian control is implied because it regulates the relationship between the community and the military (Finney, 2022). In particular, soldiers and officers are expected to serve society and contribute to its increased safety. All these three components demonstrate what specific elements are incorporated in the profession of arms.
In addition to that, it is worth admitting that there are two different interpretations of the profession of arms. On the one hand, some experts consider it an occupation. From this viewpoint, the profession of arms is a leading way to make a living because it relies on technical skills that allow individuals to perform specific duties (Statler, 2019). However, Statler (2019) indicates that “such performance may not necessarily be a part of their self-identity” (p. 123). The second approach stipulates that there is the profession of arms itself. According to this viewpoint, the concept is more than an occupation because it relies on four specific components. They include providing effective service to society, absorbing and utilizing expert knowledge, earning the trust of the community, and utilizing relative autonomy (Statler, 2019). The second definition seems more appropriate because it represents a more comprehensive approach to analyzing the profession of arms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the essay has investigated what the profession of arms is and what people represent it. The identified definition has revealed that the given profession requires that individuals should have specific skills and follow particular behaviors. Specific attention has also been devoted to highlighting the differences between the profession of arms and civilian professions. Findings have revealed that the occupation under analysis is collective and serves the needs of the state. Furthermore, the concept is also complicated because various elements comprise it. They are expertise, norms, and civilian control, and the combination of the three introduces requirements and expectations that the military personnel should meet. Finally, there are two interpretations of the profession of arms, and the one that emphasizes the legal and ethical obligations of the military personnel seems more appropriate. That is why it is not surprising that the profession of arms is significant for every country.
References
Finney, N. K. (2022). The profession of arms. In K. Carroll & W. B. Hickman (Eds.), Understanding the US military (pp. 271-287). London: England: Routledge.
Government of Canada. (2019a). Section 2: Evolution of the profession of arms.
Government of Canada. (2019b). Section 3: The profession of arms in Canada.
Statler, T. J. (2019). A profession of arms? Conflicting views and the lack of virtue ethics in professional military education. In T. S. Mallard & N. H. White (Eds.), A persistent fire: The strategic ethical impact of World War I on the global profession of arms (pp. 123-145). Washington, DC: National Defense University Press.