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Essay On Army Leadership Now

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Army Leadership: Then and Now The role of the Non-commissioned Officer (NCO) has changed drastically since entering the military. I joined the military in June of 2001 as a 21T, Technical Engineer Specialist, so I do not necessarily have a direct apple to apples comparison due to difference in branches and environment. However, I will say, that even though these are two completely different communities, it seems somewhat apparent throughout our military. As a private (PVT) E-1 in the military, I took note that most of the NCOs were slightly older, often seeing Sergeants (SGT) in their mid-20s, and Staff Sergeants (SSG) in their late to early 30s to include retirement, which was acceptable at the time. Squad Leaders and smaller task were usually supervised by those senior Specialist (SPC) or SPC promotable, looking to demonstrate their leadership potential. I remember attending training meetings as a young PVT, and our company commander would ask around the room if they had any SPC or SGTs that were candidates for the upcoming promotion board, and if the answer was no, that was also acceptable. Soldiers …show more content…

A training meeting now has an entire different environment. If the Commander or First Sergeant (1SG) ask about promotion boards, it’s not to find out if we have any individuals that are being recommended to attend the promotion board, but instead, who is eligible to attend the board, as these individuals will, without a doubt, attend the next board. Recommended as opposed to eligible, is a huge difference from the way we view promotions in the past compared to today. Promotions, for the most part, are now given instead of earned, which my opinion, led to a more competent leader with essentially, more pride in themselves and their work because they truly earned the

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