Foreword
Throughout the history of the U.S. Army, the NCO has been its backbone. Our NCO corps is admired by our contemporaries around the world, and is an integral part of what has made our Army so successful throughout our 244 years of service to the Nation. The NCO Corps has made revolutionary changes in the past decade and continues to evolve to meet the emerging threats posed by our enemies. Grounded in our Oath to the Nation, and our rich history and heritage, the NCO corps is the vanguard for leading and training Soldiers at the crew, team, squad, section, and platoon level. Focusing on the basics with tough, realistic combat training, will ensure that in the crucible of ground combat, our Soldiers will be victorious.

In an era of persistent conflict, the Army has been the dominant land force, projecting combat power worldwide and defeating our enemies wherever they are found. For over 18 years, we have met the challenges of continuous combat operations and deployments in an ever-changing and complex environment. Time after time, our reputation as the premier land force in the world has been upheld and reaffirmed through the professionalism of the
Soldiers in the finest Army the world has ever known. Now is the time to refocus our efforts on what makes us successful as a force, both now, and in the future. Focusing on our people, and how we train and equip them, prepares our units for the increasing challenges of large scale, multi-domain operations. To successfully lead our people in training and on the battlefield, we must know them, invest in them and manage their talents in a way that yields the strong, cohesive teams our Army requires to win.

The contents of this guide will serve as a tool in the kit bag of every NCO, enabling them to understand the requirements, regulations, and methods required to train our Soldiers. As Noncommissioned Officers, you are charged with the care, training, education and readiness of every Soldier in the U.S. Army. Your ability to coach, train and mentor competent Soldiers of character is the key to the success of our force. The Nation, our Officers and our Soldiers have placed great trust and confidence in the NCO Corps, and deserve nothing less than competent, confident, and trusted professionals to remain the world's premier land fighting force.

This We’ll Defend! Backbone! Army Strong!

Michael A. Grinston
16th Sergeant Major of the Army