Army Leadership

The foundations of Army leadership are firmly grounded in history, loyalty to our country’s laws, acountability to authority, and evolving Army doctrine. By applying this knowledge with confidence and

dedication, leaders develop into mature, competent, and multiskilled members of the Nation’s Army. While

Army leaders are responsible for being personally and professionally competent, they are also charged with

the responsibility of developing their subordinates.

To assist leaders to become competent at all levels of leadership, the Army identifies three categories of core leader competencies: lead, develop, and achieve. These competencies and their subsets represent the roles and functions of leaders.

THE FOUNDING DOCUMENTS OF OUR NATIONWhen we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.General George Washington

Seech to the New York Legislature, 1775

 

The Army and its leadership requirements are based on the Nation’s democratic foundations, defined

values, and standards of excellence. The Army recognizes the importance of preserving the time-proven

standards of competence that have distinguished leaders throughout history. Leadership doctrine

acknowledges that societal change, evolving security threats, and technological advances require an everincreasing degree of adaptability.

 

Although America’s history and cultural traditions derive from many parts of the civilized world,

common values, goals, and beliefs are solidly established in the Declaration of Independence and the

Constitution. These documents explain the purpose of our nationhood and detail our specific freedoms and

responsibilities. Every Army Soldier and leader should be familiar with these documents.

 

On 4 July 1776, the Declaration of Independence formally sealed America’s separation from British

rule and asserted her right as an equal participant in dealings with other sovereign nations. Adopted by

Congress in March of 1787, the U.S. Constitution formally established the basic functions of our

democratic government. It clearly explains the functions, as well as the checks and balances between the

three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The Constitution sets the

parameters for the creation of our national defense establishment, including the legal basis for our Army.

 

Amended to the Constitution in December 1791, the Federal Bill of Rights officially recognized specific

rights for every American citizen, including freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press. At the time of

publication of FM 6-22, there have been 27 amendments to the Constitution. The amendments illustrate the

adaptability of our form of government to societal changes.