Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of the NCO

Professional Military EducationBasic NCO Course

Reference:

Army FM 7-22.7US Army Noncommissioned Officer GuideChapter 2: Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of the NCO

Professional Military EducationBasic NCO Course

Something you must do by virtue of your position and is a legal or moral obligation.

Three kinds of duty:

• Specified Duties• Directed Duties• Implied Duties

NCO Duty

• Related to jobs and positions.

• Directives such as VDF regulations, VDF soldier’s manuals, VDF Training and Evaluation Program publications and job descriptions specify the duties.

Specified Duties

• Not specified as part of a job position or MOS or other directive.

• A superior gives them orally or in writing.

• Include serving as sergeant of the guard, staff duty officer, and company training NCO where these duties are not found in the unit’s organization charts.

Directed Duties

• Often support specified duties, but may not be related to the MOS job position.

• May not be written in the instructions.• Improve the quality of the job and keep

the unit functioning at an optimum level. • Depend on individual initiative. • Improve the work environment and

motivate soldiers to perform because they want to, not because they have to

Implied Duties

Being accountable for what you do or fail to do.

Two types of responsibility:

• Command Responsibility

• Individual Responsibility

Responsibility

• Collective or organizational accountability• Includes how well the unit performs missions• Commanders give military leaders the

responsibility for what their sections, units, or organizations do or fail to do

• NCOs are to fulfill individual duties and ensure their team and unit are successful

• Responsibility depends on mission, position held and willingness to accept responsibility

Command Responsibility

• Accountable for your personal conduct• VDF soldiers have their own responsibilities• Individual responsibility cannot be delegated• Soldiers are accountable for their actions, to

their fellow soldiers, to their leaders, to their unit and to the VDF.

• Ensure that your soldiers understand clearly their responsibilities as members of the team and as representatives of the VDF

Individual Responsibility

• Authority is defined as the right to direct soldiers to do certain things

• Know what authority you have and where it comes from.

Three kinds of Authority:• Command Authority• General Military Authority• Delegation of Authority

Authority

• Authority leaders have over soldiers by virtue of rank or assignment.

• Command authority originates with the Governor and may be supplemented by law or regulation.

• Even though it is called “command” authority, it is not limited to officers

• Inherent in position such as 1SG or team leader

• NCO command authority is inherent with the job by virtue of position to direct or control soldiers

Command Authority

• Extended to all soldiers to take action and act in the absence of unit leader or designated authority

• Originates in oaths of office, law, rank structure, traditions and regulations

• Allows leaders to take appropriate corrective actions due to a breach of good order or discipline

• Applies even if none of the soldiers are in your unit.

General Military Authority

• Officers may delegate authority to NCOs

• NCOs may further delegate that authority

• Unless restricted by law, regulation, or a superior, leaders may delegate authority to subordinate leaders

• Delegation must fall within leader’s scope of authority

• Cannot delegate authority they do not have

• Subordinates may not assume authority that superiors do not have, cannot delegate, or have retained

• Task or duty to be performed limits the authority of the leader to whom it is assigned

Delegation of Authority

General Duties:

• Commissioned Officers

• Warrant Officers

• Non-Commissioned Officers

Officer Relationships

• An important part of your role as an NCO is how you relate to commissioned officers.

• To develop this working relationship, NCOs and officers must know the similarities of their respective duties and responsibilities.

Officer Relationships

• Commands, establishes policy, plans and programs the work of the VDF.

• Concentrates on collective training, to enable unit to accomplish its mission.

• Involved with unit operations and training• Focus on unit effectiveness and unit readiness• Focus on standards of performance, training, and

professional development of officers and NCOs• Creates conditions so that the NCO can do the job• Supports the NCO

Commissioned Officer

Warrant Officer

• Provides advice, counsel and solutions to support the command.

• Executes policy and manages the Army’s system• Commands special-purpose units and tasks-

organized operational elements• Focuses on collective, leader and individual training• Operates, maintains, and manages equipment,

support activities and technical system.• Concentrates on unit effectiveness and readiness.• Supports the NCO.

Noncommissioned Officer

• Conducts the daily business within policies• Focus on individual training• Involved with training and leading teams• Ensures subordinate team, NCO and soldier functions

as effective unit• Ensures each team member is well-trained, highly

motivated, ready and functioning.• Focus on standards, training and professional

development of NCOs and enlisted soldiers.• Follows orders of officers and NCOs in support channel.• Gets the job done

• Begins with command sergeant major

• Through first sergeants

• Ends with team leaders

• Exchange information

• Provide reports

• Issue instructions, directive in nature

NCO Support Channel

• Accomplish activities in accordance with policies and directives

• Execute established policies, procedures, and standards

• Regards performance, training, appearance, and conduct of enlisted personnel

• Power rests with the chain of command

NCO Support Channel

• Connection with chain of command is senior NCO.

• Orders issued through chain of command

• Senior NCOs issue implementing instructions

• 1SG and CSM not part of formal chain of command

• Leaders should consult them on enlisted soldier matters and individual training

NCO Support Channel

• Successful leaders have good relationships with their senior NCOs

• Senior NCOs have experience in completing missions and dealing with enlisted soldier issues

• Senior NCOs can monitor organizational activities at all levels

• Senior NCOs can take corrective action to keep organization within commander’s intent

NCO Support Channel

Assists chain of command:

• Transmitting, instilling and ensuring ethics

• Planning, conducting day-to-day operations

• Training enlisted soldiers in their MOS

• Training soldiers in basic skills and attributes

• Teaching soldiers history and military customs and courtesies

NCO Support Channel

Assists chain of command:

• Teaching soldiers the mission of the unit

• Developing individual training programs to support the mission

• Accounting for and maintaining equipment

• Administrating NCO professional development and training programs

• Advising on rewards and punishment

NCO Support Channel

• Use the chain of command or the NCO support channel (as appropriate) to help solve problems, whether small or large.

• Chain of command and NCO support channel provide the means to communicate a problem, suggestion, complaint or commendation to leaders who need to know

NCO Support Channel

Case Study from Instructor

Discussion led by Instructor

Professional Military EducationBasic NCO Course