Military
MikeRobb01
ARN44634-TC_7-22.7-000-WEB-2.pdf
TC 7-22.7
THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER GUIDE
AUGUST 2025
DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited.
*This publication supersedes TC 7-22.7, dated 1 January 2020.
HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THEARMY
Foreword
For 250 years, we have been the U.S. Army's backbone. Throughout our storied legacy and rich history,
our purpose has not changed - we exist to fight and win when called upon.
The character of war is changing. Threats are evolving and adversaries are constantly seeking new
competitive advantages. What remains constant is the Noncommissioned Officer - we are the asymmetric
advantage. We are the envy of the world. We are respected by our allies and partners. We are feared by
our adversaries. Our commitment to excellence, our ability to adapt, and our unwavering resolve to defend
our nation makes us an unmatched force on the battlefield and a trusted teammate to those who stand beside
us.
We will navigate the complex global landscape of today and prepare for the uncertainties of tomorrow
by providing trained, cohesive, and lethal teams capable of engaging our enemies in every domain with
precision and unwavering commitment. We are resolute in our oath to the Constitution and embody the words
of our creed every day. Training and leading is what we do, and we do it better than anybody else.
All NCOs must be brilliant in the basics of training management and leadership. War requires it and
your Soldiers demand it. We will pursue excellence in developing the next generation of leaders.
We will train tirelessly and ruthlessly. Despite all the transformation in our Army, the role of the
Noncommissioned Officer remains to accomplish the mission and take care of Soldiers.
We have a sacred duty to uphold and a nation to defend. Be disciplined and live the Army Values. This
We'll Defend!
This publication is available at the Army Publishing Directorate site
(https://armypubs.army.mil) and the Central Army Registry Site
(https://atiam.train.army.mil/catalog/dashboard).
i
*TC 7-22.7
Training Circular
No. 7-22.7
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC, 14 August 2025
THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER GUIDE
Contents
Page
Preface ................................................................................................................................................... v
NCO 101 ................................................................................................................................................ vii
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ vii
Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer ..................................................................................... viii
Charge to the Newly Promoted Noncommissioned Officer ........................................................ ix
Chapter 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 1
NCO INFORMATION ...................................................................................................................... 1
The Professional NCO ................................................................................................................ 1
The Army Profession .................................................................................................................. 3
Our Ethic .................................................................................................................................... 3
The U.S. Army As A Military Profession ..................................................................................... 4
Characteristics Of The Army Profession .................................................................................... 4
Army Values ............................................................................................................................... 4
Army Customs, Courtesies, and Traditions ................................................................................ 5
The Army Flag and its Streamers ............................................................................................... 6
Pride and Esprit de Corps .......................................................................................................... 6
Drill and Ceremonies .................................................................................................................. 7
Inspections ................................................................................................................................. 8
What Makes You an Army Professional? ................................................................................... 8
Chapter 2 .............................................................................................................................................. 11
LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION ...................................................................................... 11
NCO Common Core Competencies ......................................................................................... 11
Roles of the Army NCO ............................................................................................................ 12
NCO Support Channel ............................................................................................................. 20
Roadmap To Leadership and Effective Teams ......................................................................... 20
Army Leadership Requirements Model ..................................................................................... 21
Mission Command and Be, Know, Do ...................................................................................... 22
Compliance Vs. Commitment ................................................................................................... 22
DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release, distribution iunlimited.
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 ii
Power ....................................................................................................................................... 23
Leadership Styles ..................................................................................................................... 24
Dynamics Of Leadership ......................................................................................................... 25
Levels Of Leadership ................................................................................................................ 27
Navigation Of the Continuum ................................................................................................... 29
Team Building ........................................................................................................................... 30
Counseling, Coaching, and Mentoring ..................................................................................... 31
Army Officers and NCO Relationship ........................................................................................ 32
Army Civilians and NCO Relationship ...................................................................................... 36
Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 39
OPERATIONS AND THE TRAINING MANAGEMENT CYCLE ................................................... 39
The Army’s Principles of Training .............................................................................................40
Training Domains ......................................................................................................................40
NCO Roles in Training .............................................................................................................. 41
Unit Training Proficiencies ........................................................................................................42
NCOs Train To Standard ..........................................................................................................42
NCO Training Techniques ....................................................................................................... 43
8-Step Training Model .............................................................................................................. 44
Risk Management .....................................................................................................................46
Web-Based Training Resources .............................................................................................. 47
Training Meetings ..................................................................................................................... 47
Mission Command ....................................................................................................................49
Principles of Mission Command ............................................................................................... 50
Command and Control Defined ................................................................................................ 52
NCO Role In Mission Command .............................................................................................. 53
The NCO's Role in The Command-and-Control Warfighting Function ...................................... 56
Chapter 4 ............................................................................................................................................. 57
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND READINESS .......................................................................... 57
Talent Management ..................................................................................................................59
Army Career Tracker (ACT) ..................................................................................................... 59
Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army (IPPS-A)............................................................. 59
Army Training Information System (ATIS) ................................................................................ 59
Army Training Management System (ATMS) ........................................................................... 59
Army Community Service (ACS) ...............................................................................................60
Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F)............................................................................................. 61
Medical Readiness ................................................................................................................... 62
Army Safety and Occupational Health Program ....................................................................... 63
Army Maintenance Program .................................................................................................... 63
Command Supply Discipline Program (CSDP) ........................................................................ 64
Knowledge Management (KM) (Information Management) ...................................................... 65
Appendix A........................................................................................................................................... 67
Contents
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 iii
LEADER TOOLS .......................................................................................................................... 67
Leadership Philosophy ............................................................................................................. 67
Army Training Network (ATN) ................................................................................................... 67
Army Career Tracker (ACT) ..................................................................................................... 68
Counseling Enhancement Tool (CET) ...................................................................................... 68
Army Programs and Services ................................................................................................... 68
Appendix B........................................................................................................................................... 77
CHANGE OF RESPONSIBILITY EXAMPLE SCRIPT .................................................................. 77
Appendix C........................................................................................................................................... 83
NCO INDUCTION CEREMONY SCRIPT ...................................................................................... 83
Appendix D........................................................................................................................................... 89
THE EMERGING NCO .................................................................................................................. 89
Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 99
Section I – Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................... 99
Section II – Terms ................................................................................................................................101
References ..........................................................................................................................................103
Figures
Figure Intro-1. U.S. Army Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer ......................................................... viii Figure Intro-2. Charge to the Newly Promoted Noncommissioned Officer .............................................. ix
Figure 1-1. NCO Corps History ............................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2-1. Leadership Requirements Model ......................................................................................... 21 Figure 2-2. Sources of Power ................................................................................................................ 23 Figure 2-3. Leadership Styles ................................................................................................................ 25 Figure 2-4. Army Leadership Levels ...................................................................................................... 28 Figure 2-5. Skill Level Progression ........................................................................................................ 29 Figure 2-6. Army Team Building ............................................................................................................ 30 Figure 2-7. Techniques for Adapting to Team Changes ........................................................................ 31 Figure 3-1. The Training Management Cycle ......................................................................................... 39 Figure 3-2. Unit Training Proficiency Elements ...................................................................................... 42 Figure 3-3. The 8-Step Training Model .................................................................................................. 45 Figure 3-4. The 8-Step Training Model Template .................................................................................. 46 Figure 3-5. Risk Management Process ................................................................................................. 47 Figure 3-6. Control................................................................................................................................. 49 Figure 3-7. Mission Command aligned with NCO Attributes and Competencies .................................... 52 Figure 3-8. C2 ........................................................................................................................................ 53 Figure 3-9. Command and Control Warfighting Functions ..................................................................... 56 Figure 4-1. Army Force Management Model ......................................................................................... 58 Figure 4-2. H2F System ........................................................................................................................ 61 Figure A-1. Talent Development Model ................................................................................................. 68
Contents
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 iv
Tables
Table 3-1. NCO Focus Areas ................................................................................................................................ 50
Contents
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 v
Preface
TC 7-22.7 is dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Corps
who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation and to NCOs presently serving in the Army.
Soldiers will seek your guidance and trust you to train and develop them to win our nation’s wars. As the
standard-bearer, you must instill pride and strive to live the Army Values. You are “The Backbone of the
Army.”
TC 7-22.7 provides the Army's NCOs a guide for leading, supervising, and caring for Soldiers. While this
guide is not all-inclusive, nor is it intended as a stand-alone document, it provides NCOs a quick and ready
reference to refresh, develop, and apply leadership traits.
The purpose of this guide is to develop an innovative, competent, and professional NCO. NCOs will analyze
and evaluate the operational environment to create and apply an understanding of multidomain operations to
that environment.
TC 7-22.7 applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States,
and the United States Army Reserve, unless otherwise stated.
The proponent of TC 7-22.7 is the Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Center of Excellence (NCOLCoE).
The preparing agency is the Doctrine/Analysis/Lessons Learned (L2) Team, Division of Curriculum
Development, Directorate of Training and Education, NCOLCoE. Send comments and recommendations on
a Department of the Army (DA) Form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) to:
Commandant, NCOLCoE, ATTN: ATSS-DAE (TC 7-22.7), 11291 SGT E. Churchill Street, Fort Bliss, TX
79918-8002; by email: [email protected]; or submit an electronic DA
Form 2028.
This page intentionally left blank.
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 vii
NCO 101
INTRODUCTION
NCOs conduct the daily operations of the Army. NCOs are relied on to execute complex tactical operations,
make intent-driven decisions, and operate in joint, interagency, and multinational environments. NCOs are
responsible for maintaining and enforcing standards and a high degree of discipline. NCOs process Soldiers
for enlistment, teach basic Soldier skills, are accountable for the care of Soldiers, and set the example. In the
vision of Baron von Steuben, the NCO Corps is a group of professional trainers, mentors, advisors, and
communicators.
Every Soldier deserves a leader who is a capable trainer, is trustworthy, is genuinely concerned for their
health and welfare, and develops them to be the leaders of tomorrow. Every Soldier has a Sergeant to be that
leader. The Soldier’s Creed and Warrior Ethos are compelling obligations we expect our Soldiers to live by.
Likewise, we expect our leaders to live by those obligations and those of the NCO Creed and Charge of the
NCO (See Figures Intro-1 & 2).
As the culture of the Army changes, we face tremendous challenges. Soldiering is and has always been an
affair of the heart. Leading is a privilege and an honorable profession. The two major responsibilities of
leadership remain the accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of Soldiers. This guide is intended to
enhance your ability to lead and arm you with tools such as self-awareness, self-discovery, how you lead,
and how you develop your subordinates.
viii TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
CREED OF THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER
Figure Intro-1. U.S. Army Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 ix
CHARGE TO THE NEWLY PROMOTED NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER
Figure Intro-2. Charge to the Newly Promoted Noncommissioned Officer
This page intentionally left blank.
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 1
Chapter 1
NCO Information
THE PROFESSIONAL NCO
1-1. The Army is a unique profession in which professionals defend the Constitution and the rights and
interests of the American people. Army ranks represent a leadership system that signifies a Soldier's level
of competence, responsibility, and authority within that field. Every Soldier is essential to the Army
mission. The Army relies on its enlisted Soldiers to function. They have specific specialties within an Army
unit, perform certain job functions, and possess the knowledge required to ensure the achievement of their
unit's mission within the Army.
1-2. The United States Army NCO Corps has evolved dramatically over the past two centuries, adapting to
the unique challenges of different conflicts. During the American Revolution, Prussian Baron von Steuben
trained selected Continental troops to drill, lead, and, most notably, teach others, laying the foundation for
the modern NCO Corps. In the post-Revolution period, the Corps expanded in response to conflicts with
the Native Americans and British-Canadians in the Ohio Valley, as well as Spanish forces in the southern
regions. The acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 further necessitated the growth of the Army to
explore and safeguard the new territory, a role that the Federal Army fulfilled for much of the 19th century.
The War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War were all
significant milestones in the evolution of the professional NCO Corps. For instance, during the Civil War,
NCOs were responsible for leading small units, maintaining discipline, and ensuring the execution of
orders.
1-3. Once the United States began to consolidate its holdings and territories before World War I, the NCO
Corps slowly transformed, growing into its roles as technical experts and combat leaders. While the
Revolution and the Frontier drove the evolution of the 19th-century NCO, the need for professionalism and
technical competency drove it in the 20th and 21st centuries. The 20th century saw the development and
decline of Specialist and Technical ranks, which were specialized positions within the NCO Corps that
required specific technical skills and knowledge. In the post-Vietnam era, the maturation of the Army-wide
NCO educational system (NCOES) created a pathway to an NCO Corps that combined all the Specialist's
expertise with the combat NCO's leadership skills. Today's Army demands more from its NCOs than ever;
thus, the institutional Army provides educational and training systems to help the modern NCO meet those
requirements. While today's NCOs are better educated, trained, and equipped, the fundamental nature of the
American NCO and the NCO Corps, developed throughout the experience of the United States Army,
remains intact.
NCO CORPS HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT
• 1775 Continental Army created: Sergeants in charge of Training and Maneuver.
• 1778 Baron von Steuben’s: Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United
States “The Blue Book”.
• 1815 Infantry Drill Regulations replaced the Blue Book, emphasized Army tactics and the role of
the NCO and the NCO Corps.
• 1840 Color Guard held/led by NCOs only.
• 1861 Confederacy broke from Union, however the NCO Corps generally remained loyal to the
Union.
• 1865 Role of NCO redefined during the Civil War: the need for competent, resourceful small unit
leaders.
• 1907 War Department issued report, identified pay issues, as well as the need to retain NCOs.
• 1912 Article 65 revised to included (Insubordinate conduct Toward a Noncommissioned Officer);
gives NCOs specific legal authority.
• 1917 US declared war; Army flooded with volunteers and draftees.
• 1917 U.S. Army General John Pershing called for the creation of NCO schools, first call for NCO
education, beyond technical training.
2 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
Chapter 1
• 1920 1920 National Defense Act (NDA): created the “National Army” to replace “Army of the
United States”.
• 1920 From the NDA, enlisted ranks introduced: at the top Grade 1 (Master Sergeant), Grade 2
(First Sergeants/Technical Sergeants), Grade 3 (Staff Sergeants), Grade 4 (Line Sergeants), Grade
5 (Corporal), Grade 6 (Private First Class), Grade 7 (Privates).
• 1945 88th Infantry Division created the Lido Training Center, the first school devoted to educating
the professional NCO.
• 1949 First professional NCOA opened; Constabulary NCO Academy at Jensen Barracks-Munich, Germany.
• 1958 Army created the Spec Eight and Spec Nine ranks, then abolished in 1968.
• 1964 The Drill Sergeant program was established at Fort Jackson, SC.
• 1966 Rank of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) was created under Chief of Staff of the Army
General Harold Johnson. SMA William O. Wooldridge served as the first enlisted representative to
the Chief of Staff of the Army.
• 1967 Command Sergeants Major (CSM) programs; The program was designed to select a group
of Sergeants Major (SGM), ready to serve as the senior enlisted leader in all major commands.
• 1967 Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course established.
• 1968 192 SGMs were selected to become CSMs; For the first time in history, CSMs were given the responsibility at the highest Army levels.
• 1969 Noncommissioned Education System (NCOES) approved a three-tier system: Basic for E5s,
Advanced for E6s and E7s, and a Sergeant Major Course (SMC).
• 1972 The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) created under Department of the
Army General Order 98.
• 1973 Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) established.
• 1976 Enlisted Personnel Management System established: aimed to create a career management
system exclusively for NCOs.
• 1978 Spec Seven rank was converted to Sergeant First Class.
• 1985 Spec Five and Six ranks were converted to Sergeant and Staff Sergeant respectively.
• 1987 Sergeants Major Academy moved into a new permanent central facility at Fort Bliss, TX.
• 2001 September 11th attacks on the United States; Subsequent wars in the 2000s, repeated
deployments made attendance/completion at NCOES schools difficult.
• 2002 The Army Training and Leader Development Panel Report released: NCOES was the NCO
Corps’ top concern as well as addressing full spectrum operations, higher standards, more emphasis
on experiential leaning, more input from the field, and NCOES relevancy.
• 2005 Primary Leadership Development Course transitioned into Warrior Leader Course.
• 2009 Institute for NCO Professional Development (INCOPD) created; handled all aspects of the
NCO education and professional development.
• 2009 Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course transitioned into Advanced Leader Course.
• 2009 Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course transitioned into Senior Leader Course (SLC).
• 2015 Warrior Leader Course transitioned into Basic Leader Course.
• 2016 NCO Professional Development System (NCOPDS) replaced NCO Education System; Army
announced the NCO 2020 Strategy; focused on integration of NCOPDS.
• 2017 USASMA created and implemented the Master Leader Course (MLC) to bridge the gap
between SLC and the SMC.
• 2018 USASMA transitioned to the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence (NCOLCoE).
1-4. For a more in-depth explanation on the historical explanation of the Professional NCO Corps, see
Appendix D or Figure 1-1.
NCO Information
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 3
Figure 1-1. NCO Corps History
THE ARMY PROFESSION
1-5. Our Nation trusts the Army to provide for the National Defense. Trust starts with the Oath of
Enlistment demonstrating strength of character, commitment to defend the principles of freedom and to
fight against tyranny. As an NCO, it is your duty to carry out the missions assigned to you in accordance
with the law and intent of Congress. The foundation on which the Army is built is based on trust. As a
leader, you assure your leaders and Soldiers of your competence, character, and commitment. Trust is
intangible, but your ability to fulfill your roles and discharge your responsibilities depends on the trust
between and among Soldiers, between Soldiers and leaders, and between Families and the Army. Article
VI of the Constitution requires that every member of the Army “shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to
support the Constitution.”
1-6. Members of the American Armed Services swear or affirm to support and defend the Constitution of
the United States—not a leader, people, government, or territory. That solemn oath ties service in the Army
directly to the founding document of the United States. The oath expresses a noble calling to honorable
service on behalf of the American people. We serve because we believe America must be defended by a
Professional Army of Soldiers and Army Civilians who are inspired to honorably fulfill their Oaths of
Service. We accomplish our missions as a team, partnering with the other armed forces in the joint
community and with government services that dedicate themselves to defending the U.S. Constitution and
protect the Nation’s interests, at home and abroad, against all threats.
1-7. Taking the oath is a solemn, moral, and sacred commitment between the Nation and your Soldiers and
affirms your commitment to devote yourself to selfless service, adherence to orders, and duty. It is your
word and bond to comply with the obligations of each stanza. The oath is an ethos specific to the character,
disposition, and values specific to the Army culture. In addition, the oath is legally binding. It mandates that
all Soldiers are subject court-martial (see MISC P B 27-7 Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM) 2024, 10
United States Code (USC), and Law of Land Warfare).
1-8. When you took the initial oath, you became a member of the Army Profession. As Army Professionals
and leaders, all NCOs must certify and/or recertify their competence, character, and commitment. Being a
professional involves taking advantage of the opportunity, demonstrating the highest degree of honor and
assuming responsibility. We are stronger when we develop and maintain professional knowledge, thus able
to apply combat power according to law and lead personnel and units effectively in garrison or on the
battlefield.
OUR ETHIC
1-9. The Army ethic is the set of enduring moral principles, values, beliefs, and laws that guide the Army
profession and create the culture of trust essential to Army professionals in the conduct of missions,
performance of duty, and all aspects of life (ADP 6-22).
1-10. Our ethics and values are continuously challenged when engaged in warfare. The heaviest burden of
ethical behavior and enforcement rests with small-unit leaders, who maintain discipline and ensure Soldier
conduct remains within ethical and moral boundaries. There are five compelling reasons for this. It is
important that you and your Soldiers understand and espouse these reasons, which have the most severe
For more in-depth information on the Professional NCO History,
scan Quick Reference Code or visit website.
https://history.army.mil/Publications/Publications-Catalog-
Sub/Publications-By-Title/Story-of-the-Noncommissioned-Officer-
Corps/
Chapter 1
4 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
impact on our ability to win the hearts and minds of our enemies and to safeguard honorable service. Here
are the five reasons:
• Make ethical decisions in action fraught with consequences.
• Leaders must not tacitly accept misconduct or encourage it.
• Soldiers must live with the consequences of their conduct.
• Humane treatment of detainees.
• Humane treatment of noncombatants.
THE U.S. ARMY AS A MILITARY PROFESSION
1-11. The Army profession is a unique vocation of experts certified in the ethical design, generation,
support, and application of land power, serving under civilian authority, and entrusted to defend the
Constitution and the rights and interests of the American people. An Army professional is a Soldier or
Army Civilian who satisfies the requirements for certification in competence, character, and commitment.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ARMY PROFESSION
1-12. The Army profession is characterized by trust, honorable service, military expertise, stewardship, and
esprit de corps (see A P 1). The members of the Army profession, Soldiers and Army Civilians, create and
strengthen the Army culture of Trust.
• Trust - The foundation of the Army’s relationship with the American people, who rely on the Army
to ethically, effectively, and efficiently serve the Nation. Within the Army profession, trust is shared
confidence among commanders, subordinates, and partners in that all can be relied on and all are
competent in performing their assigned tasks.
• Honorable Service - Army professionals contribute honorable service as they accomplish the mission, perform their duty, and live their lives making ethical decisions and taking ethical.
• Military Expertise - This expertise is the ethical design, generation, support, and application of
landpower, and the associated capabilities essential to accomplishing missions in defense of the
American people. The Army profession demonstrates military expertise while conducting
operations assigned by civilian authority
• Stewardship of the Profession – This is the responsibility of Soldiers and Army civilians to
strengthen the Army as a profession. It includes caring for the people and resources entrusted to
them by the American people, ensuring Army forces are ready, now and in the future, to accomplish
the Army’s missions.
• Esprit De Corps – This denotes the Army’s winning spirit—a collective ethos of camaraderie,
mutual trust, and cohesive teamwork. Successfully accomplishing missions requires spirited and
dedicated Soldiers and Army civilians who strive for standards of excellence. Army forces embrace
shared intent and situational understanding, accept prudent risk, and exercise disciplined initiative.
ARMY VALUES
1-13. Army Values coupled with ethics are the foundation of our profession. Critical to each Soldier’s
development is learning about and living by Army values, when in or out of uniform. Self-discovery,
determining the character, applying, and living the Seven Core Values reinforces trust in our Soldiers.
