The NCO Corps

The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Corps needs help in the promotion process or the future of the NCO Corps will be in danger of having well educated NCO’s without job-related experience. It has automatic promotions for lower enlisted soldiers, letting them get promoted without knowing military or job-related items. NCOs’ can get promoted in the current process without even doing their job as long as they know how to get by a promotion board. NCO’s only had to memorize some regulations, field manuals, and a few Creeds to pass a promotion board. The promotion boards do not even ask job-related questions to see if the NCO knows anything about his current position. The current promotion process uses a points system and holds soldiers back from getting promoted. The point system is broken down but puts too much emphasis on certain areas which have nothing to do with their current position. This current promotion system has to change just like the way the military is asking NCO’s to change and become more civilian-educated.

One of the organizations dedicated to rebuilding the NCO corps was the NCO Subcommittee of the Command and Leadership Committee in the Leadership Department at the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning. Besides training

For a Soldier to become an expert and encompass the values of a professional, they must have a role model who was able to instill these attributes for them early in their career to become a well-rounded individual and Soldier to mold future generation of Soldiers. Junior Soldiers take after what they see and how they are treated by their junior and senior Non-Commissioned Officer’s (NCO’s), and if they are exposed to great leadership, mentorship and discipline there is a significant chance of them exuding the same values to their junior Soldiers when they become NCO’s and assume the responsibility that comes with the rank.

Is the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Corps (Enlisted force) talent accurately managed throughout the ranks in order to sustain force readiness? During many years, the Army has continuously fulfilled analysis (studies) of the force to establish and improve management guidance over different initiatives, policies, and regulations in order to effectively organize the use of manpower. Conversely, the management of the NCO force has not been acceptably enforced and/or managed within the Army National Guard in order to meet the Army’s intent (Objective) on NCO Force management. Due to the Army National Guard’s force structure is limited in authorized positions within their

In my previous article I gave tips for Senior Noncommissioned officers (NCO) coming to a Combined Training Center (CTC) prior to their units arrival. This article focuses on gaining success during Mid-Rotation (MIDRO) of a CTC exercise. The Senior NCO is key to an Aviation Task Force success. They are First Sergeants, Platoon Sergeants, Staff NCOICs, and Production Control NCOICs. Each has their own distinctive role, if ignored they can negatively affect the success of a CTC rotation or combat deployment. If senior NCOs are proactive, committed, and critical thinkers they can be the key to success. Senior NCOs need to be comprehensively involved in the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). They need to know the capabilities of the Aviation Task Force, including our Multinational partners. Most importantly they must understand the CTC scenario and the Aviation Task Force Commanders training

Master Sergeant (MSG) Ofelia Kernan (used to protect her personnel information) is the prime example of a Noncommissioned Officer (NCO). As my legacy leader, she has mentored me throughout my years in the military and helped mold me into a Senior NCO. From the first time, I met her as Staff Sergeant (SSG) and now as a MSG, she has always displayed the key Army attributes of intellectual capacity, presence, and character. Her dedication to instilling the NCO army core competencies, leads, develops, and achieves, into personnel not only in her charge but also to any Soldier, NCO, or Officer, is an example to anyone with whom she has contact. Any person exposed to her, would like to emulate her leadership style, her ability to transition soldiers to NCOs, and to not only follow the Army Values as a Soldier but to become examples of leadership within their community. Her direct interactions throughout my career has not only developed me as a leader but has instilled the virtues of passing my leadership to those in my charge.

NCO development has evolved by utilizing the Army Profession of Arms, NCO Education System (NCOES) and the NCO Professional Development System (NCOPDS). These programs addresses the need to better define and optimize the development of a noncommissioned officer for the United States Army, The strive for development of the NCO Corps came about as a result of the NCO 2020 study done through the TRADOC Institute, it provided the Army with plans intended to strengthen and certify professional competencies and technical skills. NCO development has a main goal for getting focus on building a competent and professional NCO Corps. Couple of the key focuses are the Profession of Arms and STEP program which I will elaborated on because it ties well into

