NCO - Know Your Job

To be a good noncommissioned officer you must know your job exceptionally well. This means you must be proficient in the employment, care, cleaning and maintenance of vehicles, weapons and equipment assigned to your unit — technical skills. As Army Transformation progresses, you may receive new equipment, learn new doctrine, or undergo organizational changes. You will certainly have to absorb and pass on larger and larger quantities of information. Know all the tactics your unit uses in battle. Realize that in the contemporary operational environment, there are no secure areas – an enemy might attack a logistics site in the rear areas as readily as a frontline combat arms unit. That means being adaptive to the situation and responding appropriately.

Understand and conduct the day-to-day requirements of soldiering in the field and in garrison. Show your soldiers each day that you can do everything they do. If you’re a really good NCO you’ll be better at all those things than any of your soldiers. This is the first step in leading by example.