TRADOC official discusses future of NCO education

By NICK DUKENovember 13, 2013

FORT BENNING, Ga., (Nov. 13, 2013) -- Aubrey Butts, the director of the Institute for Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development, visited Fort Benning last week as part of an ongoing effort to determine the future of the noncommissioned officer education system.

INCOPD is in the process of collecting survey and interview data for an effort called NCO 2020, which Butts said could result in the first major overhaul of the NCOES since 1971.

"I'm working on NCO 2020, and we have to look at how we're going to train and educate our NCOs so that when they go into the first battle of the next war, they'll be prepared to win decisively," Butts said.

As INCOPD gathers data, Butts said they will identify the gaps in the current system and how those gaps can be bridged for future generations.

"Some of the gaps we're seeing are an inability to communicate in written form, as well as orally," he said. "We also need the ability to plan well into the future. As we begin to look at more of the studies and the information coming back from the Soldiers, we'll begin to better define the gaps. ... It really matters to us what the Soldiers think because ultimately, they're our customer."

Part of the need for an overhaul of the NCOES, Butts said, is a shift in Army mentality.

"As we're moving away from the industrial age mentality, we're moving toward the system of mission command," he said. "Commanders give intent to Soldiers, and from that intent, Soldiers have to use creative thinking and high level thinking to get to the desired end state. … If we don't develop those creative thinking skills, Soldiers won't be able to perform in future environments."

Part of the future system will likely include self-study as a major component, something that Butts said has been necessitated by the current fiscal environment.

"When you look at society as a whole, a lot of colleges have figured out that you can't build enough brick and mortar institutions because it's cost prohibitive," he said. "So, how do you train and educate more people in a shorter amount of time in a more fiscally constricted environment? One way is to put some of the onus on the individual, some on the institution and some on the organization, therefore balancing the learning across all three domains for each individual NCO."

However, Butts also said that while self-study and classroom training are a priority going forward, field training will continue to be vital to the success of the NCO corps.

"With all the skills that are required on the modern-day battlefield, we can't possibly put a Soldier in a classroom for their entire career and then expect him to fight on the battlefield," Butts said.

During his visit to Fort Benning, leaders from the Directorate of Training and Doctrine briefed Butts on some of the learning strategies that have been implemented here.

"I think DOTD is very forward looking, and I'm really seeing that they're aligned with a lot of the things that we want to do," Butts said. "I can learn a lot of things by looking at some of the things that they have already implemented. ... They've been very aggressive in their approach while still focusing on learning outcomes."

While the system for educating NCOs may be changing in the near future, Butts said there will always be basic elements necessary for an NCO to be successful in their military career.

"I think dedication and the belief in yourself and others around you is key," he said. "You have to think about your Soldiers more than yourself, and you have to remember you're here to support the American people. If you do all of those things, you'll be successful as an NCO and anything else in life."