Empowerment of the American Noncommissioned Officer Essay Example for Free

Empowerment of the American Noncommissioned Officer Essay The American Noncommissioned Officer of today is held in high esteem by the Military. The Military considers the American Noncommissioned Officer as the backbone of the Army. The Military also considers the Noncommissioned Officer as a Professional Soldier, a soldier with special skills and an experienced leader. The Noncommissioned Officer is a soldier that makes a career of the Military more so than the Commissioned Officers. The Noncommissioned Officer of today can be found beside their Commanding Officer or other Commissioned Officers. But this was not always so (Cited in Gates, Vuonon Introduction 1775). Individuals outside the Military consider the Noncommissioned Officer as lazy, not worth the time to educate or even to train. And they don’t have the same skills as a Commissioned Officer. A stigma they still carry today with those outside the Military. Most non-military individuals have no idea what the noncommissioned officer education status is or what their career goals are. In order to understand the evolution of the Noncommissioned Officer, let’s go back to the beginning and move forward. The History of the Noncommissioned Officer is long and spans from the Revolutionary War to Present day. The Revolutionary War is where they held the status of the regular enlisted man. The Noncommissioned Officers status would change somewhat during this War. Their worth would be tested on and off the field of battle. Revolutionary War In 1775 all Noncommissioned Officers were as regular enlisted men until, a change in regulation was constituted, (Cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005, p. 24). Baron Fredrick Wilhelm Steuben’s Contribution Baron Fredrick Wilhelm Steuben joined the Revolutionary Army as a volunteer. He possessed considerable military knowledge. He wrote the new regulation for the Noncommissioned Officer, â€Å"The regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States 1779†. Noncommissioned Officers were selected by and responsible to the Commanding Officer and subject to the Battalion or Regiment Commander. Steuben’s regulation aided the Noncommissioned Officer’s evolving role as Care Taker of Soldiers. Steuben found this area weak in the Revolutionary Army. Steuben’s regulation also introduced a new emphasis on the Noncommissioned Officers battlefield role. Enhancing his status and further distinguishing him from his British counterpart. Steuben’s system provided training the Noncommissioned Officer in leadership skills. Under this new regulation the Noncommissioned Officer now stood behind the Commissioned Officer. He did not fire Volleys, but saved his ammunition for the protection of the Captain or Lieutenant. Noncommissioned Officers thus became essential figures in linear tactics that survived until the Civil War (cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005). Battle of 1812 The professional military was viewed by the civilians as dregs and too lazy to grasp the opportunities of a civil way of life. Professional education was unknown beyond rudimentary on the job instruction by the company or regiment. Noncommissioned Officer’s in Artillery, engineers, medical, and signal corps received specialized training (cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005). Major General Anthony Wayne and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis Contributions Major General Anthony Wayne and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis made sure Noncommissioned Officers were not disciplined in front of their men. Davis supported the commissioning of officers from Noncommissioned Officers that could pass the exam. Not withstanding their comparative low status the Noncommissioned Officers played a very critical role in the Army of the New Nation (cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005 p. 26). The Civil War The dynamics of the Noncommissioned Officer changes during the Civil War in a lot of different ways. The Army of the Union looses a quarter of its Commissioned Officers to sympathy with the Confederacy and leave to serve in the Confederacy. Providing an opportunity for the Noncommissioned Officer’s to elevate their status on the battlefield. Another change they will have to overcome is the advancement in weapons, and a change in battlefield tactics. Muskets were replaced with the rifle musket. With better aim and accuracy casualties were horrendous. Linear tactics were outdated with the advancement of these weapons. Even more powerful weapons were introduced late in the Civil War, breech-loading rifle, Calvary carbine and the Gatlin Gun. This underscored the need for more open formations than were called for during the Revolutionary War. Unit Commanders gradually introduced such formations to reduce the vulnerability of their men, due to the volume and accuracy of enemy fire. Bvt. Major General Emory Upton prepared a manual, greater emphasis upon simplicity of maneuver. His instruction could be taught more easily by the Noncommissioned Officers to the new troops, shortening training time and increasing the soldier’s effective term of service. The gradual elimination of linear tactics after the Civil War redefined the Noncommissioned Officers combat leadership roles†. (p. 28-29) Technology revolution continued to sweep all the Armies, supplying both the infantry and artillery weapons with greater lethality. These weapons finally broke the use of close masses types of battle to a more open order of combat. As the aim and accuracy improved with these newer weapons close massed combat was no longer feasible. Open combat brought the Noncommissioned Officer the opportunity of small unit leadership. Now the Noncommissioned Officer is maintaining order in a more complex battlefield (Cited Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005 p. 30). 1898-1902 Upton states a warning of the inadequacy of the Noncommissioned Officers training. These years till the end of the Century bring changes to the Noncommissioned officer. The need for better training is ignored and would have to wait until World War I (Cited Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005). The United States is now becoming a super power. The Government and its Citizens now have interests overseas. World War I II to Present day World War I opens the landscape of the modern warfare. This war produces massive changes in weapons and technology. The weapons are the Springfield rifle, submachine gun and the automatic machine gun. The combustion engine is introduced to the battlefield. With this engine a new type of dynamics are introduced late in the war. With the invention of the combustion engine comes the airplane and the gas powered truck and later the armored Tank. During the World Wars, were the wars of the NCO’s of the specialized divisions. These NCO’s show their skills as specialists in Artillery and weapons. Trench fighting combat takes its toll on the NCO’s and to generate more personnel they enlist the help of the retired NCO’s to train stateside, to produce already efficient soldiers with experience. This trend continues through World War II. Closing The Empowerment of the Noncommissioned Officer has been throughout history, from the different battlefields that they have fought on to the advancement of weapons to new technologies. All these have contributed to their empowerment on, and off the fields of battle. And new regulations and new reforms in their status have also aided them. Here history must speak for itself. The Noncommissioned officers were trained and educated and were prepared for their empowerment throughout history. The NCO’s of today have earned their right to be called the professional soldier. Non military individuals will continue to think of the NCO’s as shiftless and lazy, until they have read what has been accomplished by the NCOs. But history will speak for them. In my opinion this trend of empowerment will continue well into the future as long as there are wars to be fought and new battlefields to conquer you can count on the Noncommissioned Officer will be there to fight for our freedom.