Military and Professional Bearing

The ability of an Army to fight and emerge victorious for the wars its nation faces is not solely dependent on the kind of training they are exposed to and the kind of weapons they have alone. Several factors also contribute to the ability of an Army to win the war for its nation. Some of the other factors may include the climate of the units or the attitude, soldiers and the leadership. Finding the victorious army and you will find a positive attitude; of which is also true for the losing army.

Whereas the attitude of the army depends on the many factors, the most predominant factor is the military bearing, the manner in which the Army base is operated and governed from the top management and the noncommissioned personnel down to the most junior soldiers. A strong army can always be found in bases where the army possesses positive climate at their hearts. The leaders and soldiers who act professionally and do the right thing regardless of the circumstance they will always go the extra mile.

Therefore, in this paper, I will provide an informative description of what military and professional bearing entail.

Caforio (275) military bearing defines as the act of conducting oneself professionally to receive credit upon oneself as well as the Army at all the times. It entails the ability to project a commanding presence and confidence levels, upholding standards, and going by the hard right and not the easy wrong regardless of the situation either good or bad and whether on or off duty.

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By simply put, it is the acting in the manner in which soldiers and the leaders are expected to be acting, and presenting a professional persona. The military bearing can be said to be derived from pride in oneself, the pride of being a soldier, and a leader who is of service to his or her nation (Caforio 278).

The way a leader behaves having the knowledge and the understanding the military bearing is a continuous process and the actions were taken, and military bearing will ever lead to both the negative and positive criticism. They are comprehending that their military bearing will define how the world and leaders view them. It is important to accept that military bearing does not come to a stop when one is off duty when the uniform is removed. More often than not the only time the civilian populaces come to contact with the Soldier is when off duty. Therefore, this is the time they can make their opinions and judgments as well as the Army in general. That is why it is important to know that military bearing does not end when one is off duty (Caforio 279).

More often, the first impression a person or an organization make about an Army or a Soldier is from the manner in which they conduct themselves or by their military bearing. The first impressions always do count. This concept is true, particularly when working with other countries or other branches of the Armed Forces. A bad first impression at a new workstation may affect the level of trust and respect that the soldier or the institution you are working with have on you towards working with them. The same concept of the first impression is true when conducting operations in the foreign land. The manner in which your unit will carry themselves when in a mission will shape how the indigenous population will accept and welcome the action of your unit. It is always important to note and keep in mind that the success in shaping the very initial impression is always as significant as winning any of the wars that might follow.

Having a strong military bearing is very important. The Soldier will always choose a leader of their choice, and the chosen leader may emerge to be either good or bad. However, not always easy work to maintain a strong sense of military bearing, this ability of a leader to do that will create an immeasurable impact on the Soldiers. A leader with a strong military bearing will instill pride in the Soldiers. As a leader, possessing strong military and professional bearing will instill on the Soldiers the sense that their leader is tactically and technically a professional leader, someone that they can trust, respect and have confidence in as someone that will take care of them. As such, they will always follow and want to be like their leader (Diebold et al. 402). Similarly, following instructions is a very key aspect, particularly in the Army.

Living by following instruction which is more than just kind listening and talking to someone is what bring peace. Further, behavior attitude will enable the individual demanding the respect to feel it. Thus, self-discipline comes with possessing good military bearing. It is the military bearing that explains and reinforces the necessity of having the self-discipline. However, not every Soldier in the Army has good military bearing. This is something that one has to work on and maintain control of. One can easily earn it but can easily lose it if one does not work on the maintain control. Possessing good military bearing means that one remains tactful and polite and at the same time looking good in appearance and is carrying out himself or herself with the highest degree of professionalism.

In the same way, in which the strong military bearing can have the motivation and positive impact, a loss of military bearing can create a negative impact (Diebold et al. 405). A leader with poor or who lacks strong military bearing will lack the respect and trust that is required from the Soldiers he is leading. This loss of military bearing has seen most of the Soldiers getting relieved from their duties as Soldiers. The moment the respect and the confidence in a leader are lost, it is always a long struggle and hard to regain the former state of affairs. The poor military bearing of a leader influences, already destructive in nature, will be like a plague infection on the future leaders since the current generation of Soldiers will be the leaders of tomorrow’s Army and them will only be following the path and the example that had been set by their past leaders (Diebold et al 407).

Military and professional bearing is not a task the Soldiers are expected to learn during training. There many references that can offer assistance in military training. The NCO creed forms an excellent guide that can be used for military bearing training. However, studying military and professional bearing is not enough. It is something that learned over time by acceptance of the values of the Army and perhaps most significantly observing the leadership that depicts and demonstrates and act with a strong sense of military bearing as well as being part of the military unit with the attitude that boasts a strong military bearing (Diebold et al. 409).

In conclusion, the best example of military and professional bearing must be set now. These good traits will the get transferred into the essentials of a good Army, the ability of the Army to train, fight and emerge victorious in wars for the coming generations, as Soldiers who had leaders possessing strong military bearing that could be emulated and become leaders by themselves and inspire the other Soldiers.

Works Cited

1. Caforio, Giuseppe. ‘Military officer education.’ Handbook of the Sociology of the Military. Springer, Cham, 2018. 273-300.
2. Diebold, Carroll J., et al. ‘Pathways to a career in military psychiatry.’ Academic Psychiatry 39.4 (2015): 402-409.