1st Sgt. Jennifer Meyers, deputy commandant of the U.S. Army Alaska NCO Academy at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (center standing) and Command Sgt. Maj. William Bruns, commandant of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord NCO Academy and course mentor, lead a...

Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Porrett, commandant of the NCO Academy in Hawaii and a course mentor, leads a discussion on the requirements of selecting instructors for the different NCO Academies throughout the Army system during the Commandants Pre-Command...

Command Sgt. Maj. Rory Malloy, commandant of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy and the driving force behind the creation of the Commandants Pre-Command Course, addresses the graduates in the Academy's headquarters building before handing...

The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, Texas, made history March 16 by handing out certificates of completion to the 12 students who made up the first class of the Commandants Pre-Command Course.

Before handing out the certificates, Command Sgt. Maj. Rory Malloy, USASMA's 20th commandant and the visionary behind the new course which was piloted in September, made a few remarks of encouragement and caution for the new graduates.

"I really appreciate you taking time to come down and participate in the class," Malloy said. "As you have experienced in this class we like to take vignettes of individuals who did something wrong and put them into the curriculum. The number one thing that will get you in trouble is not doing the right thing. For whatever reason people continue to do it, they just can't figure out what right looks like."

Malloy urged the graduates to understand the environment in which they work and realize that things which were considered okay only a few years ago are now career-enders today. He also informed the group that the curriculum they encountered in the course is just a small part of what it means to be a commandant, a commander.

"The information you got from here has only just begun to scratch the surface. The philosophy of command as General [David] Perkins, [commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command], puts it; is 'What are we here for? What is our purpose?' " Malloy said. "The purpose of this course, I believe, is to best prepare you to be successful when you are out there in your schools. It is a very tough job [the Army] has asked you to do without any of the authority to do it."

Preparing to take on the duties of commandant of the NCO Academy at Fort Gordon, Ga., later this year, Command Sgt. Maj. Robert A. Daniel, who is currently the command sergeant major for the 21st Signal Brigade, Fort Detrick, Md., said the course prepared him for his pending duties.

"I am glad command sergeant major Malloy and his team put together this course because I have learned a lot as far as the accreditation program, certification of SGLs (small group leaders), and joint ethics," he said. "There was a lot that was in this course that I can take with me. Now I know what to expect for the position and I have ideas going in for the job at hand."

Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph McFarlane, who is taking over as commandant of the III Corps NCO Academy at Fort Hood, Texas, had a similar experience attending the course. He explained that as a command sergeant major of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division he was used to assisting his commander, whereas now he will be the one commanding and responsible for the direction of the unit.

"So I am responsible for everything and this course is better preparing me for that," he said. "I was introduced to a lot of subject areas that I would not have seen as a TO&E command sergeant major so there are a whole bunch of items running through my mind right now."

While the course was developed to better prepare command sergeants major to take on the role of commandant, seats were also made available to deputy commandants to help them understand the complexities of commanding an academy. Attending the course was an eye-opener for 1st Sgt. Jennifer Meyers, deputy commandant of the U.S. Army Alaska NCO Academy at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and who just finished up doing two years as the first sergeant of a warrior transition unit.

"I have to say that it has been an amazing opportunity, especially for brand new commandants and deputy commandants who have to at any time fill in for the commandant," she said. "It has been an amazing opportunity to get together to hear a lot of good information from experienced leaders so that when they come into the new position they don't make a lot of mistakes, or some of the more common mistakes."

Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Bailey, USASMA's training development and education sergeant major, said the course didn?'t change much from the initial proof of principle, or pilot, other than adding in more time and some required instruction.

"We extended the amount of time we gave students on understanding their authorities during the first block of instruction and we added instruction on SHARP," Bailey said. We also kind of changed it up a bit in the joint ethics where they have more practical exercises and projects to do, rather than just receiving a bunch of instruction."

Bailey said the after action reviews and hot wash with the instructors proved the course was on track and only cemented to him the purpose of creating the course in the first place.

"We want to arm them with the necessary tools they will need to be successful in their tour of duty as commandant. At no point in an enlisted Soldier's career do we train them to be commanders. But this is one special event time in their life that they get to have the responsibilities of a commander but not the authorities," he said. "So we want to give them the tools that they will need to be able to manage how to be a commander without those authorities so they don?'t cross any lines because they don't know."

The Commandants Pre-Command Course is designed to bring command sergeants major into those unique positions where they are actually executing com¬mand-type leadership -- a relationship that is not traditionally associated with being an NCO. It consists of instruction in 15 different topic areas: The Authorities of an Enlisted Comman¬dant, Joint Ethics, Lines of Com¬mand/Support, Training Management, Inventory Management/Property Accountability, Budget Manage¬ment, Academy Manning, Course Administrative Requirements, Instructor Development program, Civilian Personnel Manage¬ment System, Student records, Learning Theories and Styles, Law for Leaders, Registrar, and Accreditation. The initial proof of principle was conducted in September of 2013.