NCOES Transformation

The U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) at Fort Knox, Kentucky, continues its diligent work to remain at the tip of the spear in transforming the Noncommissioned Officer Education System (NCOES). By applying provisions from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s (TRADOC’s) annual command training guidance, the cadre and staff at the NCOA, and its training developers at the Directorate of Training, Doc trine, and Combat Development-Experimentation (TDCD-E), went to work on an unprecedented NCOES transformation. The Academy’s mission was to create an advanced leader course from Phase 2 of the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (BNCOC), and a maneuver senior leader course (M-SLC) from the Maneuver Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course (ANCOC). This transformation introduced a major shift in the way we train noncommissioned officers (NCOs). As the Army continues in an era of persistent conflict, its NCOs require a different way of thinking and a different way of bringing to bear multiple skill sets simultaneously. Today’s NCOs need to be adaptive leaders, capable of changing with their environment and adapting to the enemy’s ever-changing tactics. These requirements necessitate a change in NCO training — a focus on “how to think.” An NCO who knows how to think effectively processes information that induces adaptability and stimulates a faster reaction to his or her environment. As the operational tempo (OPTEMPO) of our Army at war has been one of constant deployment and short resets, we have incurred an increase in the experience level of NCOs attending NCOES. For example, staff sergeants attending BNCOC are, for the most part, thoroughly experienced at their level of leadership and already have the bulk of required skill sets, and the same is true for Maneuver

ANCOC.

As a result of this latest NCOES transformation, skill migration has begun. First sergeant tasks have moved from the First Sergeant Course to the new Maneuver Senior Leader Course. Critical first sergeant skills are a primary focus as identified by career management field (CMF) 19 task selection boards, as well as student and cadre feedback. Figure 1 illustrates the transformation and task migration for M-SLC (the numbers in parenthesis are the number of tasks migrated from one course to the next). Task migration continues to the Advanced Leader Course (ALC) with specific skill level 40 (SL40) tasks moving down to give staff sergeants higher-level skills while simultaneously increasing SL30 proficiency. Again, the “how to think” focus is prevalent at this level. Figure 2 il-NCOES Transformation by Command Sergeant Major Ray Edgar

Cavalry Scout and Armor Crewman Advanced Leader Courses Tasks Dropped

ALC

From BNCOC to From ANCOC to Maneuver

ANCOC

C2 Tasks Phase 1

POI

(Common Core; until self-development fielded) Phase 2 POI

(MOS)

19D / 19K Tactical Tasks Module A Admin Module B C2 Module C Offense / Module D Stability Module E Terrain Module F

UO STX /

Module G Mandatory Admin Module B C2 C2 Module A Admin Defense Ops Board

SIMEX

Mandatory Module C Recon / Security Module D Stability Ops Module E Terrain Board Module F

UO STX /

SIMEX

Module G Mandatory lustrates the transformation and task migration for ALC. Armor NCOs should realize that the level of proficiency for these new courses is far greater than those of past courses. NCOs who have been working outside their military occupational specialties (MOS) will find it difficult to pass the new courses. While constructing these courses, the required adaptability and increasing responsibilities of today’s NCO was kept in focus and the level of difficulty parallels these aspects. Students cannot simply memorize steps to a task or a criterion scoring checklist; the “how to think” is a requirement. Although still seated in doctrinal knowledge, these courses require situational awareness and the NCO’s ability to make adaptive decisions based on a changing environment. Figure 2 Maneuver Senior Leader Courses First Sergeants Course

M-SLC

Recommend Tasks to ALC First Sergeants Course

(FSC) (18)

or Battle Staff NCOC

(BSNCOC) (3)

From ANCOC to From FSC/BS to From Phase 1 Phase 2

ANCOC

Phase 1

POI

(Maneuver) POIs

(MOS)

LDR Tasks Staff Tasks Module A Admin Module B 11B 11C 19D 19K Platoon Module C Platoon/ Company Module D Company 19D 19K p y Module E Mandatory Figure 1 March-April 2009 — 45