• Loyalty- Bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, the Army, your unit,
and other Soldiers.
• Duty- Fulfill your obligations.
• Respect- Treat people as they should be treated.
• Selfless Service- Put the welfare of the Nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own.
• Honor- Live up to Army Values.
• Integrity- Do what is right, legally and morally.
• Personal Courage- Face fear, danger, or adversity (physical or moral).
NCO Information
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 5
ARMY CUSTOMS, COURTESIES, AND TRADITIONS
1-14. What often sets the Army apart as an institution steeped in history is the commitment to observing
Army customs and traditions. It is customs and traditions, strange to the civilian eye, but solemn to the
Soldier, which keeps the person in uniform motivated during times of peace. In war, they keep the warrior
fighting at the front. Educating Soldiers on the importance of observing customs and traditions is key to
leader development.
1-15. Army customs have been handed down over the centuries and add to the interest, pleasure, and
graciousness of Army life. Many customs complement military courtesy. The breach of Army customs may
bring disciplinary action. Army customs influence its common law. Examples of Army customs are:
• Render a salute if the situation warrants (see AR 600-25).
• Render proper respect to the flag, reveille, and retreat.
• Never criticize leaders, Soldiers, or the Army in public.
• Make proper use of your chain of command.
• Make no excuses while taking responsibility for your actions.
• Speak with your own voice.
1-16. Courtesy among members of the Armed Forces is vital to maintaining discipline. Courteous behavior
provides a basis for developing good human relations. Mutual courtesy between subordinates and superiors
shows the respect to each member of our profession. Military discipline is founded upon self-discipline,
respect for properly constituted authority, and embracing the Army ethic with its supporting individual
values. Military discipline will be developed by individual and group training, which is enforced by NCOs
to create a mental attitude resulting in proper conduct and prompt obedience to lawful military authority.
Some simple examples and visible signs of respect and self-discipline are:
• When talking to an officer of superior rank, stand at attention until directed otherwise.
• When you are dismissed, or when the officer departs, come to attention and salute.
• When speaking to or being addressed by an NCO of superior rank, stand at parade rest until directed
otherwise.
• When an NCO of superior rank enters the room, the first Soldier to recognize the NCO calls the
room to "At ease."
• When an officer of superior rank enters a room, the first Soldier to recognize the officer calls
personnel in the room to attention but does not salute. A salute indoors is rendered only when
reporting.
• Walk on the left of an officer or NCO of superior rank.
• When entering or exiting a vehicle, the junior ranking Soldier is the first to enter, and the senior in
rank is the first to exit.
• When outdoors and approached by a Staff Sergeant, you greet the NCO by saying, "Good morning,
Sergeant," for example.
• The first person who sees an officer enter a dining facility gives the order "At ease," unless a more
senior officer is already present. Many units extend this courtesy to senior NCOs, also. When you
hear the command "At ease" in a dining facility, remain seated, silent and continue eating unless
directed otherwise.
1-17. Tradition is a customary pattern of thought, action, and behavior held by an identifiable group of
people. It is information, beliefs, and customs handed down by word of mouth or by example from one
generation to another without written instruction. Our military traditions are really the “Army Way” of doing
and thinking.
• Army traditions are the things that everyone in the Army does.
• Unit traditions are the unique things that units do that other units may or may not do.
• Clothing worn in your unit are distinctive items, such as headgear, belt buckles, and tankers' boots.
• Units have mottos, such as "Victory!", “Airborne!”, “Climb to Glory!”, or "Follow me!"
Chapter 1
6 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
THE ARMY FLAG AND ITS STREAMERS
1-18. Until 1956, no flag represented the Army as a whole. The first official flag was unfurled on 14 June
1956 (Flag Day and the Army birthday) at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Army
flag is in the national colors of red, white, and blue with a yellow fringe (Colors). It has a white field with
the War Office seal in blue in its center.
1-19. The sword, esponton/spontoon (a type of half-pike formerly used by subordinate officers), musket,
bayonet, cannon, cannon balls, mortar, and mortar bombs are representative of traditional Army
implements of battle. The drum and drumsticks are symbols of public notification of the Army's purpose
and intent to serve the Nation and its people. The Phrygian cap (often called the Cap of Liberty) supported
on the point of the unsheathed sword and the motto ‘This We'll Defend’ on a scroll held by the rattlesnake,
a symbol depicted on some American colonial flags, signify the Army's constant readiness to defend and
preserve the United States.” These Army implements are symbols of strength, defense, and notification that
signify the Army’s purpose and intent to serve the nation and its people with the readiness to defend and
preserve these United States of America.
1-20. The Army flag uses the colors red, white, and blue because of their traditional significance. In the
language of heraldry (see https://tioh.army.mil/default.aspx), red symbolizes the virtues of hardiness and
valor; white symbolizes purity and innocence; and blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Blue is especially significant since it has been the unofficial color of the Army for more than two hundred
years. The placement of the two flags shown on the seal, the organizational and the national flags are
reversed in violation of heraldic custom. The placing of the United States flag on the left (from the flag's
point of view) rather than on the right reflected the tendency of the leaders of the Revolutionary War period
to discard traditional European concepts. The display of both an organizational color and the national flag
was a common practice of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
1-21. The 190 streamers attached to the Army Flag denote the campaigns fought by the Army throughout
our national history. Each streamer embroidered with the designation of the campaign and the year in
which it occurred. The colors derive from the campaign ribbon authorized for service in that war. When the
United States Army flag is not being carried, the streamers are arranged in such a manner that the first
(LEXINGTON 1775) and the last (ABEYANCE 2014-2015) streamers are in the center facing forward and
completely identifiable.
1-22. The National Flag of the United States of America is often called the American Flag, The Stars and
Stripes, Old Glory, or Red, White and Blue.
1-23. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, which stated:
"Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the
union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Flag Day is now observed
on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the Continental Army at
the Middlebrook encampment first hoisted the new flag in June 1777.
1-24. The flag is a living and breathing entity that represents the service and sacrifice of all those who have
served before us, who now serve, and to those who will serve in the future. It is important to understand the
rules of displaying the American flag and the customs of honoring it as the symbol of this great country.
The flag is the symbol of freedom, a freedom that came at a cost. It is our duty to guard and protect it and
never let it fall to the ground. It is important for leaders and Soldiers to understand its role and symbolism.
PRIDE AND ESPRIT DE CORPS
1-25. As history, customs, courtesy, and traditions have a major impact on our Army culture and our
nation, we must instill a sense of pride that defines our character. Pride is a state or feeling of being proud.
It is something done by or belonging to oneself or something that causes a person to be proud. Pride can
have a negative as well as a positive connotation. Having an inflated sense of one’s personal status or
accomplishments is a negative connotation. Having a sense of attachment towards one’s own or another’s
choice and action, or towards a whole group of people is having a fulfilled feeling of belonging. Some
senses of pride are derived from having:
NCO Information
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 7
• Self-Pride –Having self-esteem, self-worth, self- respect, and personal value. It is an essential human need that is vital for survival and normal, healthy development. It arises automatically from within based on your personal beliefs and consciousness. It occurs in conjunction with your thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and actions.
• Civic Pride –Is being proud of or relating to a city or town or the people who live therein or being involved in community affairs. It relates to citizenship and being a citizen. Voting is an example of a civic duty that gives you a sense of civic pride. Taking pride in your unit, your organization, or installation, demonstrates a sense of civic pride.
• National Pride –Being proud of your country or proud of yourself. It means being proud and happy to be a citizen. It can take the form of defending your country in times of need and standing by your country even in difficult times.
• Esprit de Corps –Soldiers want to know they are part of a long-standing tradition. Customs and
traditions remind them they are the latest addition to a long line of Soldiers. The sense of belonging lives in many veterans long after they have left service. Instilling a sense of esprit de corps comes by making Soldiers realize they are part of something greater than themselves. They build deeper Army values, personal values, family bonds, stronger work ethic, and high integrity. It is, therefore, important for leaders to pass on the history that surrounds the organization’s crests, awards, decorations, and badges. Upholding traditions ensures the Army’s culture becomes indispensable to every member of the Army team.
DRILL AND CEREMONIES
1-26. While we no longer use drill and formations to align the ranks as was done for the phalanxes of Rome
or the squares of Waterloo, drill and ceremony is still the foundation of instilling and developing discipline
in any size unit and the individual. Additionally, it is still one of the finest methods for developing
confidence and troop leading abilities in our subordinate leaders.
1-27. Drill enables commanders to quickly move their forces from one point to another, mass their forces
into a battle formation that affords maximum firepower and maneuver those forces as the situation
develops. The hallmark of the world’s best fighting organizations - the Roman legions, the Spartans, the
Foreign Legion, the British Brigade of Guards, and many others - is that they are as good on parade as they
are in the field or in the attack. The objectives accomplished by drill - professionalism, teamwork,
confidence, pride, alertness, attention to detail, esprit de corps, and discipline - are just as important to the
modern Army as they were to the militaries of the past.
• Drill was historically used to prepare troops for battle.
• The three methods of instruction used to teach drill to Soldiers are step-by-step, talk through, and
by the numbers.
• A drill command is an oral order of a commander or leader. The precision with which a movement
is executed is affected by the way the command is given.
1-28. Military ceremonies serve several purposes. The following is not an exhaustive list. Military
ceremonies can honor commanders, officials, or dignitaries; or permit them to observe the state of training
of an organization. Military ceremonies can also be used to present decorations and awards, honor or
recognize unit or individual achievements, commemorate events, mark changes of command and
responsibility, and induct newly promoted NCOs into the ranks.
• Military music was used for signaling during encampments, parades, and combat.
• Bugle calls were adopted during the Continental Army’s contact with the Soldiers and Armies of
Europe.
• Our National Anthem officially became the “Star Spangled Banner” by law on 3 March 1931.
• The Army Song. “The Army Goes Rolling Along” was formally dedicated by the Secretary of the
Army on Veterans Day, 11 November 1956.
Chapter 1
8 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
1-29. The unit guidon and organizational colors remain an integral part of ceremonies. The art of executing
drill with units in unison demonstrates the level of professionalism, discipline, and sense of pride Soldiers
have in their organizations. Training all Soldiers on the Manual of the Guidon is an invaluable skill that
instills that sense of pride and professionalism in them.
1-30. Change of Responsibility. Throughout military history, unit colors have marked the location of the
commander on the battlefield and have served as a rallying point. In more recent times, the colors have
come to symbolize the authority of command and responsibility. The key to the ceremony is the passing of
the unit's colors. The colors represent not only the lineage and honor of authority, but the responsibilities to
the organization. This ceremony marks the transfer of responsibility for the accomplishments of the unit
and the welfare of its Soldiers and their Families from the outgoing to the incoming senior NCO of an
organization. For a sample script see Appendix B.
1-31. The NCO Induction Ceremony is meant to celebrate the transition of a Soldier to a leader as they
join the ranks of a professional NCO Corps. The induction ceremony should in no way be used as an
opportunity for hazing, but more as a rite of passage. It allows fellow NCOs of a unit to build and develop a
cohesive bond and support team development. The importance of recognizing the transition from Soldier to
NCO should be shared among superiors, peers, and Soldiers of the newly promoted. The induction
ceremony should be held separately and serve as an extension of the promotion ceremony. For a sample
script see Appendix C.
INSPECTIONS
1-32. Military inspections provide the means to assess the capabilities of an organization and to identify
any potential problems. NCOs are vital to the inspection program to ensure the unit is operating efficiently,
effectively, and free of issues detrimental to readiness, morale, and mission accomplishment.
1-33. Inspections must have a specific purpose.
• Related to mission accomplishment.
• Tailored to meet the commander’s intent.
• Performance oriented and start with an evaluation against recognized standards to identify
compliance with that standard.
• Capable of identifying and analyzing process improvement opportunities that will increase
performance support, transformation, and reduce risks. Basic elements of an inspection are:
▪ Measure performance against a standard.
▪ Determine the magnitude of the problem(s). ▪ Seek the root cause(s) of the problem(s).
▪ Determine a solution.
▪ Assign responsibility to the appropriate individuals or agencies.
1-34. Organizational Inspection Program (OIP). The OIP provides the commander with an organized
management tool to identify, prevent, or eliminate problem areas.
1-35. Command inspections ensure units comply with regulations and policies and allow commanders to
hold leaders at all levels accountable for this compliance. It allows commanders to determine the training,
discipline, readiness, and welfare of the command and help identify systemic problems within the units and
assist in the recognition of emerging trends.
1-36. Staff Assistance Visits (SAV). SAVs help in unit functional areas such as maintenance, logistics,
human resources, and training to improve and refine processes and to prepare for inspections of those
functional areas. SAVs are intended to help the unit help itself.
WHAT MAKES YOU AN ARMY PROFESSIONAL?
1-37. NCOs are certified in candor, competence, character, and commitment. Consistent demonstration of
these qualities develops mutual trust within cohesive teams.
• Candor - Demonstrated ability to be frank, honest, and sincere with others.
• Competence - Demonstrated ability to successfully perform duty with discipline and to standard.
NCO Information
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 9
• Character - Dedication and adherence to the Army ethic, including Army values, as consistently and
faithfully demonstrated in decisions and actions.
• Commitment - Resolve to contribute Honorable service to the Nation and accomplish the mission
despite adversity, obstacles, and challenges.
• Standards - Enforce standards and discipline while conducting daily missions and making decisions.
This page intentionally left blank.
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 11
Chapter 2
Leadership and Communication
NCO COMMON CORE COMPETENCIES
Six major topic areas (Readiness, Leadership, Training Management, Communication, Operations, and Program
Management) taught in NCO Professional Military Education (PME) are common to all Noncommissioned
Officers regardless of Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), rank, or position. NCO common core
competency (NCO C3) topics support the four Army Learning Areas, includes subjects that are sequential and
progressive, and build on skills, knowledge, and abilities of every NCO by enhancing a shared understanding
required to operate effectively as a professional member of a ready and lethal force.
READINESS
2-1. NCOs are responsible for Soldier readiness and play a key role in unit readiness. This competency
includes inspections, holistic health and fitness (physical, nutritional, mental, spiritual, and sleep readiness),
equipment maintenance, Soldier for Life (SFL), Transition Assistance Program (TAP), resiliency, Medical
Protection System (MEDPROS), and financial readiness.
LEADERSHIP
2-2. The Army relies on NCOs capable of conducting daily operations, executing complex tactical operations,
and making intent-driven decisions. NCOs must lead by example and model characteristics of the Army
Profession. This competency includes servant leadership, counseling, coaching, and mentoring, the Army
ethic, Army values, and character development. It also includes a thorough understanding of the leadership
requirements model (attributes and competencies), critical thinking, and problem solving.
TRAINING MANAGEMENT
2-3. NCOs are directly responsible for training individual Soldiers, crews, and small teams. The Army
training principles provide a broad but essential foundation to guide NCO leaders as they plan, prepare,
execute, and assess sustained and effective training. This competency includes risk management, preparing
an 8-step training model, conducting individual training, and the art and science of training from squad to
brigade level.
COMMUNICATION
2-4. Competent leaders depend on good communication. Leaders cannot lead, supervise, counsel, coach,
mentor, or build teams without the ability to communicate clearly. This competency includes verbal (public
speaking & military briefings), written (English and Grammar), active listening, facilitation, negotiations,
social media, digital communications, and media engagement.
OPERATIONS
2-5. Mission command is the Army's approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision-
making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation. This competency includes multi-domain
operations (land, maritime, air, space, and cyberspace), Joint operations, operational & mission variables,
Troop Leading Procedures (TLP), Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), warfighting
functions/combat power, operational terms & symbols, operational contract support, and DoD strategies.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
2-6. NCOs assist their officer counterparts in managing Army programs that help Soldiers and Families. This
competency includes but is not limited to: The Army Safety Program, Army Training Information System
(ATIS), Army Career Tracker (ACT), Army Training Management System (ATMS), Talent Management,
Army Maintenance Program, Army Community Services (ACS), Information Management, Command
Supply Discipline Program (CSDP), Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army (IPPS-A), and the Army
Force Management Model (How the Army Runs).
12 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
Chapter 2
ROLES OF THE ARMY NCO
2-7. Army NCOs constantly develop as leaders through progressive and sequential procedures that include
holistic training, education, and experience across three learning domains: institutional, operational, and self-
development. An NCO is also in charge of individual training for Soldiers, squads, crews, and small teams.
SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE ARMY (SMA)
2-8. The SMA is the senior enlisted position of the Army, serving as the senior enlisted adviser and consultant
to the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army. The SMA is appointed to serve as the voice
of the NCO Corps to address the issues of enlisted Soldiers to all officers.
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR (CSM)
2-9. The CSM is the senior NCO in the command at battalion and higher levels. The CSM carries out, and
enforces, policies and standards on performance, training, appearance and conduct of the organization. The
CSM is the principal advisor to the commander, giving advice and making recommendations to the
commander and staff in matters pertaining to the organization. The CSM is responsible for enlisted talent
management and ensures all aspects of the NCO C3 are present in the operational domain.
SERGEANT MAJOR (SGM)
2-10. The SGM is the key enlisted member of staff elements at battalion and higher levels. The SGM’s
experience and abilities are often equal to that of the unit CSM, but their direct leadership influence is limited
in scope to those directly in charge. The SGM is key in the training and operations planning process,
leveraging their experience and vast technical and tactical knowledge to advise the staff and the Operations
Officer. The SGM is a subject matter expert in their field, primary advisor on policy development, analytical
reviewer of regulatory guidance and often fulfills the duties of the CSM in the incumbent’s absence.
ENLISTED COMMANDANT (CSM)
2-11. The Department of the Army selected CSMs will serve as an enlisted commandant at NCO Academies.
These CSMs exercise command and control over all elements assigned or attached to the academy. The
responsibilities of an enlisted commandant differ from normal CSM duties and authorities in that they are
solely responsible for directing the operations of their academy through mission command. Enlisted
commandants can be expected to be responsible for property accountability, budget decisions, administrative
actions, manning, training, mentoring, and talent management in addition to the above CSM/SGM
responsibilities.
While the duties and responsibilities may vary, the core competencies required of the CSM and SGM are
synonymous. Those competencies include, but are not limited to:
2-12. Readiness.
• Apply standards for training proficiency and report training data accurately.
• Conduct continuous performance assessments of organizations to ensure effective management of
opportunities (self-development, leadership development, NCOPDS, and functional courses).
• Focus on key training objectives.
• Coordinate and sustain a reception and integration program.
• Determine effectiveness of all policies and practices affecting readiness; manage the process.
• Manage the personnel and individual training components of the Unit Status Reporting (USR).
• Leverage current and proposed initiatives (ESB, EIB, EFMB, AFT) to drive readiness.
• Promote relationships with supporting organizations that support readiness.
• Manage Human Resources to maintain directed levels of individual readiness.
2-13. Leadership.
• Possess the courage and moral strength to do the right thing consistent with the Army Values.
• Execute enlisted talent management utilizing Soldier knowledge, skills, and behaviors.
• Understand Mission Command to execute the commander’s intent through disciplined initiative.
• Extend influence inside and outside the organization through negotiation and utilizing social
intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social skills).
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 13 TC 7-22.7
• Develop agile and adaptive leaders who solve problems using critical and creative thinking to
sustain an organizational culture that enables Mission Command.
• Mentor staff NCOs and officers, continually develop their skills to build a stronger staff and
planning cell.
• Be present and engaged with the unit’s training and operations, provide clear and unbiased feedback
to staff and planners.
• Identify and provide solutions to problems or issues affecting the unit.
• Drive the NCO development process.
2-14. Training Management.
• Foster an organizational learning culture where opportunities for growth and improvement are
enduring.
• Eliminate or minimize training distractions; discipline the training management process.
• Verify completed training is codified in the system of record.
• Conduct After Action Reviews and capture lessons learned.
• Collaborate efforts and resources to allow for cross-training and continuity.
• Ensure training meets the commander’s intent, mission requirements, and Soldier’s abilities.
• Ensure the implementation and proper conduct of key and essential training events such as the AFT, individual and collective training.
• Enforce the 8-step training model.
2-15. Communication.
• Ensure common operating picture through unity of effort, greater efficiency, and increased
accountability.
• Communicate strategic and operational level policy to the tactical level.
• Coordinate staff efforts by assessing and adjusting information sharing as needed, based off
capability gaps or weaknesses as identified.
• Advise the commander in the development and employment of redundant communications systems
(PACE plan).
• Understand the target audience and effectively communicate the message to echo the commander’s
intent and inspire those audiences.
• Monitor and enforce the unit’s digital communications SOPs. Utilizes engaging communication
techniques and messages to ensure open communication, solicit feedback from the staff, and remain
approachable to foster a positive command environment that supports organizational growth through
open and candid communication.
• Assess and advise the impacts of policy and initiatives on the organization.
• Engage key stakeholders and foster strong relationships with agencies within the community to build
teams and expand the unit’s sphere of influence.
• Build relationships with peer units and higher headquarters to champion the unit up and out.
2-16. Operations.
• Understand the operational environment.
• Employ Mission Command principles and support the commander’s priorities and intent.
• Extend the operational reach of the commander in all aspects, from leadership, to planning, and
operations.
• Identify gaps in both the organization and the plan, and then leverage resources to overcome them.
• Engage throughout the planning process – Influence planning efforts to reflect reality and true
training goals.
• Validate unit sustainment practices and participate in sustainment rehearsals.
• Leverage time and resources to plan, prepare, execute, and assess training.
• Enforce the command’s standard operating procedures.
• Have a directed focus on the battlefield and in garrison.
• Ensure leaders are accountable and responsible for the proficiency of their subordinates (Soldiers and Army Civilians) to prepare to conduct its wartime mission.
• Prioritize resources and ensure subordinate unit requirements are met.
Chapter 2
14 August 2025 14 TC 7-22.7
2-17. Program Management.
• Shape leaders through talent management efforts that develop NCOs through educational and
training opportunities.
• Enforce effective use of available time to support unit increases in proficiency; actively champion
the balance of work/life balance for Soldiers and leaders.
