Non-commissioned officer
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A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a
The NCO corps usually includes many grades of enlisted, corporal and sergeant; in some countries, warrant officers also carry out the duties of NCOs. The naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer. There are different classes of non-commissioned officers, including junior (lower ranked) non-commissioned officers (JNCO) and senior/staff (higher ranked) non-commissioned officers (SNCO).[6] All non-commissioned officers are considered junior to any commissioned (or warrant) officer, although there are rare instances where an NCO may hold a varying level of authority over a commissioned officer.
Function
The non-commissioned officer corps has been referred to as "the backbone" of the armed services,[7][8] as they are the primary and most visible leaders for most military personnel. Additionally, they are the leaders primarily responsible for executing a military organization's mission and for training military personnel so they are prepared to execute their missions. NCO training and education typically includes leadership and management as well as service-specific and combat training.
Senior NCOs are considered the primary link between enlisted personnel and the
National usage
Australia
In the Australian Army, lance corporals and corporals are classified as junior NCOs (JNCOs), sergeants and staff sergeants (currently being phased out) are classified as senior NCOs (SNCOs), while warrant officer class two and warrant officer class one are classified as warrant officers (WOs).
In the New South Wales Police Force, NCOs perform supervisory and coordination roles. The ranks of probationary constable through to leading senior constable are referred to as "constables". All NCOs within the NSW Police are given a warrant of appointment under the Commissioner's hand and seal.
All officers within the Australian Defence Force Cadets are non-commissioned, with ADFC officers appointed by the Director-General of their respective branch.
Brazil
In Brazil, a non-commissioned officer is called "graduado" or “praça graduado” and includes the ranks from third-sergeant to sub-lieutenant, the latter being equivalent to warrant officers.[citation needed]
Canada
In the
By definition, with the unification of the Canadian Forces into one service, the rank of sergeant included the naval rank of
NCOs are officially divided into two categories: junior non-commissioned officers, consisting of corporals/sailors first class and master corporals/master sailors; and senior non-commissioned officers, consisting of sergeants and petty officers 2nd class. In the Royal Canadian Navy, however, the accepted definition of "NCO" reflects the international use of the term (i.e. all grades of petty officer).
Junior non-commissioned officers mess and billet with privates and seamen; their mess is usually referred to as the junior ranks mess. Conversely, senior non-commissioned officers mess and billet with
As a group, NCOs rank above
Finland
In the
France
In France, Belgium and most French-speaking countries, the term sous-officier (meaning: "under officer" or "sub-officer") is a class of ranks between the rank-and-file (hommes du rang) and commissioned officers (officiers). Corporals (caporal and caporal-chef) belong to the rank-and-file. Sous-officiers include two subclasses: "subalternes" (sergents and sergents-chefs) and "supérieurs" (adjudants, adjudants-chefs and majors). "Sous-officiers supérieurs" can perform various functions within a regiment or battalion, including commanding a platoon or section.
Germany
In
India
In the
JCOs are entrusted with supervisory roles and the three JCO ranks are Subedar Major, Subedar and Naib Subedar. JCOs are equivalent in status to Group B (Gazetted) of Government of India.
JCOs are currently enrolled as jawans and few of them get promoted to officers over a period of time-based on their performance and on their ability to clear promotion examinations. A few JCOs are directly enrolled as religious teachers and in certain technical arms such as the Corps of Engineers. As of 2021, the Indian Army is discussing a proposal to directly enrol Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) in all arms of the service to address the shortage of commissioned officers. According to the proposal, the Indian Army will directly induct JCOs who have cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview. The UPSC will conduct an entrance examination, which would be followed by an SSB interview and a medical examination. Selected candidates would then be trained for one and a half years before joining the units as JCOs. Subsequently, they would be promoted to officers up to the rank of Colonels based on their length of service and qualifications.
Ireland
In Ireland, the Irish Defence Forces have a professional body of non-commissioned officers from the ranks of Corporal (Cpl) (OR-4) to Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) (OR-9) in the Irish Army and Air Corps.
In the Irish Naval Service the NCO ranks rise from Leading Hand or Leading Rate (OR-4) to Warrant Officer (OR-9). In Irish Naval Service parlance the rate or rating is the service members specialisation. Therefore, L/S refers to Leading Seaman, L/RRT refers to Leading Radio Radar Technician and so on.
