Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston was sworn in as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004.
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston addressed Pentagon employees Monday on his views of “Developing Leaders for the Future.” Preston is the longest-serving Sergeant Major of the Army since he was sworn in Jan. 15, 2004.
During his speech, Preston spoke about the current state of education and training in today’s Army and more specifically, with today’s non-commissioned officers. The Army takes great value in its training of non-commissioned officers, which is demonstrated with the “NCO 4 by 6” concept that intertwines 10 main teaching points for each NCO:
- Four core roles:
- Leaders
- Train, educate & develop
- Care for Soldiers & equipment
- Establish, maintain & enforce standards
- Six supporting competencies:
- Professional competence
- Problem solving
- Learning
- The profession
- Comprehensive fitness
- Team building
Additionally, he introduced the Army Career Tracker, which will act as part of the Army Learning Concept for 2015. Every enlisted Soldier will be able to track their education requirements and progress through this all-inclusive Website. His goal is to have every Soldier have the chance to receive their associate’s degree before leaving the force.
What suggestions do you have for improving the education and training for non-commissioned officers?
Blog post was written by Samantha Reho, a Department of the U.S. Army intern currently working in the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs. Reho is a 2009 graduate from the University of Florida with Summa Cum Laude honors in public relations.