• Support commander’s programs and facilitate Army programs through accountability practices
(Unit Deterrence Leader (UDL), Army Oil Analysis Program (AOAP), and Retention).
• Integrate teams to optimize unit performance with programs and practices.
• Understand the vision, objectives, and goals of higher headquarters; advise the commander in
developing supporting efforts and policy.
• Develops, mentors, and manages talent two levels down, based on organizational requirements and
assists in subordinates career progression.
• Implement and maintain organizational Leader Professional Development programs.
• Promote the unit’s heraldry and history.
2-18. General Baron Von Steuben, a key advisor to George Washington, outlined the duties of NCOs such
as the Sergeant Major, Quartermaster Sergeant, and other key NCOs, but it was the company First Sergeant
to which he directed most of his attention. According to Von Steuben, First Sergeants must be "intimately
acquainted with the character of every Soldier in the company and should take great pains to impress upon
their minds the indispensable necessity of the strictest obedience as the foundation of order and regularity."
FIRST SERGEANT (1SG)
2-19. The 1SG is the senior enlisted advisor to the commander at the company/troop/battery level. 1SGs are
responsible for maintaining and enforcing standards, ensuring training objectives are met, developing the
Soldiers in the unit, all administrative functions, and ensuring the health, welfare, and morale of the unit and
their Families. The 1SG serves as a coordinator for training and resources, as well as the lead integrator with
outside organizations and entities. The 1SG is the standard bearer for their organization and serves as a role
model for all Soldiers, NCOs, and Officers.
MASTER SERGEANT (MSG)
2-20. The MSG serves as a key enlisted member of staff elements at battalion or higher levels. Although not
charged with leadership responsibilities equal to that of a 1SG, the MSG’s level of experience makes them
an invaluable member of the staff for input on policy development, training development, and enforcing
standards and discipline within the organization.
2-21. As with the SGM/CSM, the duties and responsibilities of the 1SG and MSG will vary, however, the
core competencies are synonymous. Those competencies include, but are not limited to:
2-22. Readiness.
• Assist the commander in prioritizing AR 350-1 training; enforce the unit’s training program.
• Supervise and guide the unit’s medical readiness (MEDPROS); establish positive relationships with
medical providers.
• Support and enforce the Integrated Disability Evaluation System.
• Promote and establish relationships with supporting organizations that assist in organizational
readiness.
• Advise the commander on Uniform Code of Military Justice actions and manage the execution of
the administration process.
• Implement and manage the unit physical readiness program.
• Enforce and support Soldier for Life and the Transition Assistance Program.
• Manage the Unit Commander’s Financial Report.
2-23. Leadership.
• Live and demonstrate the attributes and competencies of the leadership requirements model.
• Exhibit and maintain an atmosphere of respect, adaptability, and resilience.
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 15 TC 7-22.7
• Assess, create, and foster an ethical and positive culture and climate within the organization.
• Extending influence within and beyond the chain of command to build relationships.
• Prioritize presence at training and determine daily the most important place to be within the
organization.
• Communicate and drive the commander’s vision and intent by serving as the conduit between the
commander and Soldiers.
• Recognize disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent through competency-based talent
management.
• Strengthen the characteristics of trust, honorable service, military expertise, and esprit de corps
through stewardship of the Army Profession.
• Coach and foster servant leadership through effective counseling and development.
2-24. Training Management.
• Develop an organizational learning culture where opportunities for growth and development is
enduring.
• Design, implement, and manage an NCO leader development program and coach junior officers.
• Provide oversight of the training management process.
• Direct the input of completed training data into the system of record DTMS.
• Identify and communicate resource needs to allow for training and cross-training proficiency.
• Understand and participate in the operations process.
• Monitor and evaluate individual and collective training in accordance with the unit’s approved
METL.
• Drive the implementation of the 8-step training model.
• Recommend, implement, and enforce policies and standards in training.
• Assist in developing and maintaining a training calendar to create predictability for service members
and enable comprehensive Soldier and Family fitness.
2-25. Communication.
• Utilize both oral and written products to effectively communicate ideas, viewpoints, and military
correspondence.
• Demonstrate confidence and presence when speaking publicly to present ideas logically and clearly.
• Employ active listening and the components of communication to solve problems and achieve
results.
• Communicate military briefings to the appropriate stakeholders to create shared understanding.
• Understand organizational level policy and apply at the direct level.
• Exercise and enforce emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social skill).
2-26. Operations.
• Understand the operational environment.
• Exercise and support the commander’s priorities and enable mission command.
• Extend the operational reach of the commander in all aspects, from leadership to planning and
operations.
• Analyze operational gaps in both the organization and the plan; leverage the shortfalls by providing
the appropriate resources and guidance to achieve positive results.
• Engage throughout the planning process to ensure training objectives are well defined and achieved.
• Validate unit sustainment practices and direct sustainment rehearsals.
• Understand Army doctrine associated with mission command and operations.
• Endorse and enforce the command’s SOPs.
• Advise commanders and staff; direct the NCO support channel in all operations.
• Leaders must be accountable and responsible for their subordinate’s proficiency in conducting their
wartime missions.
Chapter 2
14 August 2025 16 TC 7-22.7
2-27. Program Management.
• Train and educate subordinates on Army and organizational programs.
• Execute talent management.
• Lead information dissemination within the unit.
• Oversee social media platforms and online conduct.
• Assist and enforce the standards associated with unit maintenance programs.
SERGEANT FIRST CLASS (SFC)
2-28. The SFC may serve in a variety of positions from Platoon Sergeant to NCOIC, or as a member of the
staff at battalion or brigade levels. The Platoon Sergeant is the senior NCO at the platoon level and primary
advisor to the platoon leader. They are responsible for the continued professional development and mentoring
of the platoon leader. The Platoon Sergeant is primarily responsible for the health, welfare, training, and
development of the Soldiers in their charge. They are the first level of NCO that has input into the unit's
Mission Essential Task List and train collective tasks at the platoon level. The SFC, who is an NCOIC on
staff, uses their extensive experience and knowledge base to provide input to their superiors for purposes of
planning or executing operations. They may also be called upon to train Soldiers on both collective and
individual tasks.
While the duties and responsibilities may vary based on assigned position, the core competencies required of
the SFC remain constant. Those competencies include but are not limited to:
2-29. Readiness.
• Prioritize readiness across the formation by forecasting future shortfalls and gaps created by equipment and personnel changes.
• Pro-actively address Soldier issues that will affect unit readiness.
• Assess and manage readiness across the platoon.
• Understand and teach the impact of Soldier’s individual readiness on the unit.
• Manage an effective readiness tracking system.
• Engage with unit's medical providers and Army agencies to resolve individual Soldier’s readiness
issues.
2-30. Leadership.
• Utilize Mission Command to execute the commander’s and platoon leader’s intent through
disciplined initiative empowering subordinate leaders.
• Advise leaders of Soldier’s talents and capabilities.
• Coach and counsel the NCOs in the platoon, as well as advising and mentoring the platoon leader.
• Possess the courage and moral strength to do and teach the right thing within the Army Values.
• Foster a positive and respectful culture within the platoon that supports the Chain of Command
(COC).
• Develop adaptive and agile Soldiers that learn “how to think” vs “what to think” – promote critical
and creative thinking in subordinate leaders.
• Create a climate of discipline and standards through effective training that creates mental toughness,
unit cohesion, bonding, and a spirit of teamwork.
• Create and maintain a command climate through mutual respect between senior and subordinate
personnel by utilizing fairness, justice, and equality for all Soldiers, regardless of race, religion,
color, sex, or national origin.
• Create and foster an ethical and positive culture within the unit.
• Understand DA Pam 600-25, NCO Professional Development Guide, to guide subordinates career
progression within their CMF.
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 17 TC 7-22.7
2-31. Training Management.
• Ensure training is properly planned, resourced, rehearsed, and executed.
• Ensure subordinate leaders conduct proper physical readiness training and have a training plan for
the AFT.
• Ensure Soldiers know and understand commander’s intent, mission requirements, and the reason
for the training event(s).
• Understand, teach, and implement the 8-step training model.
• Set and enforce standards during all training events.
• Tailor training to develop subordinate leaders keeping within the scope of Mission Command
philosophy.
• Eliminate or minimize training detractors, discipline the training management process.
• Understand how to utilize ATN, METL Crosswalk, and individual task selection to develop a training plan.
• Communications.
• Provide direction, guidance, and clear priorities that support the commander’s intent.
• Effectively communicate during planning, preparation, and execution.
• Publicly praise good performance and privately reprimand substandard performance.
• Leverage communication methods and technologies.
• Understand social media communication platforms and reinforce discipline within the platoon.
• Provide clear feedback when reviewing subordinate’s evaluations, award submissions, and training
plans.
• Continually develop and improve written communication skills.
• Operations.
• Assess the operational environment, leveraging knowledge and experience to understand how it will
affect accomplishment of the unit’s mission.
• Employ the principles of Mission Command to support the commander’s intent.
• Synchronize time and resources to plan, prepare, execute, and assess operations.
• Possess a direct focus on successful mission accomplishment.
• Utilize the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) to resolve complex problems, and present
valid courses of action to the platoon leader and commander.
• Advise the platoon leader and commander on prudent and acceptable levels of risk during training
and operations.
• Advise S3/G3 and FUOPS planners in the development of operations and training plans.
2-32. Program Management.
• Ensure platoon/section understand all requirements for qualification, certification, and
recertification for all required tasks.
• Conduct continuous performance assessments to ensure the platoon meets the unit mission
requirements.
• Be personally accountable, and responsible for physical fitness readiness training programs.
• Increase maintenance program efficiency by understanding and being actively involved in platoon
level maintenance.
• Ensure the platoon’s individual and collective training records are accurately recorded in the proper
system of record DTMS.
STAFF SERGEANT (SSG)
2-33. The SSG leads squads and sections and is a critical link in the NCO support channel. As a first line
supervisor, SSGs live and work with Soldiers every day and are responsible for their health, welfare, and
safety. These leaders ensure that their Soldiers meet standards in personal appearance and teach them to
maintain and account for their individual and unit equipment and property. The SSG enforces standards,
develops, and trains Soldiers in MOS skills and unit missions. The SSGs secondary role is to support the
chain of command through the NCO Support Channel.
The core competencies required of the SSG include, but are not limited to:
Chapter 2
14 August 2025 18 TC 7-22.7
2-34. Readiness.
• Understand and communicate the importance of readiness, the systems that track it, and the impacts
it has on the mission.
• Promote and support current and proposed initiatives (ESB, EIB, EFMB, AFT) to drive readiness.
• Understand, train, and assess individual, team, and squad tasks that fall within unit METL.
• Develop squad training plans that support the unit METL and are nested with platoon and company
training plans.
• Understand the reception and integration process for individual Soldiers.
• Integrate Army programs into unit readiness.
2-35. Leadership.
• Actions and conduct consistently reflect the Army Values and Army Ethics; remain a role model
for Soldiers.
• Understanding the Mission Command Philosophy enables the execution of the Commander’s intent
through disciplined initiative.
• Take opportunities to continually train Soldiers, share knowledge to develop subordinates for
increased positions of responsibility.
• Be the subject matter expert in their PMOS.
• Know your Soldiers at a personal level to promote effective personal and professional counseling.
• Employ adaptive thinking and problem-solving skills to resolve conflicts and manage Soldier issues.
• Understand and execute prudent risk management.
• Create and foster an ethical and positive culture within the unit.
2-36. Training Management.
• Build a learning organizational culture where opportunities for growth and improvement are
encouraged.
• Verify completed training is documented in the system of record DTMS.
• Collaborate efforts and resources to allow for cross-training and continuity.
• Ensure training meets the commander’s intent, mission requirements, and enhances Soldier’s
abilities.
• Execute training and remain engaged throughout the planning process.
• Implement and enforce policies and standards on training and emphasize the 8-step training model.
• Lead tough, realistic, and challenging training.
2-37. Communications.
• Employ active listening to gain a thorough understanding of commander’s intent, unit’s mission,
and challenges presented by the operational environment.
• Communicate commander’s intent and operational objectives ensuring a shared understanding by
subordinates.
• Effectively using written communication when writing narratives, awards, evaluations, and
electronic communications.
• Solicit feedback from subordinates or audience to ensure content is understood by all.
• Use visual modeling to complement narratives; enhance shared understanding.
• Operations.
• Understand the commander’s intent and employ principles of mission command to achieve it in the
operational environment.
• Understand unit capabilities and how to employ them.
• Engaged throughout the planning process, assist in and be a part of the planning, preparation,
execution, and assessment of training.
• Understand and execute battle drills, command’s SOPs, and local unit policies.
• Be a combat multiplier utilizing systems; have a directed focus on the battlefield and in garrison
(ATRRS manager, Battle Staff, MFT, RFMSS, TAMIS, DTMS).
• Be a trainer to increase proficiency of their subordinates (Soldiers and Army Civilians) to prepare
to conduct a unit’s wartime mission.
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 19 TC 7-22.7
2-38. Program Management.
• Conduct performance assessments to ensure the squad meets unit mission requirements; leverage
knowledge and experience to manage issues and solve problems at the squad level.
• Know where and how to use support agencies to enhance or maintain Soldier readiness (ACS, AER,
JAG, EO, IG).
• Manage and enforce equipment maintenance plans within the squad.
• Ensure individual and squad collective training is recorded in appropriate system of record DTMS.
• Support unit’s heraldry, history, and local command’s programs (NCO induction ceremony, FRG,
BOSS).
• Review DA PAM 600-25 for guidance within your CMF.
SERGEANT (SGT) AND CORPORAL (CPL)
2-39. The SGT leads teams as part of a squad, crew or section and is the first line of the NCO Support
Channel. As a first line supervisor, SGTs have the most direct impact on Soldiers. SGTs live and work with
Soldiers every day and are responsible for their health, welfare, and safety. The counseling, training, and care
SGTs provide will determine the success of the unit’s mission and prevent issues from occurring during home
station operations. These leaders ensure their Soldiers meet all standards. They teach them to maintain and
account for their team members as well as unit equipment.
2-40. The CPL was established in 1775 with the birth of the Army and the NCO Corps. Along with the rank
of sergeant, the corporal is the only rank that has never disappeared from the NCO Corps. CPLs are the base
of the NCO ranks, serving as leader of the smallest Army units, principally, team leaders. Like sergeant,
corporals are responsible for the individual training, personal appearance, and cleanliness of their Soldiers.
As the command sergeant major is known as the epitome of success in the NCO Corps, the corporal is the
beginning of the NCO Corps. As the NCO Corps is known as the backbone of the Army, the corporal and
the sergeant are the backbone of the NCO Corps.
The core competencies required of the SGT/CPL include, but are not limited to:
2-41. Readiness.
• Document and report individual and team training data accurately.
• Conduct performance assessments and open and honest counseling of subordinates.
• Focus on commander’s key training objectives and own the individual training of your Soldiers that
supports readiness.
• Know your Soldiers and how their individual readiness affects unit readiness.
2-42. Leadership.
• Demonstrate the courage and moral strength to do the right thing consistent with the Army Values
and the Army Ethics.
• Develop Soldier knowledge, skills, and behaviors.
• Understand mission command to execute the commander’s intent through disciplined initiative.
• Take opportunities to grow as a leader and continually seek self-improvement and knowledge for
higher levels of responsibility.
• Create and foster an ethical and positive culture within the unit.
2-43. Training Management.
• Follow Troop Leading Procedures and the 8-step training model to support the training management
process.
• Understand the commander’s intent, mission requirements, and know Soldiers’ abilities to achieve
desired training outcomes.
• Execution of key and essential training events such as the AFT, individual, and collective training.
• Follow and enforce policies and standards on training.
• Lead effective, challenging, and realistic training.
Chapter 2
14 August 202520 TC 7-22.7
2-44. Communications.
• Understand and translate the commander’s intent and ensure Soldiers understand the unit’s mission.
• Understand and enforce appropriate digital communications practices following OPSEC and social
media policies.
• Use effective communication and messages to support a positive environment and the Army
profession.
• Collaborate with other NCOs, coordinate resources, and cross-train Soldiers.
2-45. Operations.
• Understand the operational environment and the commander’s intent.
• Provide feedback to supervisors, which will influence planning efforts for realistic and attainable
training goals.
• Time management- considers resources to plan, prepare, execute, and assess training.
• Ensure enlisted Soldiers are accountable and responsible for their actions.
2-46. Program Management.
• Employ time management to allow for predictability.
• Seek additional duties and support unit programs.
• Understand the commander’s vision and goals.
• Research and use Army programs for Soldier care.
• Review DA PAM 600-25 for guidance within your CMF.
NCO SUPPORT CHANNEL
2-47. The NCO Support Channel (leadership chain) parallels and complements the chain of command. It is
a channel of communications and supervision from the Command Sergeant Major (CSM), to 1SG and then
to other NCOs and enlisted personnel of the unit. Commanders define responsibilities and authority of their
NCOs to their staff and subordinates by:
• Transmitting, instilling, and ensuring the efficacy of the professional Army ethic.
• Planning and conducting day-to-day unit operations within prescribed policies and directives.
• Training of enlisted Soldiers in their MOS as well as in the basic skills and attributes of a Soldier.
• Supervising unit physical fitness readiness training and ensuring that unit Soldiers comply with the
height/weight and appearance standards of AR 600–9 and AR 670–1.
• Teaching Soldiers the history of the Army, to include military customs, courtesies, and traditions.
• Caring for individual Soldiers and their Families, both on and off duty.
• Teaching Soldiers the mission of the unit and developing individual training programs to support
the mission.
• Accounting for and maintaining individual arms and equipment of enlisted Soldiers and unit
equipment under their control.
• Administering and monitoring the Noncommissioned Officer Development Program (NCOPDS)
and other unit training programs.
• Achieving and maintaining courage, candor, competence, commitment, and compassion.
DA Pam 611–21 and AR 600-20 contain specific information concerning the responsibilities, command
functions, and scope of NCO roles.
Roadmap To Leadership and Effective Teams
2-48. The Army defines leadership as the activity of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and
motivation, to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. The NCOs approach to leadership is to
take charge, build the team, and accomplish the mission. Leadership is developed over time, through
challenging experiences, and developed through the three domains. Although doctrine is generally not
specific to commissioned officers or NCOs, the responsibilities focus areas, and the approach to leadership
doctrine is unique for the NCO.
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 21 TC 7-22.7
ARMY LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENTS MODEL
2-49. The leadership requirements model aligns expectations with leader development activities and
personnel management practices and systems. The model’s components center on what a leader is
(attributes—BE and KNOW) and what a leader does (competencies—DO). A leader’s character, presence,
and intellect enable them to apply the core leader competencies and enhance their proficiency. Leaders who
gain expertise through operational assignments, institutional learning, and self-development will be versatile
enough to adapt to most situations and grow into greater responsibilities. Figure 2-1 illustrates the framework
of the Leadership Requirements Model.
Figure 2-1. Leadership Requirements Model
2-50. A significant distinction between the attributes and competencies of the leadership requirements model
is that competencies are skills that can be trained and developed while attributes encompass enduring personal
characteristics, which are molded through experience over time. A Soldier can be trained to be a capable
machine gunner but may not necessarily be a brave machine gunner without additional experience. Every
institutional, operational, and self- development event is an opportunity for observation, feedback, and
reflection.
CORE LEADER ATTRIBUTES
2-51. Attributes are characteristics internal to a leader. These affect how an individual behaves, thinks, and
learns within certain conditions. Strong character, solid presence, and keen intellect enable individuals to
perform the core leader competencies with greater effect. The three categories of core attributes are—
• Character: the moral and ethical qualities of the leader.
• Presence: characteristics open to display by the leader and open to viewing by others.
• Intellect: the mental and social abilities the leader applies while leading.
Chapter 2
14 August 202522 TC 7-22.7
CORE LEADER COMPETENCIES
2-52. The core leader competencies are actions that the Army expects leaders to do which are to lead, develop,
and achieve. Competencies provide an enduring, clear, and consistent way of conveying expectations for
Army leaders. The core competencies are universal for all Army leaders. The core competency categories
are—
• Leads: (take charge) provides purpose, direction, and motivation; builds trust; provides an example;
communicates.
• Develops: (build the team) develops themselves, creates a positive climate, develops subordinates,
and stewards the profession.
• Achieves: (accomplish the mission) executes, adjusts, and gets results to accomplish tasks and
missions on time and to standard.
MISSION COMMAND AND BE, KNOW, DO
2-53. Mission command is the Army’s approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision
making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation (see A P 6-0). The attributes and
competencies that NCOs need to exercise mission command are discussed in the Leadership Requirements
Model. To put these attributes and competencies into action, we focus on what an NCO must Be, Know, Do.
2-54. Be
• Physically fit and mentally tough.
• Role Model (words and deeds).
• Candid, Competent, Courageous, and Committed.
• Tactically and Technically Proficient.
2-55. Know
• Your Soldier.
• Yourself.
• Mission and unit capabilities.
• Operating environment.
2-56. Do
• What is right morally and ethically.
• Decisive.
• Develop seniors, peers, and subordinates.
• Lead from the front.
COMPLIANCE VS. COMMITMENT
2-57. Military leaders are responsible for achieving all assigned missions. That is the expected result or
outcome of their leadership. They can do this through either commitment or compliance-focused influence.
Compliance-focused is directed at a follower’s behavior. It is generally effective for gaining short-term and
immediate results. It also works well in time- constrained environments with basic tasks that require a specific
action or behavior, and there is little need for follower understanding.
2-58. Long-term and lasting change requires a different focus. Leaders must move beyond compliance-
prompted behavioral changes and focus on influencing follower’s attitudes, beliefs, and values to gain
commitment. Commitment-focused is directed at a follower's thinking and implies the followers want the
organization to succeed and positive changes to occur. Committed followers decide to take personal
ownership of mission tasks, have internal buy-in to the leader’s decisions and orders, and proactively dedicate
themselves to mission accomplishment. They feel a shared responsibility for the successful completion of the
task at hand. The critical point is that the commitment is self-initiated. It is a cognitive, thought-based process.
The leader can create an environment that promotes and encourages follower commitment, but the bottom
line is that the individual must make a personal, internal, thought-out decision to fully sign on to the mission.