Further to the distinctions within the Irish Defence Forces you have Junior and Senior NCOs. Junior NCOs are Corporals and Sergeants, (OR-4 and OR-5), and Senior NCOs are Company Sergeant and Company Quartermaster Sergeants to Regimental Sergeant Majors and Regimental Quartermaster Sergeants (OR-7 to OR-9). In the Irish Naval Service, this is further complicated by having Junior and Senior Ratings. Junior ratings from Ordinary Rate (OR-1) to Leading Rate (OR-4), and Senior Ratings are from Petty Officer (OR-5) to Warrant Officer (OR-9). Therefore, it can occur that a person incorrectly describes themselves as a Senior NCO when in fact they mean a Senior Rating.
New Zealand
In the New Zealand Defence Force, a non-commissioned officer is defined as:
- "(a) In relation to the Navy, a rating of warrant officer, chief petty officer, petty officer, or leading rank; and includes—
- (b) In relation to the Army, a soldier above the rank of private but below the rank of officer cadet; and includes a warrant officer; and also includes—
- (i) A non-commissioned officer of the Navy or the Air Force attached to the Army; and
- (ii) A person duly attached or lent as a non-commissioned officer to or seconded for service or appointed for duty as a non-commissioned officer with the Army:
- (c) In relation to the Air Force, an airman above the rank of leading aircraftman but below the rank of officer cadet; and includes a warrant officer; and also includes—
- (i) A non-commissioned officer of the Navy or the Army attached to the Air Force; and
- (ii) A person duly attached or lent as a non-commissioned officer to or seconded for service or appointed for duty as a non-commissioned officer with the Air Force:" – Defence Act 1990, Sect 2 (Interpretation)[11]
Norway
On 1 January 2016, the
The NCOs are in charge of military training, discipline, practical leadership, role modelling, unit standards and mentoring officers, especially juniors. Officers commanding platoons and above are assigned a chief or master sergeant, which is the unit's highest ranking specialist, although chief and master sergeants are functions and not ranks in themselves.
Norway took a top-down approach to establishing the Specialist Corps. Since August 2015, volunteer
Pakistan
Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in the Pakistan Army hold important positions and are responsible for the supervision and management of the enlisted soldiers. The NCO status begins with the rank of "Lance Naik", Here are the ranks of NCOs in the Pakistan Army, from lowest to highest:
- Lance Naik
- Naik
- Havildar
In addition to these, there are also company/battalion appointments held by senior Havildars, such as Company Quartermaster Havildar, Company Havildar Major, Battalion Quartermaster Havildar, and Battalion Havildar Major.
NCOs display their rank insignias on mid sleeves, and in combat uniforms, all individuals wear rank insignias on their chest. They are responsible for the training, discipline, and welfare of the troops under their command.
Singapore
In the Singapore Armed Forces, the term "non-commissioned officer" is no longer officially used, being replaced with Specialist for all ranks from 3rd Sergeant to Master Sergeant (Staff and Master Sergeants are known as Senior Specialists). The term used to address Warrant Officers and Specialists combined is "WOSpec". The term "NCO" however is still frequently used unofficially in the army.[citation needed]
Sweden
In 1983 the NCO corps, since 1972 called the Platoon Officer Corps, was disbanded and its members were given commissions as officers in ranks of second or first lieutenant in Sweden's new one-tier military leadership system. In 2009 a similar system as the NCO corps was re-established, called "specialist officers". Direct recruitment from civilian life is followed by basic and preparatory leadership training, and advanced leadership training during 1.5 year as a specialist cadet at the military academy in Halmstad, a warrant as an OR-6, followed by specialist technical training. Swedish specialist officers have relative ranks that match those of the commissioned officers; an OR-7 takes precedence over a second lieutenant, for instance.
Turkey
Non-commissioned officer, called in Turkish as astsubay, is the rank belonging to the non-enlisted class below the officer in the military hierarchy. Military persons who are assigned as an assistant to the officer in training, administration and administration and other administrative tasks at the subordinate command levels of the Land, Naval and Air Forces of the Army of the Republic of Turkey, and the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command are called non-commissioned officers.
