Watching The Thin Red Line last night, Sean Penn said to a private? that altho’ so-and-so was the CO, he, a sergeant, really ran the show.
Now I’ve heard this many times and wonder is there any truth to it?
Do the NCOs really have all the clout?
Over to you SSgt Schwartz
In most cases the senior NCO’s are the ones directing, supervising and assuring that evolutions go smoothly. Most junior officers, 0-1 aand 0-2, are generally assumed to be in training and that training usually includes knowing how to delegate authority, but not responsibility, to their subordinates, the senior NCO’s, and to learn from the actions of those NCO’s.
Smart J.O.'s learn this quickly and usually do well, those who are overly impressed w/ their newly earned authority, and try to over apply it, often have a difficult time, both from the NCO’s and from their superior officers.
I echo A.R. Cane and only have this to add. The officers know what needs to be done and will brief the Senior NCO. The NCO’s are generally given the authority to ensure that the task is completed and determine how the task is completed. This is not to say that NCO’s do not have the authority to take initiative, but that the officers generally should not be involved with the planning and the execution of taskings.
SSG Schwartz
Let me echo both previous posters. Even a junior NCO will often know more about his or her specific area of responsibility than a mid-level, let alone junior, officer. What the officer’s job is, much of the time, is to handle the so-called “big picture” and let the NCOs handle the immediate stuff.
In the British Army new young officers are there to learn off of their senior N.C.O.s but come the crunch they take the final decision and take the blame if it all goes seriously wrong .
Brit. Army officers are ALWAYS better educated then N.C.O.s and often they are hoped to be more intelligent ,speaking as an ex N.C.O.I can say that is not always the case .
In the general Army N.C.O.s have a great deal of knowledge learned from experience but hopefully the officers ,once they have enough experience can make logic jumps that their N.C.O.s cant .
In my particular ex outfit there was very,very little differentiation between other ranks and officers,it was all first names and "Chinese Parliaments " on the job.
We actually operated in very small units and it was only when we were ordered on “One Ways” when we jibbed at it that the Boss would order us in or as I said before ,we took a pasting and then the Boss always took the fall for it ,wether or not he took the decisions .