Ethics is an integral aspect of everything we espouse as professionals. Ethics underpins leader development, moral decision making, and the trust relationships inherent within our organizations. Since 2009, the Command and General Staff College has partnered with the Command and General Staff College Foundation, Inc. to host an annual ethics symposium. These symposia provide an opportunity for a broad audience to think about and discuss topics that are important to our profession. Titled The Professional Ethic and the State, the 2015 symposium explored the responsibilities and obligations between the United States and its military. We have entered a new era, following more than a decade of war that poses difficult challenges for our civilian and senior leadership. At the heart of these challenges lie the Army's emerging doctrine that describes the military profession, its ethic, and the contract between the Soldier and the state. This compendium of articles document much of the independent thought that encouraged discussion during the symposium. These papers cover a wide array of related topics regarding Soldiers and politics, trust between society and the military, caring for service members and veterans, moral injury, and the professional obligations of the military. Although chosen for this year's symposium, these subjects are enduring and represent longstanding topics that will shape how we view the relationship between society and the military for years to come.