United Kingdom
In the
Warrant officers are often included in the senior NCO category, but actually form a separate class of their own, similar in many ways to NCOs but with a royal warrant. Senior NCOs and WOs have their own messes, which are similar to officers' messes (and are usually known as sergeants' messes), whereas junior NCOs live and eat with the unranked personnel, although they may have a separate corporals' club to give them some separate socialising space.
The Royal Navy does not refer to its petty officers and chief petty officers as NCOs, but calls them senior ratings (or senior rates). Leading ratings and below are junior ratings.
United States
This section includes a improve this section by introducing more precise citations. (July 2014) ) |
In the
NCOs serving in the top three enlisted grades (E-7, E-8, and E-9) are termed senior non-commissioned officers (chief petty officers in the Navy and Coast Guard). Senior NCOs are expected to exercise leadership at a more general level. They lead larger groups of service members, mentor junior officers, and advise senior officers on matters pertaining to their areas of responsibility.
Within the Marine Corps, senior NCOs are referred to as
The title of
A select few senior NCOs in paygrade E-9 serve as "senior enlisted advisors" to senior commanders in each service (e.g., major command, fleet, force, etc.) and in DoD unified commands, e.g.,
One E-9 holds a similar position as the SEA to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senior enlisted advisors, service enlisted advisors and the SEA to the Chairman (SEAC) advise senior officer and civilian leaders on all issues affecting operational missions and the readiness, utilization, morale, technical and professional development, and quality of life of the enlisted force.
U.S. Army NCO Candidate Course
Beginning in 1967 at Fort Benning, Georgia, the
Based loosely on the
Regular Army soldiers who had received their promotion through traditional methods (and others) used derisive terms for these draftees (typically)
The program proved to be so successful that as the war began to wind down they elected to institutionalize training noncommissioned officers and created the NCO Education System (NCOES), which was based around the NCO candidate course. The NCO candidate course generally ended in 1971–1972.[16]
Within the U.S. Navy there are different ways that a sailor can earn accelerated advancement to the rank of petty officer third class.[19] If a person tests high enough on their entrance exam they are able to select certain jobs that require a significant amount of training, far greater than the amount required for a basic job (12 months vs. 2 weeks). Because these jobs are more technically advanced, the schools have higher attrition rates, demand more responsibility, and require longer initial enlistments, these sailors are able to advance to petty officer third class. Another way for a sailor to earn accelerated advancement is by graduating in the top 10% of their class within their "A" school. For certain ratings, such as Corpsman, this has been discontinued.
See also
- Comparative military ranks
- Military ranks
- Noncommissioned officer's creed
References
- ^ "non-commissioned officer – definition of non-commissioned officer by Macmillan Dictionary". Macmillandictionary.com. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "NCO – Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online". Ldoceonline.com. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Definition of non-commissioned – Oxford Dictionaries (British & World English)". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Chambers | Free English Dictionary". Chambersharrap.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "America's Navy". navy.com. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "Bundeswehr". Bundeswehr.de. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ General Sir Mike Jackson (September 2003). "Cream Paper 46: The Role of the Non Commissioned Officer in the British Army" (PDF). UK Defence Forum. Retrieved 19 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Chapman, Jordan (18 August 2009). "Building the NCO Backbone". United States Army. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ "Volume 1 – Administration: Chapter 1 Introduction and Definitions" (PDF). Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces. Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance and Corporate Services), Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces. 9 October 2008. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ Department of National Defence Canada Non-Commissioned Officer Rank Insignia 1967–1985. Canadian Military Police Virtual Museum. Retrieved on: 7 December 2011.
- ^ New Zealand Defence Act 1990 No 28, Sect 2. New Zealand Legislation, reprint as at 7 July 2010. Accessed 19 August 2010.
- ^ Powers, Rod (8 September 2016). "The Air Force Enlisted Rank Force Structure". The Balance. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ 10 U.S. Code § 571. Warrant officers: grades
- ^ Zais, Melvin. "The New NCO", Army. 18 (May 1968): 72–76.
- ^ Israr Choudhri, The Noncommissioned Officer Course (PDF)
- ^ a b Dan Elder, Shake and Bake: The True Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course, pgs.7,14–15 PDF Archived 29 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bud Russell, A Brief History of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course
- ^ Jerry Horton, Shake & Bake NCO's
- ^ "MILPERSMAN 1430 – 010" (PDF). United States Navy. 30 October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.