The challenge for the organizational-level leader is gaining this commitment from subordinate
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 23
leaders and followers for the health and future of the organization. How do they do it? It all begins with
power.
POWER
2-59. A core tool or means leaders can leverage to gain follower commitment is the power available to them.
Power is defined as the capacity to influence others and implement change. It is not the actual influencing
action. Influencing is the application of power. Without power, there is little influencing; and with no
influencing, there is no opportunity to gain genuine compliance or commitment from others.
2-60. What are the sources of a leader’s power? According to Dr.’s Gary Yukl and Cecelia M. Falbe, there
are two independent sources of power: position and personal. The first is the authority that comes from the
position the leader is filling. This gives them position or positional power. With this form of power comes
the authority of the position. Position power promotes follower compliance. The second source of power is
personal power. This power comes from the leader’s followers and is based on their trust, admiration, and
respect for the leader. It is tied to the leader’s expertise and personality. Personal power encourages and
connects with follower commitment. See Figure 2-2 for more information on sources of power.
Figure 2-2. Sources of Power
2-61. Position power is derived from a particular office or rank in a formal organization. According to
taxonomy of social psychologists John R.P. French and Bertram Raven, it can be divided into further
subcategories such as coercive, legitimate, reward, and information. When this power is applied with
appropriate influence techniques, it can be very effective in changing the behavior of followers. In other
words, it is excellent in gaining compliance.
2-62. Coercive power is the opposite of reward power. Whereas reward power offers something positive and
desirable, coercive power presents something negative and undesirable. Coercive power is the capacity to
influence others through administering negative sanctions such as punishments, removal of privileges, or
being placed in a bad light among one’s peers. Coercive power is stereotypical of toxic military leaders. This
form of power has serious limitations and disadvantages. It may bring temporary compliance but undermines
long-term commitment. It could result in passive-aggressive behavior, retaliation, and formal complaints
against the chain of command leading to disciplinary or relief actions.
2-63. Legitimate power comes from the leader’s formal or official authority. Individuals with legitimate
power influence others through orders and requests that are consistent and appropriate with their position. In
the exercise of legitimate power, the followers respond because they believe the leader has the right to make
requests or give orders, and they have an obligation to comply. Command is a form of legitimate power.
According to ADP 6-22, Army Leadership, “command is the authority a commander in the military service
lawfully exercises over subordinates by virtue of rank or assignment. It grants military leaders both the right
and obligation to make decisions, give orders, and exercise control of resources such as budgets, equipment,
vehicles, and other assigned materials.”
Chapter 2
14 August 2025 24 TC 7-22.7
2-64. Reward power involves the capacity of leaders to use highly desired resources to influence and motivate
their followers. These include promotions; selection for special duties, activities, or privileges; best
competitions; medals; letters of appreciation or commendation; and so on. On a lesser but still significant
scale, the reward could be public or private verbal praise, a thank you note, time off, an intercession on
another’s behalf, or a simple recognition by handshake or personal acknowledgment. When Soldiers realize
their leaders in the chain of command know who they are, it can be highly motivational. The rewards leaders
generate for followers are limited only by their creativity and originality.
2-65. Information power includes access to critical information, control over its dissemination, and the ability
to act on that information. Based on rank and position, organizational leaders routinely have access to
information that subordinates do not. Thus, a leader who controls the flow of information can interpret events
for subordinates and influence both perceptions and attitudes. Information is also vital in crisis situations
because it is essential to the emotional wellbeing of those being led.
2-66. Personal power is derived from the followers based on their trust, admiration, and respect for the leader.
It is the power given to the leader by the followers based on the leader’s personality or expertise. It can be
subdivided into two categories: expert power and referent power. When this power is applied with appropriate
influencing techniques, it can be very effective in gaining commitment in others. This is because it allows
the leader to influence not just the follower's behavior but their thinking as well through an appeal to personal
attitudes, beliefs, and values. It is important to remember that followers can withdraw this power just as easily
as they give it. Whereas position power encourages follower compliance, personal power promotes follower
commitment with the use of proper influence tactics.
2-67. Expert power is based on the knowledge and expertise one has in relation to those being led. It is being
the subject matter expert or SME. The more knowledge, skills, talents, and proficiencies leaders have, the
more power they can leverage. Those selected for battalion CSM typically have a proven track record of
success in demanding leadership roles, such as operations SGM or similar positions requiring experience and
expertise. These prior assignments provide them with the essential knowledge and expertise to excel as a
battalion CSM. The challenge at the organizational level is that there may be many individuals in a battalion
possessing varying levels of expert power. This could include assigned warrant officers, various
noncommissioned officers, and those whose assignments have given them special knowledge or experiences.
Part of leveraging expert power is the leader’s effective utilization of all available expert resources to
accomplish the mission.
2-68. Leaders can offset a lack of expert power by leveraging their referent power. Referent power refers to
the strength of the professional relationship and personal bond leaders develop with their followers. When
followers admire leaders and view them as role models or even friends, they imbue them with referent power.
People will work hard for such leaders simply because they want to look good in their eyes and not let them
down. To put it another way, referent power is the power generated by relationships; the brick and mortar of
solid organizations. The stronger the relationship, the higher the probability things will get done and get done
well. Also, referent power has the highest potential of all the forms of power to gain a strong commitment
from the followers.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
2-69. The application of influence tactics is also demonstrated through one’s leadership style. While the
Army doctrinally does not advocate specific leadership styles, it is beneficial to be aware of the six most
recognized styles discussed by Dr. Goleman during his emotional intelligence research. The six leadership
styles are:
• Authoritative.
• Affiliative.
• Democratic.
• Coaching.
• Pacesetting.
• Coercive.
2-70. The first four leadership styles are much more effective at achieving a positive climate, high levels of
performance, and deeper follower commitment. Probably the most effective of the four is the authoritative
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 25
style. The Authoritative (not authoritarian) style mobilizes people toward a common vision and says, Come
with me. The leader enthusiastically works to get people on board with the vision. The leader’s focus is
follower ownership and buy-in of the vision. It is a style that is noted for very effective communication skills.
See Figure 2-3 for more information on leadership styles.
2-71. The Affiliative leader says, People come first. It is a style that creates harmony, emotional bonds, trust,
honesty, and teamwork. Followers are given the freedom to do their jobs and flexibility is always enhanced
by this style.
2-72. Then there is the Democratic style. It builds consensus through participation and asks, what do you
think? The democratic style is noted for open dialogue, effective listening, and collective decision making.
There are also high levels of follower frustration resulting from this style because of endless meetings and
the time required to arrive at a final decision.
2-73. The Coaching leadership style develops people for the future and is characterized by the phrase, Try
this. It focuses more on personal development than immediate work-related tasks. It is the least used style
because leaders indicate they do not have the time to engage in the slow process of helping followers grow.
Soft influencing tactics such as participation, consultation, personal appeals, and relationship building are the
hallmark of these four styles.
Leadership Styles*
Figure 2-3. Leadership Styles
2-74. The Pacesetting style on the other hand, sets very high standards of performance. It is the Do as I do
and do it now style. It is characterized by a leader who is a workaholic, role models high standards, wants
everything to be better and faster, and promptly replaces those who do not measure up. Pacesetting leaders
expect followers to know what to do and, if they need to be told what to do, they are the wrong fit for the job.
Pacesetters usually believe follower development is a waste of time and resources. Legitimate requests and
pressure are common influencing tactics employed by these two leadership styles. The coercive and
pacesetting styles are effective at gaining short-term follower compliance but generally have negative long-
term consequences. When comparing leadership styles, one is not better another, but that they all have a
purpose and an associated methodology that can prove very effective when aligned with the leaders’ sources
of power, selection of appropriate influencing techniques, and application of those techniques with emotional
intelligence skills. When considering your style as a leader, you must analyze it from this broader perspective
to ensure you have properly aligned all the components of power and influence to support your actions and
behavior. If not, the consequential misalignment will achieve results you probably never wanted or expected.
2-75. The Coercive style demands immediate compliance and can be described by the phrase, Do what I tell
you! It is a toxic, disrespectful, and bullying style that almost always results in low follower morale and
productivity.
DYNAMICS OF LEADERSHIP
2-76. The most effective leaders adapt their approach to the mission, the organization, and the situation. A
division commander addressing brigade commanders before conducting tactical operations leads and
communicates differently than a drill sergeant training new recruits in basic training. Personnel movements,
Chapter 2
26 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
changes in timelines, anticipated resources that do not materialize, adversaries that do what was least
expected, and weather that keep operations grounded are some of the constant changes that affects peacetime
and combat operations. Commanders, leaders, and staffs plan for possible changes and continually monitor
progress to engage as needed. Leaders account for the important factors affecting the dynamics of leadership.
Four consistent factors are:
• The leader.
• The led.
• The situation.
• The communication.
THE LEADER
2-77. NCOs motivate and influence Soldiers inside and outside of the chain of command and develop an
identity through clear leadership and self-awareness. Self-awareness is fundamental to understanding one’s
abilities through accurately assessing their own experience and competence as well as earning the trust of
those they influence.
FORMAL LEADERSHIP
2-78. NCOs have different responsibilities and authorities at different echelons. The Uniform Code of
Military Justice supports military leaders in positions of legitimate authority. Leaders use lawful authority
and clear communication to ensure adherence to regulation, policies, and standards. As an NCO, you have
duties and responsibilities that you must accomplish. These duties include:
2-79. Specified Duties: Those related to jobs and positions, mainly military occupational specialty (MOS)
related duties. Be proficient and knowledgeable on Army directives, Army regulations, and down-trace
doctrines that affect a Soldier’s development.
2-80. Directed Duties: Those issued by superiors orally or in writing; these duties are not found in the unit’s
organizational charts.
2-81. Implied Duties: Often support specified duties, but in some cases, they may not be related to the MOS
job position. These duties may not be written but are implied in instructions. They are duties that improve
the quality of the job and help keep the unit functioning at an optimum level.
COMMAND
2-82. NCOs that are members of a command team share the responsibility for effectively using available
resources and for planning the employment of, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling military
forces for the accomplishment of assigned missions. Command team relationships are unique. The Army
expects command teams to lead beyond the mere exercise of formal authority. They lead by example and
serve as role models. Their personal example and actions carry tremendous weight.
INFORMAL LEADERSHIP
2-83. Informal leadership exists throughout organizations and plays a critical role in mission accomplishment.
Informal leadership and networks are not solely based on rank or position in the organization, and it stems
from a personal relationship, specialized knowledge, unique experiences, or technical expertise specific to
an individual or team. Informal networks that operate in support of organizational goals are a force multiplier.
THE LED
2-84. Every Army leader is a subordinate to someone, so all good leaders also practice good followership.
Followership is defined as, "Followers of character and commitment acting to support the needs and goals of
the team." This means putting the needs of others in front of your desires and building a relationship of trust
and loyalty. We are all bound by the same regulation and standards, and by acknowledging and demonstrating
this, we build and establish trust with our Soldiers. The willingness of their leaders and their subordinates to
serve faithfully and competently in both leadership and followership roles is the foundation of humility.
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 27
HUMILITY
2-85. In its simplest form, humility is the absence of arrogance. For humility to apply, a leader must first have
competence and confidence. Too much or too little humility can signal a lack of self-awareness that
undermines followers’ trust and confidence in the leader’s ability to make the right decisions. Individuals
need to guard against their biases and assess character based on the whole set of Army Values and attributes
and look out for the unit’s welfare to achieve success.
THE SITUATION
2-86. The situation affects which actions leaders take. Leaders consider the unique characteristics of the task
or mission at hand, the abilities of their subordinates, their familiarity with similar situations, and amount of
time available. High-risk or urgent situations often require immediate decisions, particularly in combat. Low
risk or slowly developing situations allow leaders to spend more time with deliberate and collaborative
approaches, coaching, and teaching subordinates as they go along. This fosters a higher level of commitment,
develops subordinates, and creates the organizational cohesion essential for leading successfully in
challenging situations.
2-87. Leaders learn to adapt to the situation by disciplining themselves to practice different approaches. This
prepares leaders to adapt to new, urgent, stressful, or high-risk situations. In general, leaders should strive to
improve all the leader attributes and core leadership competencies, adapt their leadership techniques to each
situation, and become lifelong learners. This requires leaders to:
• Know how to assess tasks and conditions.
• Know how to assess their own capabilities and those of their followers.
• Know how to adjust their leadership techniques.
• Know those they lead.
• Understand how to employ the mission command approach to the situation.
• Develop themselves and the competence of subordinates.
• Establish and maintain positive leadership climates.
COMMUNICATION
2-88. Competent leadership requires excellent communication. Communication as a competency ensures
more than the simple transmission of information. Communication generates a shared understanding and
situational awareness. Succinctly communicating information in a transparent manner is an essential skill for
both leaders and subordinates to learn. Leaders cannot lead, supervise, counsel, coach, mentor, or build teams
without communication. Communication also flows from bottom to top. Effective leaders observe their
organizations by circulating among their followers to coach, listen, and clarify.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
2-89. The Army is a vast network of cohorts and components. The need for electronic communications cannot
be overstated, especially in today’s operations. The existence of physical distances between units, especially
in COMPOs 2 and 3, make the reliance on electronic communication a necessity and an integral part of an
organization’s PACE plan. The use of thorough OPORDs, VTC, and texting can assist in providing context
and developing greater dissemination of information.
2-90. However, electronic communication cannot replace audio and visual cues, and emotions that can only
occur with face-to-face interactions through shared understanding and active listening. NCOs must remember
that if electronic means are part of a PACE plan, all communications must remain professional. Anything
that Soldiers post, share, text, or mail is no different than saying it in front of a formation. See (AR 600-20,
AR 25-13) for further guidance.
LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
2-91. The Army acknowledges three levels of leadership.
• Direct.
• Organizational.
• Strategic.
Chapter 2
28 14 August 2025TC 7-22.7
2-92. The leader attributes and competencies apply across all leadership levels. The concept of subordination
helps members understand the expectations the Army has for them across a career. Foundations include
understanding oaths, dignity, and respect for all people, the Army Values, leadership, command, authority,
Army operations, military discipline, and similar basics (see figure 2-4). Leaders gain a firmer understanding
of the enduring requirements and add specialized knowledge as they move through the levels.
Figure 2-4. Army Leadership Levels
DIRECT LEADERSHIP
2-93. Direct leadership is face-to-face or first-line leadership that generally occurs in organizations where
subordinates see their leaders all the time, such as teams, squads, sections, platoons, departments, companies,
batteries, and troops. The direct leader's span of influence may range from a few to dozens of people. The
leader's day-to-day involvement is vital for successful unit performance. Direct level leadership covers the
same type of functions, such as those performed by an infantry squad or a graves registration unit.
2-94. Direct leaders develop others through coaching, counseling, mentoring, and setting an example. For
instance, company-grade officers and noncommissioned officers are close enough to Soldiers to exert direct
influence when observing training or interacting with subordinates during other functions.
2-95. Direct leaders generally experience more certainty and less complexity than organizational and
strategic leaders because of their close physical proximity to their subordinates. They direct actions, assign
tasks, teach, coach, encourage, give guidance, and ensure successful completion of tasks or missions. They
must be close enough to the action to determine or address problems. Examples of direct leadership tasks are
vehicle maintenance, supervision of the creation of fighting positions, and performance counseling.
2-96. Direct leaders understand the mission of their higher headquarters two levels up and when applicable,
the tasks assigned one level down. This provides them with the context in which they perform their duties.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
2-97. Organizational leaders build teams of teams with discipline, cohesion, trust, and proficiency through
personal example, using a wide range of knowledge and applying leader competencies. They focus their
organizations down to the lowest level on the mission by disseminating a clear intent, sound concepts, and a
systematic approach to execution.
2-98. Organizational leaders build on direct leader experiences, reflect the Army Values, and instill pride
within organizations. Since they lead complex organizations throughout the Army’s operating and generating
forces, organizational leaders often apply elements of direct and organizational leadership simultaneously.
2-99. Given the increased size of their organizations, organizational leaders influence indirectly more often
than directly. Soldiers and subordinate leaders look to their organizational leaders to set achievable standards,
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 29
to provide clear intent, and to provide the necessary resources. Decisions and actions by organizational
leaders have more significant consequences for more people over a longer time than those of direct leaders.
Since the connections between action and effect are sometimes more remote and challenging to see,
organizational leaders spend more time than direct leaders coordinating, thinking, and reflecting about what
they are doing and how they are doing it. Organizational leaders develop clear concepts for operations as
well as policies and procedures to control and monitor execution.
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
2-100. Strategic leaders include military and civilian leaders at the major command through DoD levels.
Strategic leadership guides and integrates multiple organizational level units that perform a wide range of
functions and influences several thousand to hundreds of thousands of people.
2-101. Strategic leaders apply all core leader competencies they acquired as direct and organizational leaders,
while further adapting them to the complex realities of their strategic conditions. Strategic leader decisions
must consider congressional hearings, Army budgetary constraints, new systems acquisition, civilian
programs, research, development, and inter-service cooperation. Every strategic leader decision has the
potential of affecting the entire Army.
2-102. Strategic leaders are essential catalysts for change and transformation. Because they follow a long-
term approach to planning, preparing, executing, and assessing, they often do not see their ideas come to
fruition during their tenure. Relying on many subordinate leader teams, the Army depends on organizational
leaders to endorse the long-term strategic vision and ensure it reaches all the Army. Because they exert
influence primarily through their senior staffs and subordinates, strategic leaders must have excellent
judgment when selecting and developing subordinates for critical duty positions.
NAVIGATION OF THE CONTINUUM
2-103. NCOs must continue to progress through different levels and echelons. The developmental stages that
lead to a shared understanding and growth must be deliberate and measured through actions, thoughts, and
counseling. See figure 2-5.
Figure 2-5. Skill Level Progression
Chapter 2
30 14 August 2025TC 7-22.7
Team Building
2-104. Army team building is a continuous process of enabling a group of people to reach their goals and
improve their effectiveness through leadership and various exercises, activities, and techniques. Figure 2-6
shows the Army team building process. The potential benefits for using the team building techniques in this
section include—
• Increasing mutual trust among all team members and with other teams.
• Enhancing collaboration between team leaders and team members.
• Developing adaptable teams able to function effectively in uncertain environments and situations.
• Helping teams develop shared vision, trust, competence, and confidence.
Figure 2-6. Army Team Building
2-105. Developing cohesive teams is a process that transforms groups of people into effective teams that can
accomplish missions and perform tasks. This continuous process helps newly formed teams from initial
orientation and integration through mission accomplishment. Team leaders and team members must know
and understand the stages in this process so they can identify them as the team develops and progresses.
Identifying and monitoring each stage allows the team to move toward the next step. The three stages of team
building are the—
• Formation stage.
• Enrichment stage.
• Sustainment stage.
2-106. Teams go through stages on their way to improving their effectiveness. Teams mature at different
3-rates, but almost every team goes through the stages of form, enrich, and sustain. The goal of working
4-through the team building stages is for the team to display the characteristics of an effective team. For more
5-information on each stage of team building see ATP 6-22.6, chapters 2, 3, and 4.
THE TEAM LEADER
2-107. The team leader is the individual who provides guidance, instruction, and direction to a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal. The leader enables the team to work together. Dynamic leaders build
groups into teams and help personnel understand the fundamentals of team building. This type of leader
knows how to build teams and set the stage for team success by establishing a positive atmosphere. Team
leaders set goals to strengthen team connections, sense of purpose, commitment, and communication. Team
leaders create an environment that fosters teamwork, promotes cohesion, and encourages initiative.
2-108. The team leader has a distinct and critical role in developing effective teams. Some of the
responsibilities of a team leader include (but are not limited to)—
• Establishing a positive climate.
• Creating a shared vision and team identity.
• Providing clearly stated goals.
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 31
• Establishing roles and responsibilities.
• Establishing an environment of collaboration and dialogue.
• Establishing an environment that embraces learning.
• Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of team members.
2-109. Effective team members are disciplined, task-oriented, and have a strong work ethic. They are open-
minded, adaptable, and eager to learn. As a successful and capable member of a team, each person develops
individual self-awareness to be a productive member of a team. This self-awareness allows team members to
identify the positive attributes they seek in themselves and in other team members. Figure 2-7 below describes
techniques for dealing with changes to the Team.
Figure 2-7. Techniques for Adapting to Team Changes
COUNSELING, COACHING, AND MENTORING
2-110. Counseling is central to leader development. Counseling is the process used by leaders to guide
subordinates to improve performance and develop their potential. Subordinates are active participants in the
counseling process. During counseling, leaders help subordinates to identify strengths and developmental
needs and create plans of action. There are three types of developmental counseling:
2-111. Event oriented counseling involves a specific event or situation and includes:
• Instances of superior or substandard performance.
• Reception and Integration counseling.
• Crisis counseling.
• Referral counseling.
• Promotion counseling.
Chapter 2
14 August 202532 TC 7-22.7
• Separation counseling.
2-112. Performance counseling is the review of a subordinate’s duty performance during a specified period
and includes:
• Communicating standards and is opportunity for leaders to establish and clarify the expected values, attributes, and competencies.
• Ensuring that performance objectives and standards focus on the organization’s objectives and the
individual’s professional development.
• Periodic performance counseling as part of the NCOER support form requirements, per AR 623-3.
• Counseling at the beginning of and during the evaluation period ensures the subordinate’s personal
involvement in the evaluation process.
2-113. Professional growth counseling includes:
• Planning for the accomplishment of individual and profession goals.
• Identify and discuss subordinate’s strengths and developmental needs.
• Create an individual development plan that builds on those strengths and developmental needs.
• Opportunities for civilian and military schooling, future assignments, special programs, and
reenlistment options. Refer to ATP 6-22.1 for more information on the counseling process.
2-114. Coaching relies primarily on teaching and guiding to bring out and enhance capabilities already
present. Coaching is a development technique used for skill, task, or specific behaviors (see FM 6-22).
The coach helps them understand their current level of performance and guides them to reach the next level
of development. Coaches should possess considerable knowledge in the area in which they coach others.
