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Army sets goals for Year of the NCO

Senior Army leaders issued an operations order Jan. 7 officially implementing the Year of the NCO, a multifaceted initiative for enhancing and acknowledging NCO contributions to the Army.

In addition to involving the redesign of several institutions and programs, the Year of the NCO will prompt some major policy changes, such as authorizing the wear of NCO rank insignia on the beret and the expansion of civilian education opportunities.

At a joint press conference Jan. 5 at Fort Bliss, Texas, Army Secretary Pete Geren, Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston said they wanted to inform the country, Congress and young people about NCOs, and the career opportunities available to those who join the Army.

In a letter announcing the Year of the NCO, the leaders said, “NCOs are the keepers of our standards, from the recruiting station to basic training, to combat zones, from civil affairs to medicine, to logistics, natural disaster assistance, to graveside attendance at Arlington — whether active, Guard or Reserve, our NCOs take the lead.”

The order (OPORD 08-12-161200) and annexes together total nearly 50 pages.

The document assigns specific tasks to field commands and staff agencies throughout the force in support of the program’s four major objectives:

• Enhance the education of the NCO Corps through several initiatives, including the launch of the online Army Career Tracker system; the transformation of the NCO Education System from the Warrior Leader Course to the Sergeants Major Course; an increase in the number of schools participating in the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges-Army Degree program; and the establishment of structured and guided self-development programs.

• Enhance physical and mental fitness by implementing a health-screening program in NCO schools, much like that conducted at the Army War College for senior officers, and by establishing master fitness and mental health courses as part of the structured self-development system.

• Enhance leadership skills in the NCO Corps by formalizing the Audie Murphy and Sgt. Morales Club competitions throughout the Army; field a new NCO promotion certificate that will be signed by the secretary of the Army and the chief of staff; establish a four-day pass system that can be used by commanders to recognize outstanding NCOs; and establish an NCO “Wall of Fame” at the Pentagon to identify soldiers who exemplify the competencies, dedication and commitment of the NCO Corps.

• Launch several “pride in service” initiatives that acknowledge the value of the NCO Corps to the Army and the nation.

Included will be the second publication of “Long Hard Road,” a book recounting the contributions of NCOs to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; maintaining a Year of the NCO Web site; authorizing the wear of NCO rank insignia on the beret; changing the name of the Sergeants Major Academy to better reflect its focus on the entire NCO Corps; producing an “Army Strong” television ad that focuses on NCOs; and upgrading the NCO Museum at Fort Bliss, Texas.

While work on the initiatives is underway, dates for implementation have not been announced.