The military institution has the statutory duty to remain apolitical. Certain case studies show that each issue that calls for some response is unique and requires judicious attention, but they all must be carefully steered away from politicizing the military. Senior officers must be intimately familiar with the process of military-civilian interaction as well as relations with the press. There is no guarantee confidentiality will be honored, nor is there protection from misquoting. However, with care, top military leaders can retain their integrity and offer the expert counsel their civilian superiors need.

Despite rank differences, placement in professional military education, housing assignments, pay scale, and so forth, all-hands membership in the profession of arms is widely supported. No matter what their rank, specialty, or discipline, military members enlist in the same professional organization, becoming bona fide members and performing specialized functions and missions. Not only commissioned officers, but also today’s noncommissioned officers and petty officers meet the criteria many accept as making them authentic members of the profession of arms. Furthermore, North Atlantic Treaty Organization examples abound: some nations are significantly upgrading their enlisted corps, some are ending conscription, and some have added more enlisted ranks.

Debating whether there is a profession of arms is only worthwhile if we establish rigor in what the terms profession and professional mean. These definitions must have historical consistency; that is, we must understand the history of the military profession to guide its future. This article contends that occupations packaging themselves as professions are proliferating and offers criteria that indicate true professionalism. It is generally conceded that the officer corps is professional, though Samuel Huntington argues that it happened in the late 19th century while other historians believe the Army officer corps began to professionalize as early as the 1820s. The noncommissioned officer (NCO) corps began professionalizing when large peacetime forces offered a path to long careers, but NCOs are not yet professionals.