Table of Contents

Introduction: The Meaning of the Commission; 1. The Citizen-Soldier - An American Tradition of Military Service; 2. The Profession of Arms; 3. Member of a Profession; 4. Defender of the Constitution and Servant of the Nation; 5. Character: Nobility of Life and Action; 6. Leadership; 7. Responsibility, Accountability and Discipline; 8. Service Identity and Joint Warfighting; 9. An Ancient and Honorable Calling; Appendix 1: Founding Documents; Declaration of Independence; Constitution of the United States; Appendix 2: Authorizing Statutes for The Armed Forces; Appendix 3: Service Values; Appendix 4: Code of Conduct; Appendix 5: Keeping Your House in Order; Appendix 6: "The Meaning of Your Commission:" from the 1950 edition of The Armed Forces Officer; Foundations of An Officer's Library; Acknowledgments; Instructions for Comment and Reproduction.

About the Author

Faculty members of the four service academies and the Marine Corps University wrote The Armed Forces Officer. The Operational Plans and Joint Force Development Directorate (J-7), Joint Education and Doctrine Division, of the U.S. Department of Defense coordinated and sponsored the work.

Reviews

"I encourage you to reflect on the timeless themes outlined in this book and consider what honor, integrity, selflessness, commitment, and the greater good mean to you. They define the ethos of our profession of arms, a philosophy that has moral leadership at its core."—from the Foreword by General Peter Pace, USMC, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

"The indomitable spirit of the thousands of wounded, men and women, regulars and reservists, fighting to remain on active duty in spite of their wounds, is ample evidence of the well-being of the institutional soul of today's armed forces, its men and women of all ranks. It is into the hands of armed forces officers that the leadership of these men and women is entrusted by the American people, through their elected representatives and government. This book is a modest effort to explain the nature of that trust and the obligations and expectations in entails."—from the Foreword by the Honorable Ike Skelton, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee