The Soldier and the State

The Soldier and the State: the Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations is a 1957 book by Samuel Huntington, is one of the formative works in the field of military sociology. It assumes the military profession is indeed a profession.

Part 1, Military Institutions and the State

Officership as a Profession

Huntington limits his definition of professionalism to officers, but speaks of career enlisted men as members of a professional army. Not all military officers are, in his view, of the profession of arms -- a military surgeon is of a different profession. His concept of the professional officer is that the officer, as suggested by Harold Lasswell, is an expert in "the management of violence"; the officer's responsibility — professions are defined to have broad responsibilities — "is to the military security of his client, society."

Noncommissioned officer (NCO) does not appear in the index, yet most advanced military forces regard their NCOs as essential professionals -- ones concerned with the preparation and performance of individuals while officers are concerned with the preparation and performance of units. Senior NCOs also mentor junior officers.