The Combat Training Center (CTC) Program was developed by the Army to “generate ready units and agile leaders who are confident in their ability to operate complex environments” (Headquarters [HQ], U.S. Department of the Army [DA], 2013, p.1). Not only does the CTC program gauge the unit’s readiness for deployment and warfighting, but commanders will be able to validate synchronization within unit operations and facilitate an environment where adaptive leaders can develop through stressful, realistic, and multi-echelon exercises (HQ, DA, 2013, p.1). Most stateside units travel to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, Louisiana or the National Training Center (NTC) in Fort Irwin, California for CTC training (HQ, DA, 2013, p.2&3). Among all of the training provided by the Army, deployment to a CTC is one of the most important and multifaceted unit training events commanders and their units will have to plan and prepare for. Using the topics of “training units and developing leaders”, “unit training management”, and “conduct training meeting” while incorporating the unit management process and execution of training, leaders and their units will be successful in preparing for their deployment to the CTC.

We discussed what “The Profession of Arms” defines a HR role in the Army profession as “expertise, trust, development, values and service” (p.18). Nonetheless, what is the HR professionals characteristic? The characteristics that they describe are as follows: “skill, trust, leadership, character and duty” (p.18). The characteristics between a profession and professional are similar but they are performed at a different level. However, one characteristic they share in common is trust. Trust is the foundation where HRs engage effectively with civilians or military relations. Other attributes that a professional has is the drive and motivation to become a great NCO. We are provided with guidelines, doctrines, courses and most importantly, culture. In the reading, culture is the system of shared meaning held by its Soldiers, which are: “the shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize the larger institution over time” (p.9). As leaders, we learn from one another. We analyze a NCOs way of teaching, the way they speak to other Soldiers, and the way they are looked upon through other NCOs. We then decide what kind of leader we want to become. It ever so happens that we know what we don’t want to become. We don’t want to be that NCO that doesn’t know his MOS, that doesn’t know how to cooperate with other Soldiers or plainly, doesn’t know how to be a leader. As NCOs, we all want to

For the last 237 years the United States Army has developed, flourished, and produced quality Soldiers to protect and uphold the morals and values that Americans hold dear to their hearts. There are three specific fields of expertise that make United States military service members the best in existence. Those fields include military technical, moral-ethical, and political culture expertise. One might ask what these different abilities have to do with the Human Resource (HR) field for the NCO, but these are the areas that play the biggest role in the HR field of the Non Commissioned Officer (NCO).

Our responsibility as noncommissioned officer is to provide guidance, resources, assistance and training to our Soldiers. We cannot provide guidance and training if we do not seek for self-improvement. In order to seek for self-improvement, CSM/SGM and senior NCOs have to prepare academically and professionally. Today, there are many ways to prepare ourselves professionally. The Army make available to the service members a wealth of grants and scholarships as US Army Tuition Assistance (TA), Yellow Ribbon Project, and Montgomery G.I. Bill, Troops to Teach Program among others. In addition many public and private organization offer grants, financial assistance/aid or scholarship to encourage service members to achieve their professional

I agree with your comment about the transformation of the NCO Education System (NCOES). The Structure Self Development (SSD) intent is to bridging the operational and institutional gaps and set conditions for continuous growth. The system was implemented without taking in consideration the dual status of Army Reserve (RA) and National Guard (NG) Soldiers. Traditional guardsmen and reservist have to comply with the same professional development requirements of active duty Soldiers on less time due to their citizen-Soldier status.

It is necessary for military professionals to take the time to study military history, for it aids in not only their personal success but also in the success of the mission at hand. When one understands past failures and the causes, they are able to better wage what necessary actions must be taken to achieve success. Also knowledge is power. The more information a NCO has, the greater ability he has to make decisions which will allow him and his team to operate in a more safe and effective manner. By combining past success and failures with personal experiences, a NCO is better equipped for quick and effective decision making.

Improve COLMIL Senior NCO development system by fostering discussions and ideas on conducting Senior level NCO development. Furthermore, strengthen knowledge by preparing Colombian leaders and supporting the transformation initiatives of the Colombian Army and the SOUTHCOM Theater Campaign Plan promoting regional security by degrading transregional and transnational threat network, responding rapidly to crises, and building relationship to meet global challenges.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate what I learned about mission command and reflect on how I will use the philosophy and concepts of mission command in my future duty assignment following graduation from the Sergeants Major Course. Although mission command is commander centric, noncommissioned officers (NCO’s) play a dynamic role in facilitating it.