Originally posted by wuming78:
The following article is extracted from [b]Military
Professionalism in Asia -- Conceptual and Empirical Perspectives by
Muthiah Alagappa and deals with the concept of military
professionalism.
WHAT IS PROFESSIONALISM?
Ask anyone and he or she will probably say that it means knowing
your job and doing it well.
In dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and Longman,
professionalism is defined as the conduct, skills,
standards or qualities that characterise or mark a profession or a
professional person.
A profession is more than a vocation, which refers to a persons
regular work occupation in general. A profession is a
career or occupation that requires specialised knowledge and
skills, and often long and considerable training and academic
preparation.
WHAT ABOUT MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM?
The concept of military professionalism was first put forward in
1957 by Samuel Huntington, a professor at Harvard University, and
is widely accepted today. While it is hard to specifically define
military professionalism, there are certain distinctive
characteristics to it. According to Huntington, the three
characteristics of military professionalism are Expertise, Social
Responsibility and Corporateness.
The first characteristic of a professional is
expertise. As Huntington asserts, the peculiar
skill of a military professional is in the direction, operation
and control of a human organisation whose primary function is the
application of violence. This is a complex intellectual
skill that requires comprehensive and continuous education,
research and training. To develop the high level of expertise
required, military personnel need to devote their working life
almost exclusively to this purpose. The military skill to manage
violence is universal. Military professionals all over the world
are united by their common possession of this skill.
The second characteristic of a professional is social
responsibility. The professionals client is the society,
and he performs a role that is essential to the functioning of
society. Material reward is not the main consideration when he
conducts his duties. For the military professional, his
primary responsibility is to protect the society and the
state. This motivation, together with a code of ethics or
core values grounded in custom and tradition rather than financial
reward, are the driving force of his conduct and set him apart from
a mercenary.
The third characteristic is corporatenes - unity
and consciousness among members that they belong to a distinct body
which has formal standards of professional competence and the
authority and means to enforce them. Military professionals
belong to such a distinct body that comprises not just the formal
armed bureaucratic units but also a vast complex of associations,
schools, journals, custom, and tradition. With their own
principles, structure, and institutions, the armed forces establish
and enforce professional standards and codes of behaviour. Failure
to conform results in punishment and may even lead to discharge.
The highly-valued attributes of honour, courage, and service to
country are rewarded through awards and recognition that do not
usually carry a monetary value.
It is not the satisfaction of
any one of the three criteria, but the combination of expertise,
social responsibility, and corporateness that makes the military
profession a professional calling.
-- army news interactive[/b]
i like this part best----->
[color=orange]Material reward is not the
main consideration when he conducts his duties.For the military
professional, his primary responsibility is to protect the society
and the state.[/color]
