YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea (April 11, 2012) -- Representatives from the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic conducted Army profession and ethic training April 2, here in the Van Fleet Room.
The Center for the Army Profession and Ethic, or CAPE, training was introduced to Eighth Army by Lt. Col. Bill Speier.
Speier explained that as the war in Vietnam ended, the U.S. Army took a look at itself as an organization to see if it was still in line with its founding ideals.
More recently, the secretary of the Army and the chief of staff of the Army directed that the Army take a look at itself as an organization following 10 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"After a decade of war, we must take stock of our profession, examine our strengths and weaknesses so that we can prepare our Army for future uncertainties," said Gen. Robert W. Cone, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and the proponent of the CAPE program.
CAPE was created as a result of the Army Profession Campaign; a year-long study of more than 40,000 Soldiers.
During the study the Army determined that it needed to reinforce: Institutionalizing Army Profession Concepts, Building and Sustaining Trust Relations, Improving Standards and Discipline, Certifying Army Professionals, Investing in Leader Development for the Army of 2020, Strengthening the Army's Culture, and Integrating/ Synchronizing Human Development.
The campaign also established essential characteristics of the Army Profession as: Trust, Trustworthiness, Military Expertise, Esprit de Corps, Honorable Service, and Stewardship of the Profession.
One of the issues Speier emphasized from the campaign finding was the "Erosion of Soft Skills."
"Erosion of Soft Skills is my term," said Speier, adding that "soft skills" are "interpersonal skills."
According to the campaign, "Overwhelmingly, Soldiers give Army leaders high marks in tactical skills, technical knowledge and leading to achieve results. This, of course, is exactly what one might expect of leaders who have been tested and had proven themselves in multiple combat deployments. On the other hand, Soldiers have noted an erosion of certain interpersonal skills, such as coaching, teaching, counseling, and mentoring."
Speier said CAPE was invited by Eighth Army to instill into leader development programs the lessons learned during the Army Profession Campaign.
While in South Korea, the CAPE team engaged the commands and staff of Eighth Army, 2nd Infantry Division, 501st Military Intelligence Brigade and the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. They also introduced the "Army Profession" training to the Republic of Korea Army's Training and Doctrine command.
Following its time in Korea, the CAPE team is scheduled to conduct training on most major Army installations. They also plan to return before the end of the year and conduct more focused training aimed at train-the-trainer for representatives from all U.S. forces in South Korea.
Related Links:
Center for the Army Profession and Ethic
Vice chief of staff visits TRADOC to find out 'what's next'
Army Profession completes year of study, releases first report
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