by Joe Burlas

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 11, 2000) -- Army leaders are hoping today's warriors will continue to hone their warfighting skills and learn more about the Army's heritage beyond the normal duty day by undertaking a voluntary, self-paced reading program in their spare time.

The new course of study is the Army chief of staff's recommended professional reading list. It was released in mid-June to major Army commands for further distribution down to company-level units.

"The professional reading list is a list for all leaders," stated Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, Army chief of staff, in the list's cover letter. "We can never spend too much time thinking about our profession. There is no better way to develop the sure knowledge and confidence required of America's most demanding occupation than a disciplined, focused commitment to a personal course of reading and study."

The list contains the titles of 40 books divided evenly among four hierarchical and progressive smaller lists.

Which list soldiers should start depends on where they are in their careers in terms of experience, education and the level of responsibility they currently hold. For example, a cadet or sergeant would start with the first list, while a division commander or sergeant major would begin reading the last list.

The various titles on the list also complement each other and the required reading found in the formal study of the officer and enlisted schools, according to Brig. Gen. John S. Brown, commander of the Army Center for Military History and the Army's chief of military history.

While the Center for Military History was assigned as the program's executive agent, Brown quickly pointed out the list truly was Shinseki's.

"Shortly after General Shinseki became the chief of staff, he identified the Army's need for a systematic, self-development professional reading list," Brown said. "We considered his guidance in developing the list, and, being the historians we are, we brought back a list that was about 90 percent military history. He had his own ideas and had us change the list to include other aspects of the military so now the list includes only about half on military heritage.

"The chief has been involved all throughout the process of developing this reading list. It was his idea and it serves the purposes he stated he wanted when he had us start work on the list."

Brown explained the purposes: encourage habits of reading and reflection; sustain intellectual growth between attendance at the various formal institutional schools; facilitate officer and NCO professional self-development; and deepen each soldier's appreciation of their military heritage.