2-115. Mentorship is the voluntary developmental relationship that exists between a person of more
significant experience and a person of lesser experience that is characterized by mutual trust and respect (AR
600-100). The mentoring relationships exist outside the superior−subordinate relationship. Supportive
mentoring occurs when a mentor does not outrank the person they mentor, but has extensive knowledge and
experience they wish to share with someone over time. Mentoring relationships may occur between peers
and between senior NCOs and junior officers; thus, mentoring can occur across many levels of rank.
2-116. Coaching, counseling, and mentoring will intertwine with techniques that can lead to:
• More focused goals.
• Greater self-awareness.
• Uncover potential.
• Eliminate developmental barriers.
• Develop plans of action.
ARMY OFFICERS AND NCO RELATIONSHIP
2-117. Mutual trust and common goals are the two characteristics that enhance the relationship between
officers and NCOs. For instance, "Leaders who commit to coaching, counseling, and mentoring subordinates
build relationships that foster trust. These relationships built on trust enable leaders to empower subordinates,
encourage initiative, reinforce accountability, and allow for open communication. Further, these relationships
establish predictability and cohesion within the team. Doing so ensures Soldier safety while forming
professional and personal bonds with the officers based on mutual trust and common goals.” NCOs are “the
backbone of the Army” and are the senior enlisted advisors who assist commanders with knowledge and
discipline for all enlisted matters.
2-118. Every Soldier has a Sergeant. Officers are no exception. Platoon Sergeants, First Sergeants, Sergeants
Majors, and Command Sergeants Majors at all levels serve as their respective officer’s Sergeant.
2-119. An important part of your role as an NCO is how you relate to commissioned officers. To develop this
working relationship, NCOs and officers must know the similarities of their respective duties and
responsibilities.
2-120. Commissioned officers hold a commission granted by the President of the United States once approved
by the United States Senate, which authorizes them to act as the President’s representative in certain military
matters. Laws, regulations, policies, and customs limit the duties and responsibilities of commissioned
officers, NCOs, and government officials.
Leadership and Communication
33 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
As the President’s representatives, commissioned officers carry out the orders of the Commander-in-Chief
as handed down through the chain of command. In carrying out orders, commissioned officers get
considerable help, assistance, and advice from NCOs.
2-121. NCOs obtain their authorities as agents of the Secretary of the Army outlined in Army regulations.
They support the command authority of commissioned officers. As the Secretary of the Army’s
representatives, NCOs carry out the orders of Commander-in-Chief through the chain of command. In
carrying out orders, NCOs provide support, assistance, and advice to officers.
2-122. A Commissioned Officer:
• Commands and establishes policy, plans, and programs the work of the Army.
• Must be technically and tactically proficient in his/her branch and that of the organization.
• Concentrates on collective training to enable the unit to accomplish the mission.
• Is primarily involved with unit operations, training, and related activities.
• Pays particular attention to the standards of performance, training, and professional development of
Officers as well as NCOs.
• Creates conditions, makes time and other resources available, so the NCO can do the job.
• Supports and empowers the NCO.
2-123. A Noncommissioned Officer:
• Conducts the daily business of the Army within established orders, directives, and policies.
• Focuses on individual training, which develops the capability to accomplish the mission.
• Primarily involved with training and leading Soldiers and teams.
• Ensures each subordinate team, NCO, and Soldier is prepared to function as an effective unit and
each member is well trained, highly motivated, ready, and functioning.
• Concentrates on standards of performance, training, and professional development of NCOs and
enlisted Soldiers.
• Follows orders of officers and NCOs in the support channel.
• Maintains good order and discipline, suggests, and implements solutions to unit issues.
• Gives candid feedback to their officer counterparts and ensures the welfare of Soldiers and their
Families.
• Accomplishes the mission.
• Is a master trainer.
• Develops foresight and keep standards high.
• Possesses the courage to act.
• Subject matter expert in their MOS, able to provide clear and concise input relevant to MDMP.
2-124. The success of the U.S. Army is directly related to the quality of the professional relationships between
its officers and NCOs. The officer/ NCO team forms the cornerstone of our Army, and when the bond is
formed, it can have the single most important impact on unit effectiveness and efficiency. Conversely, if the
bond is broken, it can have a devastating impact on morale, esprit de corps, readiness, and mission
accomplishment.
2-125. NCOs accept as an unwritten duty, the responsibility to instruct and develop Second Lieutenants, but
it is the company commander’s responsibility to train lieutenants and the battalion commander who is the
driving force behind the training of lieutenants.
2-126. There are several critical officer/NCO relationships that form the bond as a team: platoon
sergeant/platoon leader, 1SG/company commander (CDR), and CSM/CDR at battalion and higher. Both
NCOs and officers have expectations of each other that form the foundation of a strong relationship. Two
expectations that are applicable to all NCO/officer relationships are: NCOs and officers can expect mutual
respect, trust, and loyalty from their counterparts; NCOs and officers should always appear unified. If there
is a disagreement, it must be settled out of sight and out of sound of everyone.
2-127. What should the NCO expect of an Officer? The NCO can expect the officer to:
• Have personal integrity and high morals.
• Maintain a high state of appearance be a standard bearer.
• Be fair, be consistent, and have dignity.
Chapter 2
14 August 2025 34 TC 7-22.7
• Be compassionate and understanding- do not be aloof to the issues and problems of Soldiers.
• Have courage in the face of danger.
• Have courage of convictions and stand up for what is right, even though it might be hard.
• Not expose themselves or Soldiers to unnecessary risk.
• Protect family time and encourage work/life balance.
• Be accountable for their own actions and the actions of their Soldiers.
• Endure hardships equal to the hardships experienced by Soldiers.
2-128. What should the officer expect of an NCO? The officer can expect the NCO to:
• Be loyal to the officer’s position.
• Be devoted to the cause of national defense.
• Possess endurance and motivation that matches officers.
• Possess intestinal fortitude and courage.
• Possess a strong desire to achieve goals that matches officers.
• Possess a strong spirituality, love of country, and a love of duty that matches officers.
• Endure hardships equal to the hardships experienced by Soldiers.
• Master expertise in Army programs that supports the needs of Soldiers and their Families.
2-129. What should a platoon sergeant expect of their platoon leader? The PSG can expect the PL to:
• Be pleasant and approachable.
• Let the NCOs handle the problems of the platoon, while keeping him/her informed.
• Be equally involved in physical training, to share ownership of successes and shortcomings,
communicate with the platoon when opportunities arise.
• Uphold the highest standards.
• Show maturity and display candor.
• Recognize the imbalance of experience.
• Ensure the PL and PSG begin with common goals.
• Communicate. Good communication does not happen all by itself. Talk, talk, talk, and listen, listen,
listen.
• Counsel. The PL and PSG must work together to establish realistic, recognizable standards and after
counseling a Soldier, communicate the results to each other.
• Give the company CDR and the 1SG a perspective of how he/she is operating with the PSG.
• Lead Squad Leaders and depend on NCOs to directly lead individual Soldiers.
• Give the company CDR and the 1SG a perspective on how the PSG is performing.
• Delegate tasks effectively to focus on other responsibilities; trust the NCOs with the details and
ensure they have the necessary guidance and resources.
• Seek and utilize the NCO feedback to make informed decisions; value NCO insight and convey that
their input strengthens the platoon.
• Influence and cultivate culture that evolves to meet current organizational and Army objectives,
ensuring alignment with the commander’s vision while fostering a cohesive and mission-ready
environment.
2-130. What should platoon leader expect of their Platoon Sergeant? The PL can expect the PSG to:
• Understand the inherent responsibility to coach and counsel the PL to develop their competence,
character, and commitment in the performance of their duty. Developing junior officers is a PSG’s
responsibility.
• Recognize the imbalance of experience.
• Demonstrate tact and diplomacy with the PL.
• Offer advice but execute orders.
• Incorporate the PL into the team he/she must lead.
• Mold, guide, and educate the PL to the subtleties of Army life.
• Share knowledge and experience.
• Train and correct the PL when needed.
• Show a genuine concern that the PL is learning the right way instead of the easy way.
Leadership and Communication
35 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
• Present a unified front. Do not undermine or destroy the PLs credibility (Remember that
order/counter-order creates disorder).
• Set the example for the PL through military bearing and consistent demonstration of character,
competence, and commitment to the mission, Soldiers, and their Families.
• When the PL makes a mistake, make sure they learn from those mistakes, if repeated; provide firm,
pointed instruction to keep it from being habitual.
• Give the company CDR and the 1SG a perspective on how the PL is performing.
• Give the PL the PSG’s view on matters before the PL discusses with the company CDR.
• Influence and cultivate culture that evolves to meet current organizational and Army objectives,
ensuring alignment with the commander’s vision while fostering a cohesive and mission-ready
environment.
2-131. What should the 1SG expect of the company CDR? The 1SG can expect the company CDR to:
• Possess the same qualities expected of all officers.
• Maintains a positive rapport with the battalion CSM.
• Administer fair and impartial justice.
• Take responsibility for their actions and those of the unit and Soldiers.
• Seek the 1SG’s advice.
• Never belittle or undermine the 1SG and respect the position or the 1SG's authority.
• Influence and cultivate culture that evolves to meet current organizational and Army objectives,
ensuring alignment with the commander’s vision while fostering a cohesive and mission-ready
environment.
2-132. What should the company CDR expect of the 1SG? The company CDR can expect the 1SG to:
• Possess the same qualities expected of all NCOs.
• Maintain discipline.
• Train, educate, and share experiences with both the commander and Soldiers.
• Loyal to the commander’s position.
• Develop and agree on the goals, standards, and objectives of the company.
• Build training plans with platoon leadership that supports the commander’s vision.
• Ensure all administrative functions are executed accurately and on time.
• Build mutual trust and respect for each other.
• Know the commander’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Know their responsibilities as defined in AR 600-20.
• Possess a strong sense of duty.
• Ready the company for any mission.
• The standard-bearer in appearance, morals, ethics, values, competences, and commitment.
• An advisor but execute orders.
• The subject matter expert in Army programs that best supports the needs of Soldiers and their
Families.
• Influence and cultivate culture that evolves to meet current organizational and Army objectives,
ensuring alignment with the commander’s vision while fostering a cohesive and mission-ready
environment.
2-133. What should the CSM expect of the battalion/brigade CDR? The CSM can expect the BC to:
• Possess the same qualities expected of all officers.
• Seek advice and share views.
• Maintain open communications with the CSM.
• Fair and impartial.
• Inspire leaders and Soldiers.
• Understand each other and how they will function together as a team.
• Harness the CSM’s talents.
• Do not limit the CSM’s duties or responsibilities.
• Resource the CSM as an enlisted extension of the BC.
• Learn to know the CSM’s feelings about any given subject.
Chapter 2
36 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
• Give the position of CSM the respect it is due.
• Empower the NCO support channel to solve problems at the lowest level.
• Ensure there is no one in the chain of command that comes between the BC and the CSM.
• Provide manning guidance and plan for manning proportionately, and manning issues.
• Provide training guidance that includes crew certification, and company METL evaluations.
• Influence and cultivate culture that evolves to meet current organizational and Army objectives,
ensuring alignment with the commander’s vision while fostering a cohesive and mission-ready
environment.
2-134. What should the battalion/brigade CDR expect of the CSM? CDRs can expect the CSM to:
• Possess the same qualities expected of the BC.
• Understand each other and how they will function together as a team.
• Share views.
• Visit Soldiers on the ground and get their perspective. Inspect and check where Soldiers are.
• A leader of presence and character.
• Inspire leaders and Soldiers.
• Manage the organization’s sponsorship program.
• Manage processes and procedures.
• An expert in customs, courtesies, traditions, and ceremonies.
• Understand each other and how they will function together as a team.
• A reliable, trusted confidant.
• Have honest and candid communications and be able to disagree without being disrespectful.
• Ensure there is no one in the chain of command that comes between the team.
• Direct access and accountable to the BC.
• After obtaining advice and deciding, the CSM supports those decisions.
• Ensure the CSM provides advice to company CDR/1SG relationships, CSM/1SG relationships,
CSM/company CDR relationships vs. the company CDR/battalion staff relationship.
• Ensure the CSM is responsible for assigning incoming NCOs.
• Be impartial and be objective.
• Conduct inspections, check training, sit as president of promotion boards, and be a part of the
reenlistment program.
• Work closely with the EO/EEO/Chaplain and SHARP Advocate.
• The subject matter expert on all Army programs to support Soldiers and their Families.
• Most experienced trainer in the organization.
• Learn to know the commander’s feelings about any given subject.
• Execute manning guidance and develop plans for manning proportionately, and manning issues.
• Assist unit leaders understand the commanders training guidance that includes crew certification,
and company METL evaluations.
• Influence and cultivate culture that evolves to meet current organizational and Army objectives,
ensuring alignment with the commander’s vision while fostering a cohesive and mission-ready
environment.
ARMY CIVILIANS AND NCO RELATIONSHIP
2-135. The Army currently employs the largest civilian workforce within the DOD. Army Civilians are
skilled personnel dedicated to serving the nation as an integral part of the Army team. They provide mission-
essential capability, stability, and continuity during war and peace to support Soldiers. The Army instills the
essential characteristics of the Army profession and prepares Soldiers and Army Civilians to operate in
dynamic environments. The Army Civilian and NCO relationship enables the Army to continue to
accomplish its mission through performance, while contributing to the overall organizational goals.
2-136. Except for direct combat operations, Army Civilians serve alongside Soldiers in all operational
environments. Taking an oath to support and defend the Constitution, Army Civilians provide mission-
essential support and services. The NCO must understand the role Army Civilians play and how to utilize
them in taking care of Soldiers and accomplishing the mission. Whether working directly over, under, or with
Leadership and Communication
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 37
Army Civilians, NCOs will afford the same level of respect given to fellow Soldiers. By knowing the rules
and regulations to which Army Civilians adhere, the NCO will gain an understanding on how to best build
relationships and create a climate that’s beneficial to all.
2-137. An NCO’s use of social skills (team building) and especially inter-personal tact allows them to work
effectively with other Soldiers and Civilians. When civilians supervise NCOs they understand the
professional development guidance needed to assist NCOs in their career advancement.
This page intentionally left blank.
39 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
Chapter 3
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
The Army’s primary mission is to organize, train, and equip its force to conduct prompt and
sustained land combat to defeat enemy ground forces and seize, occupy, and defend land areas.
It supports four strategic roles for the joint force. Army forces shape operational environments,
counter aggression on land during crisis, prevail during ground combat, and consolidate gains.
Army forces achieve objectives through the conduct of operations. An operation is a sequence
of tactical actions with a common purpose or unifying theme (see FM 3-0). Operations vary in many
ways. They occur in all kinds of physical environments, including urban, subterranean, desert,
jungle, mountain, maritime, and arctic. Operations vary in scale of forces involved and duration.
Operations change factors in the physical, information, and human dimensions of an operational
environment.
3-1. The training management cycle is a continuous process of prioritizing, assessing, planning and preparing,
executing, and evaluating training. The commander drives the training management cycle by first prioritizing
training, assessing proficiencies, and considering key factors such as time, resources, and upcoming missions.
3-2. Commanders examine and conduct long-, mid-, and short-range planning and preparation for
training. Units then execute training by performing prioritized tasks to prescribed standards. Lastly,
continuous feedback through evaluation and other key inputs provides the commander the information
necessary to accurately assess unit training proficiencies.
Figure 3-1. The training management cycle
40 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
Chapter 3
THE ARMY’S PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING
3-3. There are nine principles of training that guide how Army leaders implement effective and disciplined
training. These principles strive to influence how commanders and leaders ensure that training achieves the
proficiencies required to win. See ADP 7-0 for a discussion of each of these:
• Commanders are the primary trainers.
• NCOs train individuals, crews, and small teams; they provide input and advise commanders on all
aspects of training.
• Train using multiechelon techniques.
• Train as a combined arms team.
• Train to standard using appropriate doctrine.
• Train as you fight.
• Sustain levels of training proficiency over time.
• Train to maintain.
• Fight to train.
THE ARMY OPERATIONS PROCESS IS THE TRAINING PROCESS
3-4. The Army training process applies the operations process. Using the operations process framework
provides leaders the same methodical, cyclical approach to plan unit training and conduct every training
event. With the commander as the primary and central figure in training, the commonality between unit
operations and training becomes evident. Planning, preparing, executing, and assessing unit training does not
significantly differ from performing these activities for an operation. Using the Army operations process for
training supports the principle of training: train as you fight.
TRAINING DOMAINS
3-5. Training occurs in three domains, institutional, operational, and self-development (See AR 350-1 for a
complete discussion of the training domains). Each training domain complements the other and has an
important role in both leader development and unit preparedness. Additionally, the NCO Corps has a
significant role in a Soldier’s development as well as their own as they transition through each training
domain, often concurrently.
3-6. The institutional training domain includes Army centers/schools that provide initial training and
subsequent functional and professional military education and training for Soldiers, military leaders, and
Army Civilians. Army schools ensure Soldiers, leaders, and Army Civilians can perform critical tasks to
prescribed standards throughout their careers, and support units on a continuous basis. Army schools help
instill the Army Profession, the Army Ethic, and character development of Army professionals. Within the
institutional training domain is the NCO Professional Development System (NCOPDS). The goal of NCO
training and education is to prepare NCOs to lead and train Soldiers who work and fight under their
supervision and to assist their leaders to execute unit missions.
3-7. NCOPDS is linked to promotion to SGT, SSG, SFC, MSG, and SGM (see AR 600-8-19 for more
information on enlisted promotions and demotions).
3-8. NCOPDS provides the NCO with progressive and sequential leader, technical, and tactical training
relevant to the duties, responsibilities, and missions they will perform in operational units.
3-9. The NCOPDS is geared towards more training in the early stages of Soldier and leader development. As
leaders progress, less emphasis is placed on training and more emphasis is placed on education through
lifelong learning.
3-10. Training is focused more on a step-by-step list of what needs to be done to accomplish the skill being
learned and is accomplished when the trainee can reiterate the right answers and/or demonstrate the approved
way of doing something. Training is specific, has a defined goal and a time, and requires a demonstration of
proficiency.
3-11. Education is broader than training. It prepares learners to be critical and analytical thinkers for effective
problem solving by facilitating the learning of principles, concepts, rules, facts, and associated skills and
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
41 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
values/attitudes. Education aims to develop a NCO’s understanding, abilities to synthesize information, and
enhance skills within and beyond their role.
3-12. Unit professional development programs reinforce knowledge that is essential for the development of
leaders. NCO Professional Development Program (NCOPDP) sessions are tailored to unique unit
requirements and support the commander’s leader training and leader development program. NCOPDP
consists of training, programs, formal and informal, one-on-one groups, involving coaching as well as
instruction, and will be fully integrated into the unit's overall training program. NCO development is achieved
through a progressive sequence of local and Army level education, unit and individual training, and
assignments of increasing scope and responsibility. The NCO Corps has a small population of senior NCOs
who serve in positions at strategic assignments. While small, applicable regulations address preparing and
identifying the right talent to fill these high-visibility positions. These include the SMA, senior NCOs in
Army commands and combatant commands, Army Staff, and Congressional liaison positions. These are all
referred to as nominative SGM positions (see AR 350-1 for NCOPDP goals and objectives).
3-13. When considering leader development in units, assignments of increasing scope and responsibility
linked to broadening assignments are key to career management and development, such as progressing from
Squad Leader to Platoon Sergeant and taking assignment and serving as an instructor or recruiter.
3-14. The operational training domain encompasses training activities that unit leaders schedule, and
individual units and organizations undertake. NCO leaders are responsible for the proficiency of their
subordinates while assigned to the unit. It is primarily in the operational training domain that NCOs and their
subordinates progressively develop leader skills in support of the unit training mission. AR 350-1 states, "the
operational domain is where leaders undergo the bulk of their development."
3-15. Experience in the operational domain is essential for leader development. Experience enables leaders
to execute mission command (MC) at all levels of responsibility. It is where junior leaders achieve technical
competence, mid-grade leaders further develop their ability to lead units and organizations, and senior leaders
are developed to compete for higher echelon assignments and responsibilities.
3-16. While in the operational domain, NCOs provide subordinate leaders and Soldiers with active role
modeling and provide developmental feedback during training (see FM 6-22). Leaders allow their
subordinates adequate time to pursue education and self-development opportunities. Leader development
makes an essential contribution to any unit’s readiness to train effectively and accomplish its mission.
3-17. The self-development domain includes planned and goal-oriented learning that reinforces and expands
the depth and breadth of an individual’s knowledge base and self-awareness. Self- development bridges
learning gaps between the operational and institutional domains and sets conditions for continuous learning
and growth.
3-18. Self-development complements what is learned in the classroom and on the job, enhances professional
competence, and helps meet personal objectives. There are two types of self-development:
• Guided self-development is recommended but optional learning that will help keep personnel
prepared for changing technical, functional, and leadership responsibilities throughout their career.
• Personal self-development is self-initiated learning where the individual defines the objective, pace,
and process.
NCO ROLES IN TRAINING
3-19. The NCO Corps has an enduring, vital, and foundational role in unit training. NCOs are responsible
for the training of Soldiers, crews, and small teams. NCOs conduct standards-based, performance-oriented,
battle focused training. They-
• Ensure Soldiers are proficient in individual tasks (MOS and common tasks) (see STP-21-1- SMCT); battle drills; assigned individual weapons, crew served, platform weapons systems; and
meet physical fitness standards.
• Provide timely training feedback to the commander to assess the unit’s training proficiency
accurately and objectively.
• Know and enforce training standards.
• Crosswalk and develop platoon and lower echelon battle tasks to ensure they nest with company
mission-essential tasks (METs).
Chapter 3
42 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
• Fulfill a critical role by assisting in the professional development of the officer Corps and junior
NCOs.
• Maximize Soldier participation and reduce training distractors.
• Protect training time.
UNIT TRAINING PROFICIENCIES
3-20. There are three proficiencies units train for (see Figure 3-2), which are:
• Mission-essential tasks (MET)
• Weapons
• Collective live-fire
Figure 3-2. Unit Training Proficiency Elements
3-21. Mission-essential tasks (MET). METs only go down to company level, but below that, NCOs use battle
tasks. A battle task is a collective task on which a lower echelon trains that supports a company mission-
essential task. Battle tasks enable lower echelons (and staffs) to achieve battle-focused training by nesting
their collective tasks to the company METs. Battle tasks are reviewed, and approved by the company
commander and are not reportable for unit readiness reporting. For example, at platoon level, the platoon
leader and Platoon Sergeant analyze each company MET to determine which platoon collective tasks best
supports the company MET. At squad level, the NCO Squad Leader analyzes platoon battle tasks to determine
squad collective tasks that best support the platoon battle task.
