As the character of warfare continues to evolve, the role of the NCO corps remains as critical as ever.

Speaking at V Corps’ multinational Senior Leader Forum at Camp Kosciuszko, Poland, in April, Lt. Gen. David Hodne, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Futures Command, said the next major battlefield will contain technological challenges that U.S. and allied militaries must grapple with to defend and win.

Amid those changes, one constant remains: the need for disciplined, well-trained soldiers led by competent and adaptive NCOs. Across Europe today, V Corps NCOs are doing exactly that—building lethal teams, mastering the basics, innovating with what they have on hand and, ultimately, preparing formations to fight and win. Through their leadership, NCOs ensure that the U.S. Army will remain ready to seize terrain, dominate the human dimension of warfare and uphold the values and laws that distinguish the U.S. from its adversaries.

Human Endeavor

Army Doctrine Publication 3-0: Operations describes war as “chaotic, lethal, and a fundamentally human endeavor. It is a clash of wills fought among and between people.” To win in land warfare means to take away the opponent’s will to fight and alter their behavior to achieve a strategic outcome, oftentimes in close contact with the enemy in an uncertain environment.

In Europe, V Corps NCOs are at the tip of the spear, leading soldiers through training, fighting and winning within the human dimension. U.S. Army NCOs are preparing soldiers for war at every echelon, from individual training and small-team training events like V Corps’ Best Squad Competition and Expert Infantry, Medical and Soldier Badge qualifications, to combined arms rotations at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany alongside international allies and partners.

Even if the technological characteristics of warfare change, the sergeant remains responsible for training soldiers to master the basics. NCOs must strive to train soldiers not only to execute tasks correctly, but also to perform them under the worst possible conditions without fail. Whether fighting with the weapon systems currently in the arms room or leveraging new and exquisite capabilities as part of the Army’s continuous transformation, NCOs must gain the tactical and technical expertise to safely employ their tools to bring lethal effects to the enemy.

During April testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command, said the land domain continues to be the most challenging area to deter Russian aggression. “A conventional fight with Russia will be decided on land, and it would likely begin with a comparatively large Russian force positioned on a NATO border in order to negate traditional U.S. and NATO advantages in, and preferences for, long-range, standoff warfare,” he said.

Decisive Domain

The U.S. Army, operating as part of a joint, multidomain force, is responsible for owning and controlling the decisive domain—land. This principle is evidenced by the current conflict in Ukraine. Russian actions across domains focus on advancing and then controlling terrain. In response, V Corps soldiers are deployed in 10 countries throughout Europe to assure American partners and to deter Russia from seizing sovereign NATO territory.

NCOs build readiness every day by leading rigorous NCO business: physical training, inspections, rehearsals, maintenance and executing individual and small-teams training.

After more than two decades of fighting in the global war on terrorism, many soldiers and leaders became used to a relatively predictable, multimonth training schedule culminating in an operational deployment. In the future fight, even 30 days’ notice might be too late. NCOs are critical to ensuring that their teams are ready to deploy and fight now. 

Russia has proven after years of war in Ukraine that the operational tempo of conventional state-on-state conflict will look different than it did during counterinsurgency operations. U.S. Army units must be ready to fight for extended periods in a communications-compromised environment. That means soldiers may not be able to call loved ones. They won’t have personal cellphones, and families may not know when their soldier will return home.

Now, more than ever, NCOs must know their soldiers and make connections with their families. Soldier and Family Readiness Groups will be critical to share information and solve problems through rear detachment command teams during deployments. NCOs must know this now and instill a mindset of confidence during uncertainty in soldiers and families.

Close-Combat Training

Training for close combat is where the majority of NCOs spend their time and effort during day-to-day operations. Whether on the offense or consolidating gains in the defense, this is where NCOs thrive. Rotational deployments to the European Theater provide NCOs with an unparalleled opportunity to train soldiers and master the basics. During a nine-month deployment, NCOs will lead soldiers through individual, crew, squad or section, platoon and company live-fire exercises. Based on observances of Ukraine’s successes against Russia, NCOs have adapted to train what works.

Speaking in April with Ukrainian state media, Col. Roman Kostenko, secretary of Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on national security, defense and intelligence, said that “65% of Russian soldiers on the battlefield were killed by Ukrainian drones—not by artillery, not by land mines, not by small arms, but specifically by drones.”

For 250 years, the U.S. Army has empowered NCOs to innovate with the best resources available to wield the most modern and lethal capabilities to win on future battlefields. Soldiers with 2nd Cavalry Regiment have proven that by 3D-printing their own purpose-built unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). Throughout the theater, V Corps soldiers have adapted tactics and techniques to displace faster and disperse wider to avoid enemy UASs and other indirect fire. They know stationary vehicles are large targets. They know how to employ the latest counter-UAS technology to save the lives of their squad or section. NCOs know that survivability is lethality.

Law of War

There are almost daily news reports of Russia violating the Law of Armed Conflict by deliberately targeting civilians while taking part in other inhumane treatment toward both lawful combatants and noncombatants. U.S. Army NCOs understand that when they are called to fight, they must operate by the five principles that govern the law of war: military necessity, humanity, distinction, proportionality and honor.

Every day along NATO’s eastern flank, V Corps NCOs demonstrate that they have the character necessary to uphold the nation’s commitment to the Law of Armed Conflict if deterrence were to fail. NCOs serve as the guardians of discipline through their leadership and actions. In leading by example, NCOs cultivate a culture of excellence that permeates the organization and broader community. Throughout their deployments to Europe, soldiers not only are training hard—they are traveling and interacting with civilians as individual ambassadors of the American way of life. It’s through their professionalism that the nation earns its credibility abroad.

As embodied in the NCO Creed, V Corps NCOs stand as the backbone of the U.S. Army’s strength in Europe, ensuring that discipline, training and readiness never falter in the face of evolving threats. NCOs lead from the front by mastering the fundamentals, innovating with available resources, building lethal and resilient formations and upholding the Law of Armed Conflict with unwavering honor.

As technology shifts the nature of war, the core responsibilities and character of U.S. Army NCOs will remain timeless. They ensure that the e-tool and Pioneer Kits are on the packing list, and they will continue to dig in and establish the defense as part of their No. 1 priority of work. Members of the NCO Corps do not simply adapt to the future fight—they shape it to ensure that America’s premier land force remains decisive across the European Theater and beyond.

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Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Bohannon is the senior enlisted leader for V Corps-Forward, Camp Kosciuszko, Poland. Previously, he was the command senior enlisted leader for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. He deployed nine times to Afghanistan and six times to Iraq.