MFMC/NCO
This page is for the NCO Manual Revision Project. All changes to the manual will be listed in Red.
NCO MANUAL
Contents |
Chapter 1
The NCO's Role
:The Non-Commissioned Officer's (NCO) origins can be traced back to the Roman Legions of Old Earth. The Romans' success in war was due to their march formations, camp preparations, and response to instructions in battle. A Roman soldier's training was long, detailed and intense. The Roman commanders had found that the tactical and administrative requirements of drilling and fielding a successful army absorbed all their time, thus necessity caused them to turn to the ranks for assistance. The upper echelons of Roman leadership picked exceptional soldiers to be leaders of 10 other soldiers, and assistants to commanders of 100 and 600 soldiers. In these roles, they were to supervise individual training, carry out their commander's plans, and perform administrative and logistical tasks. As such, they were the first "noncommissioned" officers called Principalis". In the military sense, "Non-Commissioned", then as is now, means that entry to or occupation of a position of responsibility and authority is based not on 'education and commissioning', but upon demonstrated competency and continued performance, and that personnel in that position are key or essential for the effective operation of units.
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Genesis of the Modern NCO's Role
- Genesis of the Modern NCO's Role
The historical NCO we would recognize most easily today, can be traced back to Terran Year 1775 on Old Earth. The early organization of the American Continental Army was patterned after the British: officers were appointed / elected from the aristocracy, and in turn, sergeants were appointed / elected from the ranks. But there was little uniformity in qualifications, duties, responsibilities, authority and standards for these positions. General Washington's newly-appointed Inspector General, Baron Von Steuben, began working to correct these deficiencies at Valley Forge, where Washington's disheartened troops were then encamped. Steuben's "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States" appeared on 29 March 1797, and for the next 33 years, was the official manual of the US Army. Commonly known as "The Blue Book", it contained about 100 small pages setting forth clearly and simply the fundamentals of guard duty, organization, field operations and drill. There were instructions for leaders from the Commandant of a regiment down to the lowly Corporal, they clearly established guidelines for selection and outlined the duties of the non-commissioned officer, that have proven valid over the years and is still used to this day.
Steuben's instructions for the commandant of a regiment states:
"The choice of non-commissioned officers is also an object of the greatest importance....The order and discipline of a regiment depend so much on their behavior that too much care cannot be taken in preferring none to that trust but those who by their merit and conduct are entitled to it.
Honesty, sobriety, and a remarkable attention to every point of duty, with neatness to their dress, are indespensable requisites; a spirit to command respect and obediance from the men, an expertness in performing every part of the exercise, and an ability to teach it are also absolutely necessary.
These regulations also gave instructions for sergeants and corporals, impressing on them the importance of their duty and responsibility toward discipline and order of the company. They cautioned against "too great familiarity with the men" but insisted that each soldier "be treated with great regard". A further word of caution was "by a contrary conduct they forfeit all regard, and their authority becomes despised".
The NCO Today
- The NCO Today
The NCO was and is promoted from the ranks and charged with duties that assist and complement the officer in the discharge of his or her own duties. In legal terms, the NCO serves as an agent of the officer, and other organizers of the Corps, and derive a arge measure of their legal authority from those sources. The complexities and diversity of leadership requirements call for the allotcation of specific types of tasks to various levels in the military hierarchy. A clear understanding of those specific responsibilities is essential to permit leaders to discharge their own assigned tasks, and such an understanding is also essential to avoid interfereing with the accomplishments of other leaders, or tasks, which are their assigned responsibilities.
NCO Responsibilities
- NCO Responsibilities
Below are the responsibilities of the NCO. It is the duty of the NCO to faithfully and completely fulfill their obligations with regard to the responsibilities.
- NCO Responsibilities
- Execute orders according to established policies and procedures; attain set standards in accomplishment of assigned tasks and missions.
- Establish and maintain noncommissioned officer standards
- Exercise his or her authority with restraint, leading through example, professional competence and persuasion.
- Prepare subordinates, and thus the unit, to accomplish missions by:
- Training subordinates in the basic skills and attributes of a marine, and in skills appropiate to their MOS and duty assignment.
- Insuring that the individual arms and equipment of subordinates, and all other property issued to the unit is properly maintained and accounted for at all times, and that discrepancies are promptly detected, corrected, and if appropiate, properly reported.
- Accounting for the location and actions of subordinates while on duty status.
- Insure that subordinates attain and maintain established standards of personal hygiene, proper wear of the uniform, and military courtesy.
- Supervise the care and maintenance of enlisted billets and billet areas, of unit work areas and the operation of recreational and other facilities for the primary use of enlisted personnel.
Qualities of the NCO
The NCO is the most vital link between the commander and the troops; the person who sees to it that the job gets done. The NCO reacts in two ways: 1. to the commander and 2. to the troops under his supervision; because, in reality, the NCO works for both. The NCO is a leader, administrator, advisor, teacher specialist, and most importantly, a manager. The NCO is one of the most important persons in the MFMC in terms of getting the job done.
