Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 117

ARMY CIVILIANS

Some would advocate that technical expertise in war
specialized knowledge truly is. The land domain, and
fully encompasses that unique service and is by default
the need for dominant power in it, defines the Army’s
the Army Profession’s expert knowledge. Technical
specialized knowledge and expertise requirements. To
expertise in warfare is an important aspect of expert
understand and support an army to a level required
knowledge and a component of the overall requirement to achieve dominance within this unique domain
for national security, but to limit the Army’s expert
mandates a specialized focus and deep holistic underknowledge only to technical expertise in war is inaccustanding of what landpower is and what knowledge
rate. The U.S. Army Operating Concept clearly articis required to exercise the profession’s unique service.
ulates the scope and
There are common skill
complexity of national
sets supporting many
security requirements
To reduce the Army
facets of an army’s routine
in the land domain.12
functions that are not
Profession’s
expert
or
To reduce the Army
specialized professional
Profession’s expert or
knowledge. But, effectivespecialized
knowledge
to
only
specialized knowledge
ness and optimization are
to only technical exnot achieved until there
technical expertise in war
pertise in war neglects
is a shared understanding
neglects far too many aspects
far too many aspects
of what landpower is,
of what is necessary
and of what the Army’s
of what is necessary to be
to be successful in the
unique contribution to
business of security
the Nation is. Without
successful in the business of
and defense. The scope
this understanding and a
and diversity of Army
security and defense.
commitment to achievmissions far exceed
ing the diverse outcomes
tasks associated only
mandated in complex
with war.13 Make no mistake, successful outcomes of
environments, outcomes that assure winning, the
war are necessary and critical to performing the Army’s dominance of landpower is simply not feasible.18 I
unique service, but so are those aspects of preventing,
would liken this to a medical doctor who was expectshaping, and winning in the defense of our country in
ed to practice his or her craft without any knowledge
the land domain.14 These aspects describe landpowof healing.19 The doctor might have all the technical
er with combined arms forces.15 Landpower is much
competencies associated with a specialty but lack
broader than just technical expertise in war.16
the comprehensive understanding of the contextual
Another example of the scope of landpower is
and cultural aspects of a unique service. The doctor
resident in Army doctrine. Doctrine defines military
might be able to fix the sickness but could not heal the
expertise, one of the five essential characteristics of the
patient. Understanding landpower for Army civilians
Army Profession, as the “design, generation, support,
is similar to medical doctors needing to understand
and application of landpower.”17 The Army Civilian
healing. It is fundamental to their mastery of specialCorps is integral to each of these functions, and in
ized knowledge. The U.S. Army Operating Concept outsome cases it is the major contributor. The spectrum of
lines the requirements for dealing with complexity by
expert or specialized knowledge is inclusive of war but
creating contextual multiplicity. Landpower provides
in no way limited by it.
leaders with multiple options that conjure multiple diArmy professionals are masters of expert knowledge lemmas in multiple domains with multiple partners.20
in the land domain. Inculcating the Army Profession’s
This mandates a level of commitment to understanding
expectation and commitment to understanding the
the intricacies of how each component of the Army
realm of landpower, which includes the moral and
Profession fits in order to create, support, and execute
ethical components, as well as its technical aspects, is
landpower. Optimizing landpower requires a personthe key to underst [