Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer.

Related Topics:
Armed force - Commissioned officer

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The non-commissioned officer corps is the junior management of the military. An experienced NCO corps is a key component of Western armies: in many cases NCOs are credited as being the metaphorical "backbone" of their service. By contrast, the weak NCO corps of the modern-day Russian armed forces, and those modelled after it, is widely blamed for the general ineffectiveness of those militaries. The Russian Federation has recently recognized this problem and plans to develop a fully professional NCO corps.

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Typically NCOs serve as administrative personnel, as advisors to the officer corps, and as both supervisors of, and advocates for, the lower-ranking enlisted personnel.

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The NCO corps includes all the grades of sergeant and, in some militaries, corporal and warrant officer. The naval equivalent includes all grades of petty officer.

Related Topics:
Sergeant - Corporal - Warrant officer - Petty officer

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Some have compared the centurions of the Roman Army with modern NCOs. At some levels this comparison may be apt, but a Roman centurion was responsible for between 60 and 1,200 men, making him much more comparable to an officer. The Roman decurion held a small-team leadership position similar to that of a junior NCO.

Related Topics:
Centurion - Roman Army - Decurion

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