The Moral Obligations, Responsibilities, and Legal Obligations of the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Essay Example

The purpose of this essay is to cover the moral obligations, responsibilities, and legal obligations of the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO). The NCO is known as the backbone of the Army because they promote unit readiness by maintaining discipline, candor, competence, commitment, and compassion. The NCO continues to represent the Army by reinforcing the standards and regulations. These standards and authority are enforced by the Department of the Army (DA) General Orders, Soldier manuals, Army Regulations (AR), and Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). This essay will go further into the three moral obligations and the legal authorities an NCO has over his Soldiers and any other uniformed member.

It is the duty of the NCO to sustain discipline, prepare, and guarantee the welfare of their Soldiers. There are three categories that fall under duties the NCO is responsible for; specified duties, directed duties, and implied duties. Specified duties are those related to one’s Military occupational specialty (MOS) or position. This means to be comprehensive on the skills and duties required and expected from your MOS. Directed duties are oral or written tasking’s or orders given by superiors. Directed duties include being tasked out to teach a class, conducting charge of quarters (CQ), or being the unit retention NCO (URNO). Implied duties are not verbal or written down orders, but they are expected duties that help the unit perform at an optimal level and guarantee its upkeep. As an NCO, an implied duty could be taking charge of the platoon in the absence of a platoon sergeant, or making sure the end of the day duties to clean are completed. As stated in the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, “I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders.” 

Leaders instill trust to their subordinates solely through their actions and morals. The way an NCO sets a standard is by representing it themselves. NCOs not only guarantee that their Soldiers are following the regulations but that they are following it as well. As stated in Army Regulation 600-9, maintaining a high level of physical readiness is required to meet mission objectives that benefit the Unit, United States Army, and the individual themselves. NCOs are responsible for monitoring the welfare of their Soldiers mentally and physically. The physical aspect of a Soldier is vital to the mission because it reduces the risk and liability of injury. The NCO will take an active approach by teaching, and coaching subordinates on the expectations and requirements. The knowledge and guidance inflicted by the NCO fosters a culture with a higher level of compassion, commitment, cohesion, and trust. Leaders learn to develop their skills by planning, developing, teaching, and finding solutions for their subordinates.  

An NCOs legal authority is to delegate tasks and give orders to subordinates. AR 670-20 states, “All personnel in the Army are required to strictly obey and promptly execute the legal orders of their lawful seniors.” In the case of retaliation or insubordination, the NCO uses good judgement, and reasonable actions to determine correct disciplinary approaches for misconduct. Legal obligations of the NCO require fairness, justice, and equality for all Soldiers regardless of race, color, sex, religion or any other background. Non-punitive measures are often encouraged to further the efficiency of the command before resorting to non-judicial punishment. The purpose of a non-punitive disciplinary approach is to correct, educate, and reform the offender. An example of a misconduct can be a violation in regards to AR 670-1, where a Soldier does not wear the appropriate uniform and is not keeping appropriate personal appearance and cleanliness. The disciplinary action taken to correct the misconduct related to improper wear of the uniform would be having a Soldier show up 30 minutes prior to formation for mandatory uniform inspections. Alternate routes of disciplinary actions can be denial of pass, extra duty, negative administrative counseling, and corrective actions in the form of physical activity. The goal of a non-punitive disciplinary action is to correct a misconduct and not to demoralize the Soldier, or take advantage of them. Any punishment not related to a corrective action is not authorized to be carried out by an NCO. The commander is the only individual that can seek higher punishable acts. NCOs are authorized to recommend an ART 15 to the commander who can approve or deny it.

The Army’s foundation of success is enforced by every NCO that leads by example and embodies the Army values. Every leader can lead, but not all of them can inspire. An NCOs success is a reflection of his Soldier’s values and the way they conduct themselves. As a leader, teacher, and trainer, the NCO embodies the Army’s past, present, and future. The standards and regulations set in place are ones that are meant to increase sequential and progressive build on skills, knowledge, abilities, and readiness of all Soldiers.