3-22. This process continues down to the lowest company echelon, for example crew/team/section level
where the NCO leader determines the battle tasks for their echelon. At this lowest company echelon, the
NCO determines the best individual tasks that best support the battle task at that level. This crosswalk ensures
that the METs at the company level nest down to the tasks individual Soldiers train. The tasks individual
Soldiers train forms the proficiency foundation for the company, battalion and ultimately the brigade (see
FM 7-0).
NCOS TRAIN TO STANDARD
3-23. As NCOs train Soldiers and small units, they ensure that training is task-based, meaning that tasks
(individual, collective, etc.) are what individuals and units train to achieve training proficiency. This also
includes achieving weapons proficiency standards. Standards for both tasks and weapons are developed and
published by proponents. A proponent is the command/agency responsible for the development of branch
specific guidance, doctrine, and other publications. An example of a proponent is the Cyber Center of
Excellence (CCoE). For example, training standards are found in:
• Individual task training and evaluation outlines (T&EOs). Proficiency ratings are GO/ NO-GO for these tasks. Search ATN by task title/number.
• Collective task T&EOs. Proficiency ratings are T, P, U (see FM 7-0). Search ATN by task
title/number.
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
43 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
• Weapon qualification standards are found in the specific weapon’s training circular (TC).
Proficiency ratings are QUALIFIED/NOT QUALIFIED. Find these on the APD website.
• Collective live-fire. Proficiency ratings are T, P, U (see FM 7-0). Search ATN by task title/number.
3-24. Training events provide a structured framework for units to train tasks under realistic conditions to
evaluate task proficiency. Training events by themselves are not a measure of training proficiency. They are
categorized as crawl, walk, or run level events and progressively develop specific task and skill proficiencies.
Some training events focus on the development of technical proficiencies like gunnery and weapons
qualification.
NCO TRAINING TECHNIQUES
3-25. NCOs employ training techniques that uniquely apply to small units (company and below and to staffs).
The characteristics of these techniques are that they are generally low cost, require limited training areas or
facilities, and can be conducted without extensive planning or resources (see FM 7-0). These include:
• Lane training.
• Opportunity training.
• Sergeant's time training.
• Training models.
LANE TRAINING
3-26. Lane training is a company and below training technique designed to practice and evaluate a task or
series of tasks in a small, controlled training area or facility. Lanes are designed to practice, observe, and
evaluate individual tasks, collective tasks, or battle drills. In lane training, a small unit operates from a
stationary position or tactically moves mounted or dismounted through a prescribed land course (a lane). An
evaluator observes as the unit performs selected tasks. The tasks performed are observed and evaluated based
on standards outlined in the tasks’ T&EO. There are two types of lane training (see FM 7-0):
• Lane training exercise (LTX)
• Situational training exercise (STX)
3-27. The advantages of lane training include:
• It requires limited space to execute tasks.
• The training environment is unit controlled.
• Tasks are based on unit proficiency requirements and training objectives.
• Feedback of performance is immediate.
• It provides the opportunity to conduct multiple task iterations, retrain tasks as necessary, and execute
tasks until performed to standard.
OPPORTUNITY TRAINING
3-28. Opportunity training (also referred to as hip-pocket training) consists of individual tasks or crew-based
skills trained when there are inactive periods (down time) during scheduled training. It is a part of
multiechelon training and is used for improving or sustaining task proficiency when time is available.
Opportunity training requires forethought, leader certification, and appropriate resourcing prior to execution.
Skills selected for opportunity training must support unit-prioritized mission-essential tasks and battle tasks.
Tasks and drills often selected for opportunity training are those that leaders can easily train in 10 to 20
minutes.
SERGEANT’S TIME TRAINING
3-29. Sergeant’s Time Training (known as STT) provides scheduled training time set aside by unit
commanders for unit NCOs to train their Soldiers in specified tasks and skills. STT is standards-based,
performance-oriented, and battle-focused training. Units conduct this beneficial and effective training every
week. Many installations reserve three or four hours each week for STT. The day or time of the week is not
important. Units plan for, resource, rehearse, and execute STT with no external distracters. See AR 350-1,
para 5-11 for more information.
Chapter 3
44 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
TRAINING MODELS
3-30. Training models are a unit developed training management tool that provides a logical and adaptable
framework of activities to plan, prepare, and execute small unit (platoon and below) training. Training models
help leaders plan and execute training events that are not complex and do not require extensive resourcing or
planning. NCOs tailor training models in the number of steps and procedures used based on experience,
effectiveness, and unit preferences. Training models are not a replacement for TLP or the operations process
in planning at these echelons (train as you fight). A widely used training model is the 8-step training model.
This model provides a simple technique for junior leaders at lower echelons in thinking through and managing
simple training events at platoon and below but is not a replacement for TLP (see FM 7-0).
8-STEP TRAINING MODEL
3-31. Training models are an effective technique for small units (company and below) to plan and prepare a
training event. They provide a logical and reliable framework of activities and actions for small-unit leaders
to plan and prepare, execute, and evaluate single training events. The 8-step training model is the Army’s
preeminent training model. See Figures 3-3 and 3-4 on the following pages for more detail.
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
45 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
Figure 3-3. The 8-Step Training Model
Chapter 3
46 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
Figure 3-4. The 8-Step Training Model Template
RISK MANAGEMENT
3-32. Every leader and individual are responsible for integrating the five-step risk management process into
operations and activities both on and off-duty. Risk management (RM) is the Army process for identifying,
assessing, and controlling risks, then making decisions that balance risk cost with benefits. The Army uses
risk management to help maintain combat power while ensuring mission accomplishment in current and
future operations. The Army has a limited number of trained Soldiers and pieces of equipment. It is the
Soldier’s duty to maintain themselves, as well as the personnel and equipment entrusted to him or her. RM
applies to operations and to nonoperational activities.
3-33. The principles of risk management are:
• Integrate RM into all phases of missions and operations.
• Make risk decisions at the appropriate level.
• Accept no unnecessary risk.
3-34. The steps of the risk management process (See Figure 3-5 on page 45) are:
• Identify the hazards.
• Assess the hazards.
• Develop controls and make risk decisions.
• Implement controls.
• Supervise and evaluate.
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
47 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
Figure 3-5. Risk Management Process
3-35. For additional information on risk management, refer to DA Pamphlet 385-30 and ATP 5-19.
WEB-BASED TRAINING RESOURCES
3-36. NCOs know and enforce training doctrine as the first step to effective unit training. Second to that is
an NCOs understanding of the web-based systems that support training doctrine. NCOs access web-based
training support through the Army Training Management System (ATMS). It is the current Army enterprise
program allowing leaders to store, display, report and share individual and unit training data. ATMS consists
of web-based applications and centralized databases all of which can be accessed through ATN and include-
• Army Training Network (ATN)
• Combined Arms Training Strategy (CATS)
• Digital Training Management System (DTMS)
3-37. The ATMS suite of applications automates some routine command, unit, institution, and individual
training processes. These ATMS enablers directly support Army training doctrine. Secondary to a full
understanding of training doctrine is a knowledge and an understanding of what these systems deliver in
support of training management.
3-38. In addition to the resources available through ATMS, there are additional helpful resources to assist
NCO trainers. These include, but are not limited to, the Center for Army Leadership (known as CAL), the
Central Army Registry (CAR), and the Center for Army Lessons Learned (known as CALL). Additional
information can be found in Appendix C: Leader Tools.
TRAINING MEETINGS
3-39. Training meetings review training just conducted, discuss planning for future events, and provide a
platform for the commander to issue training guidance. Additionally, training meetings facilitate the flow of
training information and coordination among unit leaders. Training meeting how-to videos are available on
the Army Training Network (ATN).
3-40. Company, troop, and battery training meetings are the center of gravity of unit training management.
Regular Army and RC units serving on active duty conduct training meetings weekly. RC units conduct
training meetings monthly. They occur at the same time every week or month and are routine to the company
training schedule. Successful training meetings focus on—
• Training proficiency overview.
• Training just conducted (previous week). Subordinate feedback from training just conducted is
critical to the commander to better assess the unit’s training proficiencies. The commander uses feedback to refine training plans and training guidance. Feedback includes—
Chapter 3
48 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
▪ Observations.
▪ After action review results.
▪ Completed evaluator training and evaluation outlines. (See chapter 5 for training and evaluation
outlines.)
▪ Other sources of feedback available to the commander.
• The company’s leader development planning for training events focusing on leader development
goals and objectives.
• Mid-range planning and preparations (T-16 (represents activities 16 weeks prior to execution) to T- 7).
• Short-range planning and preparations (T-6 to T) and commander’s short-range training guidance.
3-41. Participants of the training meeting include:
• Company/Troop/Battery Commander. The commander runs the training meeting and ensures
the meeting agenda is followed. The commander begins the meeting by reviewing the current
assessment of unit mission-essential tasks, reviews upcoming major training events, and
reviews the organization’s training schedules. The commander provides short- range training
guidance for upcoming events and confirms the status of requested training resources.
• Executive Officer. In the absence of the commander, the executive officer runs the training
meeting. This officer also coordinates training for all Soldiers in sections or attachments without
platoon leaders or platoon sergeants. The executive officer provides the status of resources to
support upcoming events and identifies resource issues affecting training. Additionally, the
executive officer identifies any new resource requirements.
• First Sergeant. The first sergeant reports on Soldier, crew, and small-team task proficiencies. The
first sergeant provides guidance and advice on training plans and reviews pre-execution checks.
Additionally, the first sergeant actively participates in the development of training plans for
platoons (battle tasks and identification of resource requirements). The first sergeant advises the
commander on the approval of individual Soldier tasks for planned opportunity training. The first
sergeant also discusses the status of sergeant’s time training (known as STT).
• Platoon Leaders. Platoon leaders plan and manage platoon training. They provide feedback on
training conducted and provide recommendations on future training events.
• Platoon Sergeants. Platoon sergeants assist their platoon leaders in planning and managing
platoon training. In conjunction with their platoon leaders, they provide feedback on training
conducted and provide recommendations on future training events.
• Key Staff Noncommissioned Officers. Higher echelon staff NCOs attend training meetings as
necessary. They advise the company commander on the status of specialized training. For
example, the battalion master gunner works with the company master gunner and first sergeant to
track individual and crew-served weapons qualifications and helps leaders with gunnery
qualification requirements. Other key battalion or brigade NCOs identify and advise company
leaders on opportunities to integrate specialized training into upcoming events.
• Supporting Maintenance Personnel. Supporting maintenance personnel work with the
commander and executive officer ensuring timely support is provided. Maintenance personnel
provide input on the status of maintenance training, recommend maintenance training, and inform
the commander of scheduled services and inspections that may impact training. Additionally,
supporting maintenance personnel may advise the commander on maintenance training
requirements.
• Supply Sergeant. Supply sergeants provide input on supply-related issues, inspections, and
inventories. Supply sergeants also work with the executive officer and first sergeant to coordinate
necessary support from outside sources. They assist the executive officer and first sergeant
in identifying, coordinating, and resourcing logistic support.
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
49 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
• Attached and Other Support Leaders. Other leaders attend training meetings to coordinate
their training efforts with those of the company. For example, the leader of an attached radar
section may attend the meeting. Habitual attachments, such as medics or fire support personnel
should also attend. These leaders provide their evaluation of tasks and battle drills previously
trained.
3-42. Scheduling Training Meetings. Commanders prioritize training meetings and conduct them on the
same day and time each week. This regularity provides predictability to training. Company leaders conduct
training meetings in any environment—at home station or deployed. They are also conducted regardless of
the time management cycle the unit is in (green, amber, or red).
3-43. Leaders consider several factors before selecting a time to conduct training meetings. Main
considerations include—
• Enabling leaders to attend.
• Minimizing training disruptions.
• Allowing subordinate leaders time to prepare.
• Adhering to local policy.
3-44. RC commanders should conduct training meetings during regularly scheduled drill periods unless the
commander designates otherwise.
3-45. For additional information on training meetings, refer to FM 7-0, Appendix E.
MISSION COMMAND
3-46. Mission Command is the Army’s approach to command and control that empowers subordinate
decision making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation. The mission command approach to
command and control is based on the Army’s view that war is inherently chaotic and uncertain. No plan can
account for every possibility, and most plans must change rapidly during execution to account for changes
in the situation (ADP 6-0).
3-47. Noncommissioned Officers play a critical role as leaders within an organization to enforce and enable
Mission Command by their everyday actions, whether in garrison or during operations. Figure 3-6 details
other factors that affect the level of control that commanders and NCOs apply to situations based on various
factors, both internal and external.
Figure 3-6. Control
Chapter 3
50 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
PRINCIPLES OF MISSION COMMAND
3-48. Since Mission Command is concentrated on the objective, rather than every subordinate task within,
the principles of Mission Command require a lot of latitude and understanding by the NCO Corps.
Noncommissioned officers conduct mission command every day—from physical training to pre-combat
inspections and checks, command maintenance activities, and during combat operations. Successful Mission
Command is enabled by the principles of competence, mutual trust, shared understanding, commander’s
intent, mission orders, disciplined initiative, and risk acceptance. NCOs must strive to improve their
understanding and implementation of these principles daily. The seven principles reinforce the criticality of
the NCO Corps in the day-to-day operations of their unit. See Figure 3-7 for more information on how
Mission Command is aligned with NCO attributes and competencies. NCOs of value are valued within their
organizations.
3-49. Competence is the foundation principle of Mission Command. Units with competent leaders and
Soldiers can have an organization that exercises mission command. Competence is built through the three
domains of leader development. These three domains are the institutional, operational, and self-development.
NCOs are expected to be experts in their MOS and skill level, and in various Army programs (physical
readiness training, administrative tasks, etc.). Competent NCOs are not just good “field Soldiers”, but rather,
well-rounded and set the example in all environments.
3-50. Examples of NCO focus areas for each leader development domain to build competence (See Table 3-
1).
Table 3-1. NCO Focus Areas
Leader Development Domains Examples
Institutional NCOPDS (BLC, ALC, etc.)
Functional Training (Battle Staff NCO Course, Master Gunner)
Operational
Deployments
Home Station Training (Gunnery, STX, Maintenance)
Leader’s Time Training (Individual, crew, team training)
Self-Development
Self-study (learning down trace doctrine and regulations)
Civilian Education
Competitive board preparation (Audie Murphy, NCO of the Month, etc.)
3-51. Mutual trust is gained by competent leaders, subordinates, and peers. Leaders must be able to trust their
peers and subordinates, just as peers and subordinates must trust their leaders. The NCO’s role is critical in
this process as they are the principal trainers of individuals, crews, and teams. NCOs also often play a crucial
role in guiding Soldiers through personal issues, care, and well thought out training plans. NCOs must know
their Soldiers’ capabilities and limitations and look for opportunities to close gaps within the leader
development domain. NCOs who show genuine concern for their subordinates will gain their trust. Soldiers
gain trust by showing motivation and a learning attitude during training. NCOs who share in hardships, lead
from the front, and develop subordinates will gain trust. Taking care of Soldiers is not coddling Soldiers, but
rather, is ensuring they are competent and disciplined.
3-52. Shared understanding of the situation, along with the flow of information to the lowest possible level,
forms the basis for unity of effort and subordinates’ initiative. Effective decentralized execution is not
possible without shared understanding (ADP 6-0). Shared understanding relies on the ability of a leader to
communicate, on a two-way basis, to subordinates, peers, and seniors. NCOs must first understand Army
doctrine to ensure a common professional language is used and understood. Additionally, shared
understanding is communicated to subordinates through constant discussion and collaboration. An example
is when a Platoon Sergeant discusses the next 90 days of major events and works with Squad Leaders to
develop training plans to support the major training events. Squad Leaders, then in turn, create shared
understanding with their squads with the communication of the standards and expectations. Counseling, both
formal and informal, are critical NCO responsibilities that ensure shared understanding. NCOs must always
look for indicators that communication is effective, and therefore, should refrain from utilizing text messages
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
51 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
and social media to convey instructions. While electronics assist leaders in short duration communications
to convey simple instructions, they should not be the primary means of communication.
3-53. The commander's intent succinctly describes what constitutes success for the operation. NCOs have a
duty to achieve the commander’s intent, and therefore they must understand it. The commander’s intent
consists of:
• The operation's purpose.
• Key tasks (may be the source of implied tasks).
• Conditions that define the end state.
Note: NCOs should look at the commander’s intent for both opportunities to exercise disciplined
initiative and understand the limitations where they can exercise initiative and make decisions.
Simply put, the commander’s intent is the ‘guardrails’ of empowerment and accountability.
3-54. When describing the purpose of the operation, the commander's intent does not restate the “why” of
the mission statement. Rather, it describes the broader purpose of the unit’s operation in relationship to the
higher commander's intent and concept of operations. Doing this allows subordinates to gain insight into
what is expected of them, what constraints apply, and, most importantly, why the mission is being conducted.
NCOs can use this as a primer to adjust training plans, refine focus areas of activities, and/or begin Troop
Leading Procedures (TLP). The TLPs are:
• Receive the Mission
• Issue a warning order.
• Make a tentative plan.
• Start necessary movement.
• Conduct reconnaissance.
• Complete the plan.
• Issue the Operations Order.
• Supervise and refine.
3-55. Mission orders are directives that emphasize to subordinates the results to be attained, not how they are
to achieve them. Mission Orders are conveyed through use of the five-paragraph order. The five paragraphs
used in all orders (WARNORD, OPORD, FRAGORD) are:
• Situation
• Mission
• Execution
• Sustainment
• Command and Signal
3-56. Some phases of operations require tighter control over subordinate elements than other phases require.
For example, an air assault’s air movement and landing phases require precise synchronization. Its ground
maneuver plan requires less detail. When a complex mission arises that requires tightened control, NCOs
should understand and communicate that the operation is not micromanagement, but rather is a force
protection measure.
3-57. Disciplined initiative is at the heart of how the NCO operates daily. Disciplined initiative creates
opportunity, time, and space for leaders. Disciplined initiative is when subordinates have the discipline to
follow their orders and adhere to the plan until they realize their orders and the plan are no longer suitable
for the situation in which they find themselves (ADP 6-0). To exercise disciplined initiative, subordinates
must also understand the commander’s intent (purpose, key tasks, and end state). NCOs should ask the
following questions when applying disciplined initiative:
• Will the benefits of the action outweigh the risk of desynchronizing the overall operation?
• Will the action further the higher commander’s intent?
3-58. Risk acceptance is defined as the exposure of someone, or something valued to danger, harm, or loss.
Because risk is part of every operation, it cannot be avoided. Risk acceptance is not a bottom-up
responsibility. Rather, risk acceptance is a leader’s responsibility. NCOs reinforce this principle by advising
commanders, identifying emerging risks, and ensuring controls are implemented and supervised. A
Chapter 3
52 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
fundamental example is a Squad Leader ensuring their squad’s equipment is cleaned and maintained
following a mission. These actions lower risk to their Soldiers and the mission by making sure that the
weapons will function when needed.
3-59. The principles of Mission Command, as the approach to command and control that empowers
subordinate decision making and decentralized execution is nothing more than good leadership. Below is an
example of the correlation between the BE, KNOW, and DO contained within ADP-6 and the leadership
requirements model and the principles of Mission Command.
Figure 3-7. Mission Command aligned with NCO Attributes and Competencies
COMMAND AND CONTROL DEFINED
3-60. Command and Control (C2) is the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated
commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of mission (see A P 6-0). While
command is commander-centric, NCOs play a major role in the commander’s decision making through
advising, level of training, discipline of the unit, standards of equipment maintenance, and competence of
junior NCOs and Soldiers. See Figure 3-8 C2.
3-61. Command is the authority that a commander in the armed forces lawfully exercises over subordinates
by virtue of rank or assignment (see A P 6-0). Command is personal—an individual person commands,
not an organization or a headquarters. Command is considered more art than science because it
incorporates intangible elements that require judgment in application. The key elements of command are:
• Authority.
• Responsibility.
• Decision making.
• Leadership.
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
53 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
Figure 3-8. C2
3-62. Control is the regulation of forces and warfighting functions to accomplish the mission in accordance
with the commander’s intent. The proper application of control incorporates some level of art, since
commanders must use judgment with regard to the abilities of subordinates and the likelihood that
friction is part of every operation. The key elements of control are—
• Direction.
• Feedback.
• Information.
• Communication.
NCO ROLE IN MISSION COMMAND
3-63. NCOs are key enablers of Mission Command, and they must be trained in the Mission Command
principles to effectively support their commander and lead their Soldiers. The most important component to
remember is people—those who assist commanders and exercise control on their behalf. An effective system
accounts for the characteristics and limits of human nature. Simultaneously, it exploits and enhances uniquely
human skills. Noncommissioned officers are required to exercise disciplined initiative to make decisions and
take actions to further their commander’s intent. They must actively work to understand the commander’s
intent two levels up and relay that intent to their Soldiers. They train to develop mutual trust and shared
understanding with their commanders and their Soldiers.
3-64. NCOs enforce standards and discipline and develop their subordinates as they build teams. They are
trained to operate under mission orders and decide for themselves how best to achieve their commander’s
intent. With information available to all levels of command and increasing dispersion on the battlefield,
Noncommissioned officers must be comfortable in exercising initiative to make decisions and act.
Commanders expect subordinates to exercise this authority to further the commander’s intent when changes
in the situation render orders irrelevant, or when communications are lost with higher echelon headquarters
(ADP 6-0).
3-65. Commanders must know the status of their forces. CSMs, 1SGs, and Platoon Sergeants play vital roles
in providing commanders real time awareness about the morale and physical condition of their Soldiers.
Commanders need to know when circumstances may prevent friendly forces from performing to their full
potential. Examples of this may include:
• A subordinate unit may have recently received inexperienced replacements.
• May have lost cohesion due to leader casualties.
• May be extremely fatigued due to an extended period of operations.
