Army Character Development Model Essay

Developing the character of Army professionals has always been a challenge from the beginning of inception. Since its beginning as the Continental Army and through present day, America’s Soldiers have known that the mission must be conducted “in the right way” Fischer, (2004). The Army is a melting pot of different cultures, backgrounds, and ethics degrades this mission. Ultimately, individuals are responsible for their own decisions and actions, but the Army is responsible for everybody’s decisions and actions that encompass it. The Army has to consolidate all these variables into one standard, the Army standard. The Army has to incorporate the standard into Soldier’s lives. Therefore, we are to demonstrate the character, competence

One of the meanings of the word character according to Meriam Webster (1828) is the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation. Consequently, a conflict already exists in this definition alone. The conflict is between an individual’s, group’s, and the nation’s mental and ethical traits. Therefore, the Army uses the Army Framework for Character Development model to try to accomplish this task (see Appendix for the details of the model). To further validate this, the Army Leadership Regulation (AR 600-100, 2007; 2016 TBP) states that leadership and professional development are complementary, concomitant, deliberate, and continuous. They accrue through the synthesis of education, training, and experience designed to inspire and motivate Soldiers and Army Civilians –trusted Army professionals– to perform present and future duty in accordance with the Army Ethic. It will always be an ongoing process for the development of the character. We have established the three methods of developing the character of the professional, but how do we establish character through education, training, and experience? This paper will delve further detail to the answer as we discuss in detail the three methods of developing the character of the Army