Army Changes NCO Curriculum

The Army’s non-commissioned officers will now learn courses similar to those offered to officers, under changes to the curriculum offered at the Sergeants Major Academy and the 30 NCO academies. The change, announced Nov. 24, enables the Army to adapt classroom training to fit the needs and ability of an enlisted leadership cadre that is both better educated and more experienced in warfare than in years past. Classes at the Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, for example, will offer more critical thinking and problem-solving instruction. The names of courses intermediate-level NCOs take will change to reflect the new focus. The Basic Non-commissioned Officer Course is now called the Advanced Leader Course; the Advanced Non-commissioned officer Course is now called the Senior Leader Course. "A lot of these guys are leaders who have been in combat," says Command Sgt. Maj. Zoltan James, commandant of the Henry Caro NCO Academy at Fort Benning, Ga. "They know what the fight is, and it gives them a forum for capturing and sharing their knowledge."