THE COMMAND-AND-CONTROL WARFIGHTING FUNCTION
3-66. A warfighting function is a group of tasks and systems united by a common purpose that commanders
use to accomplish missions and training objectives (ADP 3-0). The Army’s six warfighting functions are:
• Movement and Maneuver.
• Intelligence.
• Fires.
• Sustainment.
• Protection.
Chapter 3
54 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
• Command and Control.
3-67. Movement & Maneuver – The movement and maneuver warfighting function is the related tasks and
systems that move and employ forces to achieve a position of relative advantage over the enemy and other
threats. Direct fire and close combat are inherent in maneuver. The movement and maneuver warfighting
function includes these tasks:
• Move.
• Maneuver.
• Employ direct fires.
• Occupy an area.
• Conduct mobility and countermobility.
• Conduct reconnaissance and surveillance.
• Employ battlefield obscuration.
3-68. Intelligence- The intelligence warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that facilitate
understanding the enemy, terrain, weather, civil considerations, and other significant aspects of the
operational environment. Other significant aspects of an operational environment include threats, adversaries,
and operational variables, which vary with the nature of operations. The intelligence warfighting function
includes these tasks:
• Provide intelligence support to force generation.
• Provide support to situational understanding.
• Conduct information collection.
• Provide intelligence support to targeting and information capabilities.
(See ADP 2-0 for additional information on the intelligence warfighting function.)
3-69. Fires- The fires warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that create and converge effects
in all domains against the adversary or enemy to enable operations across the range of military
operations (ADP 3-0). These tasks and systems create lethal and nonlethal effects delivered from both
Army and joint forces, as well as other unified action partners. Commanders must execute and
integrate fires, in combination with the other elements of combat power, to create and converge effects
and achieve the desired end state. The tasks of the fires warfighting function are:
• Execute fires across the five domains and in the information environment, employing—
▪ Surface-to-surface fires.
▪ Air-to-surface fires.
▪ Surface-to-air fires.
▪ Cyberspace operations and electromagnetic warfare. ▪ Space operations.
▪ Multinational fires.
▪ Special operations.
▪ Information operations.
• Integrate Army, multinational, and joint fires though—
▪ Targeting.
▪ Operations process.
▪ Fire support planning.
▪ Airspace planning and management.
▪ Electromagnetic spectrum management.
▪ Multinational integration.
▪ Rehearsals.
(See ADP 3-19 for additional information on the fires warfighting function.)
3-70. Sustainment- The sustainment warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that provide
support and services to ensure freedom of action, extended operational reach, and prolong endurance.
Successful sustainment enables freedom of action by increasing the number of options available to the
commander. The sustainment warfighting function consists of four elements:
• Logistics.
• Financial management.
Operations and the Training Management Cycle
55 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
• Personnel services.
• Health service support.
3-71. Logistics is planning and executing the movement and support of forces. Army logistics elements are
maintenance, transportation, supply, field services, distribution, operational contract support, and general
engineering.
3-72. Financial management leverages fiscal policy and economic power across the range of military
operations. Financial management encompasses finance operations and resource management.
3-73. Personnel services include planning, coordination, and sustaining personnel efforts at the operational
and tactical levels. Personnel services include human resources support, legal support, religious support, and
band support.
3-74. Health service support encompasses all support and services performed, provided, and arranged by the
Army Medical Department to promote, improve, conserve, or restore the behavioral and physical well-being
of Army personnel and as directed, unified action partners.
(See ADP 4-0 and FM 4-0 for more information on sustainment.)
3-75. Protection- The protection warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that preserve the force
so the commander can apply maximum combat power to accomplish the mission. The protection warfighting
function includes these tasks:
• Conduct survivability operations.
• Provide force health protection.
• Conduct chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear operations.
• Provide explosive ordnance disposal support.
• Coordinate air and missile defense support.
• Conduct personnel recovery.
• Conduct detention operations.
• Conduct risk management.
• Implement physical security procedures.
• Apply antiterrorism measures.
• Conduct police operations.
• Conduct population and resource control.
• Conduct area security.
• Perform cyberspace security and defense.
• Conduct electromagnetic protection.
• Implement operations security.
(See ADP 3-37 for additional information on protection.)
3-76. Command and Control- The Command and Control (C2) warfighting function is the related tasks and
a system that enable commanders to synchronize and converge all elements of combat power (ADP 3- 0).
The primary purpose of the C2 warfighting function is to assist commanders in integrating the other elements
of combat power (movement and maneuver, intelligence, fires, sustainment, protection, information, and
leadership) to achieve objectives and accomplish missions. The C2 warfighting function consists of the
following tasks:
• Command forces.
• Control operations.
• Drive the operations process.
• Establish the C2 system.
3-77. C2 system – the arrangement of people, processes, networks, and command posts that enable
commanders to conduct operations.
• People – trained and effective personnel are integral to an effective C2 system.
• Processes – used to organize activity within the headquarters that increase organizational
competence and create efficiency.
• Networks –enable commanders to communicate information and control forces.
Chapter 3
56 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
• Command posts – a physical location for the people, processes, and networks to operate.
(See ADP 3-0 and Figure 3-9 for additional information on all the warfighting functions and their relationships.)
Figure 3-9. Command and Control Warfighting Functions
THE NCO'S ROLE IN THE COMMAND-AND-CONTROL
WARFIGHTING FUNCTION
3-78. NCOs play an integral role in the C2 warfighting function. In operations, commanders employ their
CSMs throughout the area of operations to extend command influence, assess morale of the force, and assist
during critical events. Company 1SGs and Platoon Sergeants perform similar functions at company and
platoon levels. NCOs who serve as Battle Staff NCOs are expected to use their operational expertise to
integrate the warfighting functions, understand the tasks, and operate command posts, and C2 systems
(Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE), etc.).
57 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
Chapter 4
Program Management and Readiness
4-1. NCOs assist their officer counterparts in managing Army programs that help Soldiers and Families.
NCOs are also responsible for Soldier readiness and play a key role in unit readiness. This competency
includes: The Army Force Management Model (How the Army Runs), Talent Management, Army Career
Tracker (ACT), Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army (IPPS-A), Army Training Information System
(ATIS), Army Training Management System (ATMS), Army Community Services (ACS), Holistic Health
and Fitness (H2F), Medical Readiness, Army Safety and Occupational Health, Army Maintenance Program,
Command Supply Discipline Program (CSDP), and Knowledge Management.
4-2. The Army Force Management Model is a “system of systems” approach producing combat-ready units
for combatant commanders (CCDRs). See Figure 4-1.
4-3. The Army Force Management model is a roadmap divided into seven distinct modules: strategy; Joint
capabilities integration and development system (JCIDS); structure; defense acquisition system (DAS);
planning, programming, budgeting, and execution (PPBE); personnel; and materiel. The model shows the
relationships of Army processes to each other, and to the major Department of Defense (DOD) management
processes.
4-4. Although the model depicts the flow of processes in a relatively linear and sequential manner, the
complexities of managing change mandate that at any time an initiative may be in several of these processes
simultaneously, in parallel, compressed in time, or in reverse order.
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 58
Chapter 4
4-5. Eventually, all of the steps must take place to produce a trained, equipped, and resourced total force
(operating force and generating force).
Figure 4-1. Army Force Management Model
Program Management and Readiness
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 59
TALENT MANAGEMENT
4-6. The Army’s pivot to a more deliberate talent management system demonstrates our institutional agility
and our strength as a learning organization. It acknowledges that the Army must rapidly evolve to keep pace
with proven best practices while balancing the care of our people against enduring requirements and
unanticipated contingencies. Talent Management is a way to enhance Army readiness by maximizing the
potential of the Army’s greatest asset – our people. By better understanding the talent of our workforce and
the talent needed by unit requirements, the Army can more effectively acquire, develop, employ, and retain
the right talent at the right time. In Army talent management, ‘best’ equals best fit for the work at hand.
ARMY CAREER TRACKER (ACT)
4-7. The ACT is individually aimed at supporting the lifecycle of the Soldier. The ACT encourages Soldiers
and their leaders to define career goals, create and ensure timelines are met for those goals and help fulfill
objectives both inside and outside the Army. The ACT continues to improve on its capabilities to resource
and inform Soldiers and leaders of initiatives and career development programs. The ACT provides the
following features to assist both the Soldier and leader:
• Encourages Soldiers to develop an individual development plan that tracks training, military
education, civilian education, and a host of other development paths.
• Automated sponsorship, which standardizes procedures for requesting a sponsor; management of
the linkage between Soldier and Sponsor by the losing and gaining commands.
• Provides support for mentorship.
• Consolidates information from several systems and presents it at one central site.
• It integrates Total Army Database, ArmyIgnitED, the Army Training Information System, and the
Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS).
INTEGRATED PERSONNEL AND PAY SYSTEM-ARMY (IPPS-A)
4-8. The Integrated Personnel and Pay System ‐ Army (IPPS-A) modernizes Army Human Resources (HR),
develops a system for managing talent, reduces Information Technology (IT) and military pay costs, and
improves Soldiers’ lives through transparency and mobile capabilities. IPPS-A is innovative and represents
a revolutionary leap forward in Army HR and IT. With IPPS-A, personnel have the ability to view, track,
and initiate HR transactions that result in the payment of entitlements. The integrated personnel and pay
record supports readiness, talent management, and improves records accuracy and auditability. Soldiers have
24/7 access via a website and mobile application.
4-9. The IPPS-A Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software suite integrates over 1.1 million Soldiers into
a multi-component (Active Army, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve) personnel and pay system
to deliver Total Force visibility to support Readiness, Talent Management and Auditability.
4-10. IPPS-A delivers visibility over the entire force and maximizes the potential of the Army’s greatest
asset, the Soldier, to enhance Army Readiness. It improves access, timeliness, and provides auditability of
personnel and pay information for the Total Army – integrating more than 30 current systems; eliminating
more than 300 interfaces; ensuring secure, consistent processes and data; and meeting required standards.
ARMY TRAINING INFORMATION SYSTEM (ATIS)
4-11. Army Training Information System (ATIS), part of the Product Manager (PM) ATIS portfolio, will
develop, integrate, test, deliver, operate, and maintain an enterprise capability for the Army training and
education communities. ATIS will buy back the valuable resource of leaders’ time by automating the
administrative burdens of training management, planning, scheduling and resourcing, so that Army leaders
can spend their time executing and assessing unit training and readiness.
ARMY TRAINING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ATMS)
4-12. The Army Training Management System provides a single-source training management system using
the technologies and resources of Army Training Network (ATN), Digital Training Management System
(DTMS), and Combined Arms Training Strategies (CATS). ATMS helps you plan, prepare, execute, and
assess your unit training more efficiently.
14 August 2025 60 TC 7-22.7
Chapter 4
4-13. The Army Training Network (ATN) is a secure web-based resource that provides:
• Training doctrine: ADP 7-0.
• Unit Training Management (UTM) that supports doctrine with the “how-to” processes.
• Access to HQ DA Standardized METL.
• Unit training products.
• Collaboration with the training community.
• Access point to DTMS/CATS/UTM.
4-14. The Unit Training Management (UTM) is a secure web-based resource that provides:
• Expansion on training doctrine with the “how-to” details.
• Points to the supporting tools like CATS, DTMS, and others.
• Provides extensive tutorials and examples to show you “what right looks like.”
• Delivered in an online viewer, downloadable modules, and pdf manual.
• Links additional resources where you need them in the text.
4-15. The Digital Training Management System (DTMS) is your training database of record to:
• Review the higher commander’s training guidance and disseminate your own.
• Review your higher unit METL.
• Record your unit METL and view your subordinate unit’s METL.
• Manage the unit training calendar.
• Assess/record individual training.
4-16. The Combined Arms Training Strategies (CATS) provides:
• TOE-Focused, task-based, event driven strategies to assist in the development of unit training plans.
• Saves planning time by providing a descriptive, proponent approved, unit vetted strategy, which can
be easily tailored by the unit in DTMS.
• Provides task, purpose, outcome, and execution guidance for each training event.
ARMY COMMUNITY SERVICE (ACS)
4-17. Army Community Service (ACS) is a pillar within the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR)
construct delivering programs to support readiness, well-being, recruiting, and retention of highly qualified
Soldiers. Serving as the commander’s community integrator providing premier services that enhance
readiness and self-sufficiency across the Army Family. ACS delivers consistent and comprehensive
prevention, life skills, response and transition services through an integrated system tailored to foster the
Army’s commitment to maximize Soldier, Family and Civilian adaptability and self-reliance (see AR
608-1). Soldier and Family readiness is supported through the Family Advocacy Program, Victim
Advocacy Program, Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), Transitional Compensation
assistance, and New Parent Support Program. In addition, ACS provides support for relocation
readiness, employment readiness, financial readiness, volunteer programs, Survivor outreach Services.
Families can seek ACS support through Soldier-Family Readiness Groups (SFRG), rear detachment,
Family Readiness Support Assistants, militaryonesource.com or their local ACS center. Some ACS
programs include:
• Army Family Action Plan
• Army Family Team Building
• Army Volunteer Corps (AVC)
• Employment Readiness Program (ERP)
• Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)
• Family Advocacy Program (FAP)
• Financial Readiness
• Information and Referral
• Mobilization, Deployment, Stability, and Support Operations
• Relocation Readiness
• Survivor Outreach Services (SOS)
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 61
Program Management and Readiness
HOLISTIC HEALTH AND FITNESS (H2F)
4-18. The goal of the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) System is to build physical lethality and mental
toughness to win quickly and return home healthy. The principal audience for FM 7-22 is leaders at all
organizational levels. All leaders are trainers. Leaders include officers, warrant officers, noncommissioned
officers, and those Department of the Army (DA) Civilians in leadership positions. Trainers and educators
throughout the Army will also use this publication. See ATP 7-22.01 for H2F testing, and ATP 7-22.02 for
H2F drills and exercises. The H2F doctrine is divided into four parts: system, design, build, and deliver.
PART ONE: SYSTEM.
4-19. Part One: System (Figure 4-2)
• Governance
• Program
• Personnel
• Equipment and Facilities
• Leader Education
Figure 4-2. H2F System
4-20. Part Two: Design. Part Two explains the scientific basis of Soldier performance and how the H2F
training program is designed. Training approaches described in Part Two address the “why” of H2F, the
science, and rationale behind the program. The principles discussed in Part Two form the approaches used in
Part Three to build H2F program content for individual Soldiers and collective unit readiness and
deployability.
4-21. Part Three: Build. Part Three describes the details of each of the five domains used to build the
physical and nonphysical training programs of H2F. The domains are physical readiness, nutritional
readiness, mental readiness, spiritual readiness, and sleep readiness. It also discusses the special conditioning
requirements.
4-22. Part Four: Deliver. Part Four provides practical examples for leaders and H2F performance experts
to coach Soldiers about the H2F programs.
Chapter 4
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 62
MEDICAL READINESS
4-23. HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) applies to your
protected health information (PHI). Your PHI is any information that:
• Identifies you;
• Is about your health or demographics;
• Is maintained by a covered entity or business associate; and
• Is related to your treatment, your medical condition, and the related payment for that condition as maintained by a covered entity or business associate.
4-24. Medical Operational Data System (MODS) is a system that provides the Army Medical Department
(AMEDD) with an integrated automation system that supports all phases of Human Resource Life -Cycle
Management in both peacetime and mobilization. MODS provides access to many medical resources and
applications such as:
• Medical Readiness Commander Portal
• MEDPROS
• Medical Health Assessments Page (MHA/PHA/DHA/Referral Tracking)
• Behavioral Health Data Portal
4-25. Medical Readiness Commander Portal is an application in MODS that enables commanders to
monitor medical readiness by accessing their Soldiers’ physical profiles and individual medical readiness
information. Commanders may designate other unit command officials to have access, normally the senior
enlisted advisor to that level of command, as support to monitor the duty limitations and individual medical
readiness for their Soldiers. This powerful tool allows commanders and their Senior Enlisted Advisors to
accurately see and gain predictability on the health of their formation both for day to day operations and
deployablity. There are limitations to information and use should be constricted to a need to know basis
following proper Protected Health Information (PHI) policies.
4-26. Medical Protection System (MEDPROS) is the system of record for all medical readiness data
elements (see AR 40 – 502). e-Profile is the electronic profiling system of record and is required by AR 40 –
502 for all temporary profiles greater than 7 days, and all permanent profiles. MEDPROS interfaces with
systems across the Army that support personnel actions, readiness reporting, assignments, logistics, and
senior leader decisions. This information informs leaders, commanders, and health care providers guiding
the policies and procedures, resource management and medical support planning to achieve and maintain a
medically ready and deployable force. MEDPROS data is accessible through the commander, healthcare, and
administrative portals. These portals increase transparency, involve the chain of command in medical
readiness, improve reporting mechanisms, and link commanders to profiling providers for communication in
making accurate deployability determinations throughout the Army.
4-27. MHS GENESIS Patient Portal: The Electronic Health Record MHS GENESIS is the Military Health
System's modern electronic health record that provides a single health record for service members, veterans,
and their families. The Patient Portal is a secure website that provides access to health information 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. Through the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal, you can:
• View your health information.
• Exchange secure messages with your care team.
• Request prescription renewals.
• View notes from your clinical visits and certain lab or tests results, such as blood tests.
• Request medical and active-duty dental health questionnaire online.
• Look up information related to your health concerns and medications.
4-28. TRICARE is the health care program for uniformed service members, retirees, and their families
around the world. It enhances the Department of Defense and our nation's security by providing health
support for the full range of military operations and sustaining the health of all those entrusted to our care.
TRICARE provides comprehensive coverage to all beneficiaries, including:
• Health Plans
• Special Programs
• Prescriptions
Program Management and Readiness
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 63
• Dental Plans
ARMY SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM
4-29. The purpose of the Army Safety and Occupational Health Program (ASOHP) is to establish policies,
responsibilities, and procedures to safeguard and preserve Army resources worldwide against accidental loss.
It establishes risk management (RM) as the Army’s principal risk reduction methodology. It provides public
safety policy incidental to Army operations and activities and ensures regulatory and statutory compliance. A
violation of any of these paragraphs is separately punishable as a violation of a lawful general regulation
under Article 92, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ, Art. 92) (see AR 385-10).
4-30. Commanders, leaders, and supervisors ultimately have the responsibility to identify, mitigate, and
assume risk, including risks not specifically outlined in this program. Army leaders will—
• Integrate the RM process into Army operations to prevent mishaps, occupational injuries, and
illnesses.
• Protect Army personnel, property, and equipment, and reduce costs of occupational injuries, illness,
and accidental loss to improve readiness.
• Require new and modernized Army systems and facilities to meet applicable Safety and
Occupational Health (SOH) standards throughout their lifecycle.
• Implement the standards promulgated by statutory authorities listed in appendix A to protect personnel, equipment, and property from accidental injuries and losses.
• Provide a mechanism for employees to report unsafe or unhealthful workplace hazards or conditions
and ensure that no employee is subject to restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal
for exercising his or her rights for doing so.
• Eliminate or mitigate hazards and deficiencies in accordance with regulatory requirements and/or
proponent guidance.
4-31. The ASOHP consists of 14 functional areas structured for mishap prevention in Army operations. It
provides for public safety incidental to Army operations and activities. The ASOHP functional areas are
necessary for the U.S. Army whether at an installation, during contingency operations, or in wartime
conditions. Each organization’s strategic goals and objectives should be aligned to execute the ASOHP in
the most effective manner possible (see DA Pam 385 – 10).
• Workplace/Operations
• Community, Off-Duty Recreation, and Seasonal Safety
• Tactical (Contingency) Operations
• Transportation Safety
• Radiation Safety Management
• Aviation Safety Management
• System Safety
• Biological Safety (Infections Agents and Toxins (IAT))
• Chemical Agent Safety Management
• Ammunition and Explosives (AE) Safety
• Range Safety Operations
• Electrical Safety
• Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Safety
• Contract Safety
ARMY MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
4-32. Army maintenance program is related to two levels of maintenance: field and sustainment. Field
consists of maintenance functions formerly known as operator and/or crew (equipment operators and vehicle
crews), unit, and direct support. Sustainment consists of maintenance functions formerly known as general
support and depot operations of the Army maintenance system, which is an Army wide program for
commodity-unique maintenance. For more information on the Army Maintenance Program see AR 750-1
and DA PAM 750-1. See below for a list of maintenance programs:
• Maintenance Award Program
Chapter 4
14 August 2025 64 TC 7-22.7
• Army Oil Analysis Program
• Army Warranty Program
• Army Modification Program
• Army’s Critical Safety Item Program
• Army Maintenance Floats
• Battlefield damage assessments and repair
• Army Chemical Agent Resistant Coating, Camouflage, and Marking Program
• Product quality deficiency and/or improvement reports
• Administrative storage of material
• The Army Tire Program
• Tool improvement program suggestions
• National Maintenance Program
• Maintenance Assistance and Instruction team Program/Command Maintenance Evaluation and
Training
• Command Maintenance Discipline Program
• Unique item tracking program
• Serialized item Management Program
• Ground safety notification system
• Maintenance messages
• Army Corrosion Prevention and Control Program
• Army Battery Program
• Nuclear Hardness Maintenance and Hardness Surveillance Program
COMMAND SUPPLY DISCIPLINE PROGRAM (CSDP)
4-33. As a mandatory program, Command Supply Discipline Program (CSDP) is meant to simplify
command, and supervisory and managerial responsibilities. Simplification is accomplished by compiling the
various requirements so responsible personnel are easily informed, standardizing evaluation requirements,
and formalizing follow-up procedures. The purpose of the CSDP is to establish supply discipline policy,
standardize supply discipline requirements, provide responsible personnel with a single listing of all existing
supply discipline requirements, and make the Army more efficient regarding time spent monitoring
subordinates’ actions. For more information on CSDP see AR 710-4.
4-34. CSDP is a commander’s program. However, leaders must enforce and implement effective programs
to ensure resources are not subject to fraud, waste, and abuse. CSDP is an individual, supervisory and
managerial responsibility that standardizes supply discipline throughout the Army. An essential characteristic
of our responsibility is stewardship of our profession. A key role and responsibility of a NCO is accountability
and readiness of property and stewardship of Army resources. Besides the readiness of Soldiers, the single
most important combat multiplier is equipment readiness and serviceability. The purpose of CSDP is:
• Establish supply discipline as regulatory guidance.
