Professional Military Education
Basic NCO Course
Duties, Responsibilities and
Authority of the NCO
Professional Military Education
Basic NCO Course
Reference:
Army FM 7-22.7
US Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide
Chapter 2: Duties, Responsibilities and
Authority of the NCO
NCO Duty
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
Specified Duties
• 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.
Directed 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.
Implied 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
Responsibility
Being accountable for what you do or fail to do.
Two types of responsibility:
• Command Responsibility
• Individual Responsibility
Command 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
Individual 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
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Authority
• 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
Command 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
General Military 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.
Delegation of 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
Officer Relationships
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.
Commissioned Officer
• 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
Warrant Officer
• Provides advice, counsel and solutions to support
the command.
• Executes policy and manages the Army’s system
• Commands special-purpose units and tasksorganized 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
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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
NCO Support Channel
• 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
Professional Military Education
Basic NCO Course
Case Study from
Instructor
Discussion led by
Instructor