SOF Profession of Arms: A SOF Unique Requirement for Special Forces Officers Attending Intermediate Level Education

The purpose of this research was to identify the SOF unique educational requirements for Special Forces SF Officers attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College USACGSC for intermediate-level education. This question came to the forefront at the USACGSC when the U.S. Army Special Operations Command requested JPME I credit for Officers attending the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. The purpose was to find additional opportunities to develop the SF major to meet the challenges of the changing global environment in which the SF officer would operate. The colleges concern was that SF Officers would not receive the proper professional development required to prepare them for the remainder of their professional careers. By analyzing professions and identifying common denominators one can determine the essential pillars of a profession and apply those pillars to the Profession of Arms. The authors analysis identified the following pillars a body of knowledge, corporatenesssocialization, and service to a greater good. The next step was to examine history to find out when these pillars came together to form the Armys Profession of Arms. This examination showed that the Profession of Arms evolved over time. The Goldwater-Nichols Act GNA was the most recent evolution in the Profession of Arms. This legislation reformed the Department of Defense DoD and in the process created the U.S. Special Operations Command USSOCOM. This was the beginning of a Joint Profession of Arms and also a SOF Profession of Arms. The author then examined the role that the pillars of the SOF Profession of Arms have played in the SF Officers development and found that the pillars did not prepare these officers for their entire careers. He concludes that the Army can foster a SOF Profession of Arms by taking a holistic approach to the professional development of the SF officer.