EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Army Central hosted its first Multinational Noncommissioned Officer Symposium in El Paso, Texas, at the home of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, May 18-22. Senior NCOs and officers from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan exchanged perspectives on the role of the NCO Corps.
Command Sgt. Maj. Ronnie Kelley, the command sergeant major for U.S. Army Central, led the symposium, which aimed to strengthen relationships and improve interoperability between partner nations. He said the symposium may have been hosted by the United States Army, but its goal was to offer countries a chance to collaborate with each other as well. To that end, it offered countries a unique chance to learn from each other's experiences.
"I hope everyone learns something from this that can make their country stronger," said Kelley. "That goes for us, too."
In the United States, NCOs have been the backbone of the Army since the long, cold winter at Valley Forge in 1777. Under the training of Baron Friedrich von Steuben, an undisciplined body of revolutionary Soldiers developed the values needed to become a dedicated fighting force. Leaders from U.S. Central Command, USARCENT, USASMA, and 1st Armored Division shared the importance of the special relationship the U.S. Army has with its NCO corps.
"I learned a lot from seeing how the NCO became so important in the U.S. Army," said Sgt. Maj. Mohammed al-Smadi, the sergeant major of the Jordanian army.
Guests attended numerous panels covering everything from the role of the NCO to the function of the NCO education system. Attendees also toured the NCO Heritage and Education Center at Fort Bliss, Texas.
"We need to learn to let our NCOs take charge of the things NCOs do (in the U.S. Armed Forces)," said Brigadier General Ibrahim Harfouche, a senior official of the Lebanese equivalent of Training and Doctrine Command. "They're very professional and very good at their jobs and we need to let them do it."
Guests also toured the grounds of the USASMA to see how sergeants major are trained.
"It's a very impressive facility and a very professional way to train the NCO," Harfouche said.
The USASMA tour was a return to familiar ground for Command. Sgt. Maj. Temirbek Khalykov, the sergeant major of Kazakhstan's armed forces. Khalykov graduated from the academy in 2008 and said he has used the training on a daily basis.
Khalykov attributes many of the improvements within Kazakhstan's NCO Corps to the lessons he learned in the U.S. He also praised the opportunity the symposium gave to learn new ideas from other countries.
"The NCO Corps in Kazakhstan was developed about 20 years ago so we have done good work to develop them so far in accordance with what we've learned from the U.S.," said Khalykov. "We can take what we've learned here from what's worked for other countries back home with us and energize our own forces."
Kazakhstan's NCOs will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in June during Exercise Steppe Eagle 15. This exercise is sponsored by USARCENT and focuses on multinational peacekeeping and peace support operations.
Many attending nations also shared insights on how the NCO corps works within their countries.
"I like to work with a lot of teams," said Adib Mikhomalo, a sergeant major in the Lebanese Ranger Regiment. "You always find something you're looking for in some other country. You have a problem and you find a country that has already solved that problem. You get experience from everyone. For example, in my country, we deal a lot with mountains and probably some countries don't have mountains. So they ask us how we deal with mountains and we ask them how to deal with deserts and flat areas."
At the end of the week, CENTCOM Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Greca, and USASMA Commandant Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese held a final question and answer session where they shared final insights to the leaders in the room.
The first USARCENT Multinational NCO Symposium was a success, said Kelley, as long as everyone found something to take back and make their NCO corps better. Kelley will speak at Kazakhstan's first inaugural NCO symposium later this summer.
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