What does non-commissioned mean? Do these officers go through officer academy like ordinary officers? And why do some analysts say that having a strong NCO class is essential to a well-functioning army (i.e. what can they do that a normal officer can’t?)
Thanks in advance!
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Other posts have covered the differences of NCOs and Officers very well. As regards to why the NCO role is important is an emphasis on small unit leaders (espcially in U.S. military doctrine.) An NCO can be in charge of a fireteam (4 people) up to a full squad (about 12 people). Typically a commissioned officer is in charge of a platoon. NCOs can recieve orders from their commissioned officer and lead the troops under them. This is more efficient than one officer issuing orders to every individual segement of their platoons.
This is also important when it comes to flexibility. NCOs have a certain amount of flexibility in excuting their orders in case something goes wrong ( and stuff always goes wrong in combat.) An NCO can give orders to the people under him instead of waiting for orders from the officer above him. This was a large issue in early militaries that there weren’t any small unit leaders to direct small groups of troops so unit cohesion could far apart easily.
The 5 year old explaination: imagine you’re running a company (officer). You could handle every micro decision, but that’s a waste of your time. So, you have your managers (NCOs) handle smaller groups of people. You can now focus on the macro decisions of your company instead of the day-to-day things like filing papers.
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