Providing for the Common Defense? The Army Profession and Recent Arms Trade Reforms

<p>Three administrative reforms within the Department of Defense--the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense (The Packard Commission of 1985) the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act (1986) and the Foreign Military Sales Reinvention Initiatives (1996 to present)-have had a detrimental effect on the U.S. Army as a profession. Reforms that focused on streamlining bureaucratic processes for DOD weapons acquisition and arms exports have inadvertently compromised affective-based attributes that define the Army as a profession. This study employs concepts from sociological analysis to define profession and the functions unique to a profession in modern society. In light of these definitional and functional attributes the study concludes that reforms in arms acquisition and exporting are actually contributing to a trend toward de-professionalization in the US Army.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>