incidental to the performance of such service. Because the societal service provided by professionals is essential and not regulated by the otherwise normal expectation of financial reward, the relations of the profession to the rest of society and between its members are regulated by a statement which imposes certain values and ideals upon such members (Huntington, 1957, pp. 3-4; Wakin, 1996, pp. 123-126).
Finally, the members of a profession share a sense of organic unity and consciousness as being apart from laymen. Originating in the lengthy training and experience required for competence, this unity is manifested by the formalization and enforcement of professional standards. Professional status thus also becomes dependent upon membership in a professional organization which formally separates the professional from laymen and enforces standards of competency and responsibility (Huntington, 1957, p. 4; Wakin, 1996, pp. 123-126).
The occupation of military officer meets the requirements of professionalism in all of these respects. The expertise, or central skill, which distinguishes officers from laymen, is the ability to manage violence. The duties inherent in this expertise are (1) the organizing, equipping, and training of an armed force; (2) the planning of this force's activities; and (3) the direction of its operation. This expertise is unique to military officers and can only be learned through prolonged ed
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