United States Army Soldier and Department of the Army Civilian Employee Development ComparisonAbstractThe harmonizing relationship and shared respect between military and civilian members of the The army is a long-standing tradition. Since the Army's inception in 1775, the civilian duties of the U.S. Army and the Department of the Army (DA) have been separate, but are necessarily related because of the Army's mission. The Army work environment involves a close working relationship with civilian personnel as they possess or develop technical skills necessary to accomplish certain missions needed by the Army. Civilian DAs are primarily tied to the particular military installation where they are employed as part of the civilian personnel management system. All Army leaders, Soldiers, and DA civilians share the same goal of accomplishing their organization's mission, but training and development missions are fundamentally different among Army, military, and civilian personnel. The United States Army Soldier and Department of the Army Civilian Employee Development Comparison The development of Soldiers and Civilian DAs is essential to the success of the Army in both peacetime and combat. DA Civilians are essential to success but, for a variety of reasons, are difficult to retain in the uniformed component. (FM 22-100, 1990, App. A). Effective training and development of DA civilians is the cornerstone of operational success and must be given high priority on an ongoing basis to operate effectively, especially within the context of the Army¡ ¦s Doctrine. Most support activities (basic operations) are performed by DA civilians enabling continuity of support operations. DA Civilians are able to provide professional or technical skills and expertise not otherwise available when Soldiers are deployed.