Why are the best NCOs recruited to be officers?

2015-05-22T04:32:27-04:00

I was told that when you have a good NCO, he or she is asked to go become an officer. on the same hand when you meet a good officer they are asked "what NCO trained you?" When I came into the Army people would say "keep it up and you'll be te next SMA!" Given it was far fetched and rhetorical, it was something to aspire to become. Are senior NCOs still regarded as the image of competence and the most knowledgable people in the unit? Or have they become glorified baby sitters and grounds keepers? #GetOffMyGrass

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made May 22 at 2015 4:40 AM

2015-05-22T04:40:02-04:00

It seems to me that it just makes good sense for the good NCOs to be recruited into the officer ranks. With regard to your second question, I would certainly hope that senior NCOs are still regarded as the most competent and knowledgeable people in the unit --- if they aren't, something has really changed (and not for the better).

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 22 at 2015 6:58 AM

2015-05-22T06:58:02-04:00

Because crappy NCOs make crappy officers :-)

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 22 at 2015 7:02 AM

2015-05-22T07:02:39-04:00

Absolutely NCOs are in high regard. I credit my success as an officer to the NCOs I had riding shotgun with me. Its a team effort - Os as the managers, NCOs as the supervisors. Not all supervisors will choose to become managers, that is the difference between good NCOs that choose to become Os or stay as NCOs.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made May 22 at 2015 7:24 AM

2015-05-22T07:24:16-04:00

During a time when only the rich, well endowed citizens were chosen to become officers, being picked out of the ranks to become an officer was of the highest honors.
Centuries later, th Army has changed! No longer do we give a silver dollar to the stellar NCO who teaches us and mentors us as an officer, which was a substantial amount of money back in its hay day, we give a coin that is a silver dollar to the person who renders our first salute, to honor the age old tradition. Ask any officer if they gave a silver dollar, 99.9% will say yes. Ask any officer if they gave an NCO who mentored them $1,000. You get the idea.
The changes the country and our military has made does change the dynamic between us. No longer are lower enlisted uneducated soldiers, there are times when the lower enlisted have more civilian qualifications than their leadership. To be "chosen" to become an officer is just a piece of paper and a school away, not just being an exemplary soldier that is highly proficient.
Senior NCO's in the Army are held to a different expectation, not standard. While officers are judged by their demeanor, how many degrees they have, and how well they treat others, senior NCO's are judged by how hard they work for their subordinates and how high they hold up the military standards.
More to the point of your question, recruiting officers out of the enlisted ranks is still a great place to build our military. It is just another way to utilize and hone the skills of a soldier than has the opportunity to serve in a different capacity.

Response by CPT Bob Moore made May 22 at 2015 8:20 AM

2015-05-22T08:20:04-04:00

As someone that has been on both sides, NCO and Officer, this is my take:

We don't need to recruit the best NCOs to be officers. The best NCOs usually, but don't always, have the right skills to be an officer. Officers have different responsibilities, and the skills that are necessary to be a good officer are different than those to be a good NCO.

The are some great NCOs that are just that, great NCOs. However, they would be miserable stuck behind a desk doing training schedules, meetings, and safety forms all day. They would hate the paperwork and planning that is often required of officers. The NEED to be out there with the troops training and teaching. They would be especially miserable as a junior Major, I would imagine.

It's not that most NCOs don't have the intelligence, knowledge, skill, etc. to be good officers, they are just better at taking care of NCO business.

From my experience, most of my NCO time was spent with soldiers. While I did do staff work, even that time was spent more with the soldiers in my staff section executing the mission rather than planning. During my time as an officer, I spent mush more time meeting and planning than I did as an NCO.

In the end, great NCOs are crucial to the success of the Military. Most of the NCOs I worked with were intelligent, educated, and professional. Nearly all of them could have been great officers, but it might have killed their enthusiasm and they would have been miserable.

Response by MAJ Samuel Weber made May 13 at 2018 8:18 AM

2018-05-13T08:18:31-04:00

I would say it depends. It’s all about impact, NCOs enjoy making lasting impact on individuals, teams or companies. Officers have the opportunity to make an impact on organizations and larger groups of Soldiers through the decisions they make. I still enjoy coaching and mentoring enlisted Soldiers and NCOs. Those NCOs who are stand out leaders should be encouraged to transition to the officer side, if the belief is that they can make a lasting impact for the benefit of the Army. It’s as simple as that.