Role of the Non-Commissioned Officer, Counseling and Army Values - Coursework Example

The structure of the military as an institution is built around structured values, principles, and organizational systems. Perhaps, it is these values, principles, and systems that make the soldier have the respect that is accorded him everywhere he goes. ‘An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot’. The implementation of the structures however depends largely on the functions of personnel in the army. The military institution is made up of several officers whose duties are to ensure that there is orderliness within the rank of soldiers put under his control and that the structures and systems are well implemented.

One of such indispensable figures in the implementation of military structures is the non-commissioned officer. The non-commissioned officer however does not work untamed: for the non-commissioned officer to succeed in his role as a leader, he needs to be guided by basic military principles. This is to say that the non-commissioned officer cannot rule within his own discretion but needs to be guided by principles such as the application of the FM 6-22, counseling, and the seven Army Values. Roles of Non-Commissioned Officers Who is a non-commissioned officer?

A non-commissioned officer is a military officer who is given authority through a commissioned officer, but he or she is not technically considered to be in command. Non-commissioned officers rise up through the enlisted ranks, generally with several years of experience to their names before they reach positions of nominal power. The rank an officer has to reach to be accorded the position of a non-commissioned officer varies from country to country and from military force to military force. Also among the ranks, there divisions such as Junior NCOs and Senior NCOs depending on which nation is in question and which military force, be it the Navy, Army, or Air Force.

In the United States, for instance, all ranks of Sergeant in the United States Army, United States Air Force, and the United States Marine Corps are termed Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) as are Corporals in the Army and Marine Corps. However, the rank of Corporal (E-4) in the US Army is known to be a junior NCOs whereas Corporals in the grades (E-7, E-8, and E-9) are referred to as senior noncommissioned officers. The non-commissioned officer can however be generalized to be ‘an enlisted member of the armed forces, such as a corporal, sergeant, or petty officer, appointed to a rank conferring leadership over other enlisted personnel’ (The Free Dictionary, 2003).

What are the roles of the non-commissioned officer in the army? The role a non-commissioned officer is supposed to play simply refers to the leadership functions of the officer that is focused on maintaining army values. ‘NCOs must maintain fundamental soldiering at the forefront of everything we do. And that means we must focus on the basics, maintain Army values, and facilitate the transformation’ (Anthony, 2001). Even though all roles performed by non-commissioned officers are geared towards enhancing administration in the army force, there are varying roles, and these roles cut across different areas of operation; defining who may be under the orders or authority of the non-commissioned officer and who may not.

In a generalized system, however, the role of a particular NCO depends on his rank. The FM 7-22.7 makes a list of five (5) major categories of non-commissioned officers and what their roles are. These categories are classified according to ranks of officers and they are Sergeant Major of the Army, Command Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major, First Sergeant and Master Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and Sergeant First Class, and Squad, Section and Team Leaders.