The Army today faces broad challenges. The call for transformation of the force to better respond to today's threats is clear. This transformation requires not only a change in equipment, but also a change in the mindset of Army leaders concerning how they view their profession. This book, an anthology by many hands, contains the results of research conducted by dedicated Americans both in and out of uniform. They represent multiple disciplinary perspectives on the military in general, and on the Army in particular, lending needed richness and diversity to such an investigation. In the aggregate, these authors make two significant contributions to the literature of the Army profession. First, they capitalize upon a common analytical framework for their various research contributions. This framework applies a fundamentally new and valuable view of professions to the American military profession. Second, they contribute to the ongoing dialogues within the Army about its professional future, including questions of what its expert knowledge should include for the 21st century and how that unique expertise should be imparted to the members of the profession.

Included in the U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List, 2004.

I. Setting the stage -- II. The profession's military-technical expert knowledge -- III. The political-social arena -- IV. Ethics and the Army profession -- V. Professional leadership -- VI. Internal expertise and institutional management -- VII. Conclusions.