As a leader, the NCO must possess these fundamental qualities:
- Self-awareness and self-improvement
- An understanding of the job and how it fits into the unit's overall goals and objectives
- An ability to accept and properly delegate responsibility
- An ability to make sound and timely decisions
- Interest in the welfare of subordinates
- Fairness in dealing with subordinates
The NCO is expected to be able to do just about anything and everything, his duties and responsibilities as sergeant major, first sergeant, platoon sergeant, squad leader, or section chief require a variety of skills. Though NCO's may be specialists in such areas as administration, personnel, supply, maintenance, transportation, communications, their primary responsibility is the managing of the indivual Marine within the framework of the unit's mission. In certain aspects, the NCO performs a Public Relations function for the Maquis Forces Marine Corps. The way in which they manage, the example they set, and the attitude they have towards the Corps are all influencing factors in a person's decision to remain in the Corps. The career NCO has always regarded themseves as professionals, however to many NCO's, this meant merely looking and acting the part. Professionalism in today's MFMC is much more than that...the MFMC regards professionalism for all ranks, in terms of competence, responsibility, and dedication.
Chapter 2
Basic Responsibilities of the NCO as a Leader
Marine NCO's have two basic esponsibilities as a leader of troops: accomplishment of the mission, and the welfare of the marines under their command. These two basic responsibilities are of equal importance, they deserve equal consideration and dedication in the NCO's allocation of their own time and efforts. In those rare instances in which the two basic responsibilities come into conflict, the completion of the mission takes priority. To adequately meet these responsibilities, Marine NCO's must develop expertise in Military Leadership, and must be well aware of the concept of Mutual Expectations. These are absoulte requirements, since the sole reason for the existance of the MFMC is to protect and defend the Maquis general populace.
Regardless of assignment or branch, MFMC Non Commissioned Officers all have responsibility for a small but important portion of the total defense effort. The marines of the MFMC demand and deserve total dedication from their NCO's.
MFMC NCO's must accomplish missions assigned to them, and attain true mission readiness, and in doing so, must perform their duties and exercise their authority in such a manner as to earn and maintain the respect and confidence of their subordinates and the peoples of the Maquis. This crucial requirement demands the development and self-disciplined exercise of that degree of moral courage, which unswervingly instills loyalty to the MFMC.
Mutual Expectations
We are all aware of the fact that each of us have differing expectations of what the MFMC has to offer. Together, these form what is called "mutual expectations" in other words, what we expect from the Corps, and what is expected of us. Mutual expectations operate around the basic idea that both the MFMC and the individual marine have certain legitimate expectations in regards to each other, and that these expectations and their fulfillment are just as important as the fulfillment of any forml agreements they might have.
The NCO's leadership skills are crucial for meeting mutual expections of both the Corps and the Individual marine; the NCO is the chief intermediary between the two. Among the individual's expectaions are: challenge, worthwhile or meaningful work, fair treatment, and goal opportunity...the degree which an NCO, as a reprentative of the MFMC, fulfills the expectations of the individual directly relates to morale levels and espirit de corps of an individual. High morale and espirit de corps helps to create a climate of motivation, making a mission-effective unit.
Military Leadership
The process of military leadership is the way NCO's fulfill their role as a leader to achieve mission effectiveness, taking into account actions and orders that a NCO must take,which will have an impact upon the unit. In order to learn and refine leadership skills, NCO's must take into consideration three basic variables in the leadership equation: the leader (NCO), the subordinate, and the situation. These three variables interact within a larger structure, generally referred to as the environment.
This environment is comprised of a wide variety of elements, including the society at large, geographic location, the MFMC, and unit organization. While these aren't all of the elements, they all have a high degree of relevance to the leadership process. In any leadership environment, NCO's must analyze the three basic variables and determine what the requirements of the mission with which they are charged, and what resources and skills (their own and that of their subordinates) are available for use in meeting those requirements. Based on that analysis, the NCO then determines what action must be taken, and what orders to be issued, then supervise the subordinates in the accomplishment of the unit's mission. Throught this process, the NCO must maintain effective 2-way communications within the unit, thus insuring both officers and unit subordinates are accurately informed at all times...feedback from subordinates is the means by which the NCO can determine that his / her instructions and information are understood correctly by unit members. In order to determine a unit's probable mission effectiveness, NCO's must assess the unit with four indicators of unit effectiveness: morale, espirit de corps, discipline, and proficiency. Upon completion of the assessment, the NCO must take action to maintain and develop the strengths of a unit and correct the weakness in order to to develop a mission-effective unit.
Fundamentals of Leadership
While procedural methods and techniques employed by NCO's in the execution of their actions, orders, supervision and communications vary widely between units, and between situations, there are certain fundamental considerations which pertain to all situations for all NCO's. The considerations, while not appearing obvious, merit review and reflection-not just now, but continuously throughout the exercise of the NCO's authority.
Briefl, these fundamental considerations are:
The Actions of an NCO must be....
*Legal
- Ethical
- Rational
- In consonance with unit mission objectives, priorities, and NCO Responsibilities
The Orders of an NCO must be....
*Legal
- Ethical
- Clear
- Concise
- Complete
The NCO's Influence
Technical and Tactical Proficiency
Position of Power
Interpersonal Skills
Chapter 3
===The Evolution of Commissioned Officers===
