One theme emerged as an Army four-star general and the service's senior logistician addressed diverse audiences at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition: The Army is a profession, and its people are professionals.
Speaking at three forums throughout the event, Oct. 9-12, Army Materiel Command Commander Gen. Gus Perna said the profession is what sets the Army and its workforce apart.
"Being a part of a profession is not to be taken lightly," Perna said, laying out five key characteristics to rooms full of ROTC cadets, Warrant Officers and Department of the Army Civilians.
First, professions are derived of experts in their field, who are highly proficient and competent. Perna emphasized to the Warrant Officers that they must be the tip of the spear here.
"Warrant Officers have to coach, train and mentor everybody - below and above them - on what the technical aspects of right looks like," he said.
Second is service to others. The Army is a profession because its people answer a noble calling to put others - their nation, their community, their families - first, Perna said.
"You demonstrate service every day in supporting a million-plus member Army," he told the Army Civilians.
Third, trust is a bedrock of a profession.
"Trust is earned, not paid for or given," Perna said to the ROTC cadets. "We must earn it every day. We earn it through the ethic of our execution."
Fourth is esprit de corps and a strong sense of team. To the aspiring officers, Perna demonstrated this by pointing to the ribbons on the right side of his chest - those that represent the accomplishments of his units rather than his individual achievements. Those, he said, were more important because they reflected his service as part of a team.
To the civilians, he noted, "You are part of a great Army team. It's not one component - active duty, Army Reserves, or Army National Guard - that's going to win the war. It's the total Army, which includes all three components and Army civilians."
Finally, the fifth characteristic is stewardship.
"We are stewards of our profession," Perna said. "We educate, certify and regulate ourselves. We hold ourselves accountable, and it takes leadership, standards and discipline."
At the AUSA opening ceremony, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said service in the Army can't be about the individual, but about the nation and its defense.
Perna echoed the secretary's comments, "If you always think bigger than yourselves and your own organizations, you will have success and we will safeguard our profession."
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