• Standardize supply discipline requirements.
• Provide responsible personnel with a single listing of all existing supply discipline requirements.
• Make the Army more efficient regarding time spent monitoring subordinates’ actions.
PROPERTY ACCOUNTABILITY
4-35. All persons entrusted with government property are responsible for its proper care, custody,
safekeeping, and disposition.
4-36. Army property will not be used for any private purpose except as authorized by HQDA.
4-37. No government property will be sold, given as a gift, loaned, exchanged, or otherwise disposed of.
4-38. Giving or accepting an issue document, hand receipt, or other forms of receipt to cover articles that are
missing or appear to be missing is prohibited.
4-39. Military members or Civilian employees of the Army who occupy government quarters, or issued
furnishings for use in government quarters must properly care for such property.
Program Management and Readiness
65 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
ACCOUNTING FOR ARMY PROPERTY
4-40. All property (including historical artifacts, art, flags, organizational property, and associated items)
acquired by the Army from any source, whether bought, acquired, or donated must be accounted for.
4-41. Accounting will be continuous from the time of acquisition, until the ultimate consumption or disposal
of the property occurs.
ITEM CLASSIFICATION
4-42. Nonexpendable property is personal property that is not consumed in use and that retains its original
identity during the period of use. Nonexpendable property requires formal property book accountability at
the user level. Examples are major end items such as HMMWV, weapons, tents, tarpaulins, flags, pennants,
and national flags.
4-43. Expendable property is property consumed in use or loses its identity in use. It includes items not
consumed in use, with a unit cost of less than $500. Expendable items are items that require no formal
accounting after issue to the user level. Example: oil, paint, fuel, or cleaning material.
4-44. Durable property is personal property that is not consumed in use and that does not require property
book accountability, but because of its unique characteristics, requires control when issued to the user. It is
property that requires control at the user level using hand- receipt procedures or managed using inventory
lists. Example: computers, laptops, and software.
INVENTORIES OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
4-45. All on-hand property carried on property book records and/or hand receipt records at the user’s level
will have a complete physical inventory upon change of the primary hand receipt holder or accomplished
annually, whichever occurs first.
CSDP RESPONSIBILITY
4-46. Responsibility is the obligation of an individual to ensure government property and funds entrusted to
their possession are properly used and cared for, and that proper custody, safekeeping and disposition are
provided (see AR 735-5). Types of responsibility are:
• Command responsibility. Commanders are obligated to ensure all government property is properly
used, care for, safeguarded, in proper custody, and disposed of. Command responsibility is inherent
in command and cannot be delegated.
• Supervisory responsibility. Obligates supervisors to ensure all government property is properly
used, cared for, safeguarded, in proper custody, and disposed of. It is inherent in all supervisory
positions and is not contingent upon signed receipts or responsibility statements and cannot be
delegated.
• Direct responsibility. Obligates a person to ensure all government property is properly used, cared
for, safeguarded, in proper custody, and disposed of. Direct responsibility results from assignment
as an accountable officer or acceptance of the property on hand receipt from an accountable officer.
• Custodial responsibility. Obligates an individual for property in storage, awaiting issue, or turn-in
to exercise reasonable and prudent actions to properly care for and ensure proper custody,
safeguarding, and disposition of the property is provided.
• Personal responsibility. Obligates a person to exercise reasonable and prudent actions to properly
use, care for, safeguard, and dispose of all government property issued for, acquired for, or
converted to a person’s exclusive use, with or without a receipt.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM) (INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT)
4-47. Effective KM identifies the information the unit needs and its importance. NCOs produce information
from data and analyze and evaluate that information to produce knowledge. NCOs seek to apply experience
and judgement to collective knowledge to help commanders achieve understanding. KM, supported by
information management, helps do this more effectively. Information management helps NCOs extract
relevant information from the vast amounts of data and available information so they can provide timely and
Chapter 4
14 August 2025 66 TC 7-22.7
relevant information and analysis to help commanders build and maintain situational understanding. Through
analysis, NCOs develop and provide knowledge to commanders by preparing running estimates and
providing recommendations to help commanders understand situations, make and implement decisions,
control operations, collaborate with peers, and assess progress on an operation.
TC 7-22.7 67 14 August 2025
Appendix A
Leader Tools
LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
A-1. Military organizations have mission statements that assist in making operational what is in the
organization’s vision statement. A philosophy is intended to articulate an individual’s priorities within the
context of the vision and mission statements. A Leadership philosophy lets people know what you expect,
what you value, and how you will act. Leadership philosophies help:
• Keep the leader on course.
• Let Soldiers know what the leader wants.
• Provide clear leader intent.
• Establish clear priorities.
• Provide consistency that enhances trust and confidence.
• Staff and Soldiers understand the leader’s inner thoughts, beliefs, and expectations.
• Communicate a vision and purpose to an organization.
ARMY TRAINING NETWORK (ATN)
A-2. The ATN provides users at every level the most up-to-date doctrine, requirements, tasks, and tools to
ensure Soldiers are trained and ready. The ATN provides self-help services for Unit Training Management,
Home Station Training Enablers, Leader Development, Specific Training Resources, Training Doctrine &
Publications, Centers of Excellence and Proponents, HQDA Commands Training Guidance and other
training related resources. Training is the NCO’s primary role and ATN provides substantial support. Support
services include:
• Unit Training Management: Standards for Training Proficiency, Digital Training Management
System (DTMS) Knowledge Base, training management briefings, and combined arms training
strategies (CATS).
• Home Station Training Enablers: Operational environment/OPFOR publications, Army Training
Information System (ATIS), Integrated Training Environment (ITE) portal, MILGAMING portal,
Network Engagement, Training Aids Devices, Simulators, and Simulations (TADDS) at your local
TSC, Total Ammunition Management Information System (TAMIS), and Mission Command
Training Program.
• Leader Development: Army leader exchange (ALX), leader improvement center, Multi-source
Assessment and Feedback (MSAF), Center for Army Lessons Learned (call), MYTRAINING
(includes digital job book and leader readiness tool gadgets), Army leader exchange training support
package, and institutional & operational UTM products.
• Specific Training Resources: Conus Replacement Center, Army Sustainment Resource Portal (ASRP), Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F), and Best Practices from the Field.
• Training Doctrine and Publications: Central Army Registry (CAR), Army Publishing Directorate
(APD), doctrine update publications, and joint doctrine education and training electronic
information system (JEL+) JDEIS.
• Center for Army Leadership (CAL) conducts leadership and leader development research, studies,
analyses, assessments, and evaluations. It provides the Army leadership and leader development
doctrine, products, and services. The CAL develops and maintains the Army Leader Development
Strategy and its annexes. It also manages the Army Leader Development Program.
• Central Army Registry (CAR) is a web-based digital catalog and repository that serves as the
warfighters’ one-stop source for training-related products. These products include doctrine,
published tasks, training circulars, training support packages, and graphic training aids. Users can
search for training products in the CAR by using the search function (product identification number,
title, or keywords) or browsing capability (product type, proponent, etc.).
• Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) is the Army’s source for adaptive learning based on
lessons and best practices from the Army. It publishes handbooks, newsletters, News From the
14 August 2025 68 TC 7-22.7
Appendix A
Front, and other products. It provides timely and relevant knowledge by using integrated systems
and interactive technology.
ARMY CAREER TRACKER (ACT)
A-3. Career progression tools can be produced through the Talent Development Model; an example is
provided in figure A-1 below. (See para 4-7 for more on the ACT.)
Figure A-1. Talent Development Model
COUNSELING ENHANCEMENT TOOL (CET)
A-4. The Army provides numerous tools, resources, and forms to assist the counseling process. The Center
for Army Leadership website provides information on counseling and developmental activities. Additional
tools such as DA Form 4856 (Developmental Counseling Form), GTA 22-01-002 (Counseling Enhancement
Tool–Soldier), and GTA 22-01-003 (Counseling Enhancement Tool–Leader) assist with determining issues
to discuss and subsequent documentation. Counseling resources explicit to DA Civilians are available
through the servicing civilian personnel office.
ARMY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
A-5. NCOs are charged with taking care of their Soldiers. The scope of this charge includes personal and
professional issues. A primary way to do so is to have an in-depth knowledge of the programs the Army has
available to assist with the process. These programs were developed with the needs of Soldiers and their
Families in mind. The list below provides available programs and applicable references to assist leaders in
advising and counseling Soldiers.
Leader Tools
14 August 2025 69 TC 7-22.7
AMERICAN RED CROSS (ARC)
A-6. The ARC exists to provide compassionate care to those in need. Our network of generous donors,
volunteers, and employees share a mission of preventing and relieving suffering, at home and around the
world through five key service areas: disaster relief, supporting America’s military Families, lifesaving
blood, health and safety services, and international services. The ARC directly supports Soldiers’ needs such
as emergency notifications through Red Cross Messages.
ARMY COMMUNITY SERVICE (ACS)
A-7. Army Community Service (ACS) serves as the commander’s community integrator providing premier
services that enhance readiness and self-sufficiency across the Army Family. ACS help commander’s
facilitate consistent and comprehensive prevention, life skills, response and transition services through an
integrated system tailored to foster the Army’s commitment to maximize Soldier, Family and Civilian
adaptability and self-reliance. Soldier and Family readiness is supported through the Family Advocacy
Program, Victim Advocacy Program, Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), Transitional
Compensation assistance, and New Parent Support Program. In addition, ACS provides support for relocation
readiness, employment readiness, financial readiness, volunteer programs, Survivor outreach Services.
Families can seek ACS support through Soldier-Family Readiness Groups (SFRG), rear detachment, Family
Readiness Support Assistants, militaryonesource.com or their local ACS center.
ARMY CONTINUING EDUCATION SYSTEM (ACES)
A-8. The ACES provides programs and services to promote lifelong learning opportunities and to sharpen
the competitive edge of the Army. The ACES improves combat readiness and resilience through flexible and
relevant education programs, services, and systems in support of the total Army Family (see AR 621-5). All
eligible active duty, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers are entitled to: Academic and vocational
counseling services, Functional academic skills training (FAST) program (has four areas- the Basic Skills
Education Program (BSEP), General technical improvement, General Education Development (GED),
and reading skill development), high school completion, postsecondary programs, tuition assistance,
testing services, Joint services transcript, leader skill enhancement courses, Soldier training courses,
language training, multi-use learning facilities (MLF)/Army learning centers (ALC), and College of the
American Soldiers.
ARMYIGNITED
A-9. ArmyIgnitED.com is a tailored, intuitive resource that empowers you to achieve your educational goals
and utilize your Tuition Assistance (TA) and/or Credentialing Assistance (CA) benefits with over 2,000
education institutions and 200 vendors. Whether you’re at home or abroad, you’ll have unlimited access to
educational opportunities, support, and guidance throughout your desired Education Path, Civilian Path,
Credential, or Army ROTC scholarship program. Soldiers can learn from anywhere. Design the path that best
fits your learning preference and schedule—learn online or in the classroom. Soldiers can receive up to
$4,500 per year in TA or $2,000 in CA in pursuit of an associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree,
credential, academic certificate, or other Army special programs.
ARMY EMERGENCY RELIEF (AER)
A-10. AER is the Army's own emergency financial assistance organization and is dedicated to "Helping the
Army Take Care of Its Own.” AER provides commanders an asset in accomplishing their basic command
responsibility for the morale and welfare of Soldiers (see AR 930-4). As a leader, it is important to
understand the rules and resources available to you and Soldiers. Personnel eligible for AER are:
• Soldiers on extended active duty and their dependents.
• Reserve Component Soldiers (ARNG and USAR) on continuous AD orders for more than 30
consecutive days and their dependents. (This applies to Soldiers on AD for training (ADT) and
serving under various sections of title 10, United States Code (USC).
• Soldiers retired from AD for longevity, retired by reason of physical disability, or retired at age 60
under Section 1331, Title 10, United States Code (10 USC 1331) and their dependents.
• Surviving spouses and orphans of eligible Soldiers who died while on AD or after they were retired
as identified in the preceding bullet.
Appendix A
70 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
ARMY FAMILY ACTION PLAN (AFAP)
A-11. AFAP creates an information loop between the global Army Family and leadership. AFAP is the
Army's grassroots process to identify and elevate the most significant quality of life issues affecting Soldiers
of all components, retirees, Department of Army (DA) Civilians, and Families to senior leaders for action.
Leaders, Soldiers, and Family members are integral to providing information to improve standards of living
and institute information and support program.
ARMY FAMILY ADVOCACY PROGRAM (FAP)
A-12. The Army FAP is dedicated to the prevention, education, prompt reporting, investigation, intervention
and treatment of spouse and child abuse. The program provides a variety of services to Soldiers and Families
to enhance their relationship skills and improve their quality of life.
ARMY FAMILY READINESS GROUP (AFRG)
A-13. AFRG provides all the functionality of a traditional FRG in an ad-hoc and on-line setting to meet the
needs of geographically dispersed units and Families across all components of the Army.
ARMY FAMILY TEAM BUILDING (AFTB)
A-14. AFTB is a Family resiliency and readiness training program that provides participants with an
understanding of Army culture, and the skills and resources they need to become self-reliant, self-sufficient
members of the military community. Additionally, AFTB offers company command team spouse training to
prepare spouses to assume additional responsibilities as Soldiers progress through their positions.
ARMY RETENTION PROGRAM
A-15. Personnel readiness is a responsibility of command. DA policy is that only those Soldiers who have
maintained a record of acceptable performance will be offered the privilege of reenlisting within the active
Army (see AR 601-280). Reenlistment is the Army’s equivalent of the quality management program, but at
the organizational level. It is a leader responsibility to ensure only the best-qualified Soldiers are reenlisted.
The Army’s ranks and formations are strengthened by evaluating the whole Soldier when determining their
future service.
ARMY SAFETY PROGRAM
A-16. No other program has more impact on Soldier readiness. It is every Soldier and Army Civilian’s
responsibility to stop unsafe acts by being responsible for accident prevention and applying risk management.
This is also accomplished by compliance with the Army Safety Regulation, safety regulations work practices,
standing operating procedures, and by using all necessary personal protective equipment (PPE). It is also
required to report Army accidents and hazards in the workplace, and to employ risk management to manage
risk. Safety goals will support overall command objectives by helping keep personnel safe and ready for duty.
Leaders are safety officers who mitigate risk.
ARMY SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM (ASAP)/SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CLINICAL CARE
(SUDCC)
A-17. The ASAP exists to strengthen the overall fitness and effectiveness of the Army’s workforce, to
conserve labor, and to enhance the combat readiness of Soldiers (see AR 600-85). ASAP is responsible
for developing, establishing, administering, and evaluating non-clinical alcohol and other drug abuse
prevention, education, and training programs, overseeing the military, drug free workplace.
A-18. SUDCC is an outpatient substance abuse treatment service available to all active-duty personnel. The
mission of SUDCC is to support military readiness by providing effective treatment strategies that will enable
individuals to develop abstinence, enhance quality of life and promote healthy lifestyles.
ARMY WORLD CLASS ATHLETE PROGRAM (WCAP)
A-19. The US Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) allows top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform
at the international level while also serving their nation in the military. Our members train and compete
throughout the year—and aim for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. WCAP Soldiers come from the
Active, Reserve and National Guard components, and are selected for their ability to perform at the highest
Leader Tools
14 August 2025 71 TC 7-22.7
level of their sports. After joining the unit, they hone their skills with elite civilian and military coaches at
America’s best facilities. Meanwhile, they keep current with Army requirements, attend military schools, and
stay competitive with their uniformed counterparts.
A-20. WCAP Soldiers also conduct essential outreach activities. They hold clinics, speak to high school and
college audiences, talk with athletic teams, and make appearances in support of Army recruiting stations.
They become a training asset to the larger Army, too, through Total Soldier Enhancement Training (TSET),
which sends Mobile Training Teams of WCAP Soldier-athletes to lead units through customized resilience
and performance enhancement skills training.
A-21. WCAP also grants the Army important national visibility and reinforces public pride in our Armed
Forces. Especially during high-profile competitions like the Olympics, WCAP Soldiers provide positive role
models, motivate their fellow Soldiers, and give Americans another reason to get excited about the Army.
Since 1948, 446 Soldiers have represented the United States at the Olympics, earning 111 medals in a variety
of sports, such as boxing, modern pentathlon, rugby sevens, shooting, taekwondo, track & field, winter sports,
wrestling, archery, and swimming.
BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SINGLE SOLDIERS (BOSS)
A-22. The BOSS program supports the overall quality of life for the single Soldier, unaccompanied Soldier
and single Parent population. It helps to maintain and improve Soldier morale, readiness, and retention. BOSS
identifies Soldier issues and concerns by recommending improvements through the chain of command. BOSS
encourages and assists Soldiers in identifying and planning recreational and leisure activities. It also gives
Soldiers the opportunity to participate in and contribute to their respective communities through volunteerism
events. Additionally, BOSS provides unique opportunities for personal and professional growth and
development through life skills training and events. BOSS is an official Department of the Army (DA)
program managed by the Installation Management Command (IMCOM), G9, Directorate of Family, Morale,
Welfare, and Recreation but executed at the Garrison level by Soldiers, for Soldiers.
CENTER FOR ARMY LEADERSHIP (CAL)
A-23. The CAL employes scientific and evidence-based methods to identify, assess, and refine the leader
attributes and competencies most important to Army leadership to support effective leader development, the
Army profession, positive command climates and mission ready units.
CHAPLAIN SECTION OR UNIT MINISTRY TEAM
A-24. Chaplains and religious affairs specialists area assigned to units down to the battalion level. Called a
chaplain section above brigade and the unit ministry team (UMT) at the brigade and below, chaplains and
religious affairs specialists have specific training and education. They support command requirements to
facilitate free exercise of religion and to provide spiritual assistance for all assigned, attached, or authorized
personnel. The chaplain section or UMT advises the commander on broad issues regarding religion, morals,
ethics, and morale. A key aspect of this advisement is the ability to conduct research and provide advice and
resources on spiritual and religious practices.
COMPREHENSIVE SOLDIER AND FAMILY FITNESS PROGRAM (CSF2)/MASTER RESILIENCY
TRAINING (MRT)
A-25. CSF2 is designed to build resilience and enhance performance of the Army Family-Soldiers, Families
and Army Civilians. CSF2 provides hands-on training and self- development tools so that members of the
Army Family are better able to cope with adversity, perform better in stressful situations, thrive in the military
and civilian sector, and to meet a wide range of operational demands. The program emphasizes social,
physical, family, spiritual, and emotional fitness.
A-26. MRT is part of the CSF2 program, and offers strength-based, positive psychology tools to aid Soldiers,
leaders, and Families in their ability to grow and strive in the face of challenges and bounce back from
adversity. Training and information are targeted to all phases of the Soldier deployment cycle, Soldier life
cycle, and Soldier support system (see AR 350-53).
Appendix A
72 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
DEFENSE ENROLLMENT ELIGIBILITY REPORTING SYSTEM (DEERS)
A-27. DEERS is a worldwide database of uniform services members (sponsors), their Family members, and
others who are eligible for military benefits. DEERS is used in the Real-Time Automated Personnel
Identification System (RAPIDS). The RAPIDS is Department of Defense (DoD) system that is used to issue
the definitive credential within DoD for obtaining Common Access Card tokens in the DoD PKI.
EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY MEMBER PROGRAM (EFMP)
A-28. The EFMP is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to
provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical and personnel
services to Families with special needs (see AR 608-75).
FINANCIAL READINESS PROGRAM (FRP)
A-29. The Army FRP provides a variety of education and counseling services to assist Soldiers and Families
by increasing personal readiness and reducing financial stressors. Services include life-cycle education,
personal financial training, advanced individual training, online financial readiness training and financial
literacy gaming. The program provides financial guidance and support to Soldiers and their Families in the
areas of general pay and allowances, entitlements, relocation, and credit reports.
A-30. Having knowledge of what impacts your credit and the ability to obligate debt without becoming
indebted will have a significant impact on maintaining individual Soldier readiness. Indebtedness has
negative impacts on Soldier morale, personal and family security, and peace of mind. Personal financial
management entails maintaining good credit and building financial growth.
A-31. Building personal financial growth. The best personal financial manager is the individual. The first and
best rule to personal financial growth is to develop and adhere to a sound budget philosophy. If a Soldier
does not really understand how to use a budget effectively, they will not be able to manage financial growth.
Managing a budget is about assets and liabilities. A bank account is an asset; a car loan is a liability.
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE (IG)
A-32. The IG’s Office primary function is to ensure the combat readiness of subordinate units in their
command. They investigate noncriminal allegations and some specific criminal investigations, but they help
correct problems that affect the productivity, mission accomplishment, and morale of assigned personnel,
which is vital to unit readiness. The IG helps with inspections and compliance programs as well as teaching
and training provided to units and their leaders. The IG Office is a great resource to seek information and
assistance when handling Soldier issues.
LEGAL ASSISTANCE
A-33. Army Legal Assistance providers are available worldwide to advise Soldiers, Family members and
other eligible clients on legal affairs in a timely and professional manner. Providers deliver preventive law
information, resolve personal legal problems, and alleviate the burden of full payment for legal services.
A-34. Military lawyers, also known as Judge Advocates, are attorneys who have graduated from an
accredited law school and are licensed to practice law by the highest court of a State or Federal court (see
AR 27-10). Judge Advocates and DoD Civilian attorneys assigned to assist eligible individuals with
personal legal problems are known as Legal Assistance Attorneys. Legal Assistance Attorneys are located
on nearly every base, ship and installation around the world and are available to assist Soldiers in the
following areas:
• Serving as advocate and counsel
• Preparing and signing correspondence on behalf of an eligible client
• Negotiating with another party or that party's attorney
• Preparing legal documents
• Referring eligible persons to a civilian lawyer (when necessary)
• Drafting powers of attorney
• Drafting wills
• Providing estate planning advice
• Reviewing contracts and leases
Leader Tools
14 August 2025 73 TC 7-22.7
• Providing notarizations
• Advising on Family and domestic relations (divorce, separation, Family support, adoption, custody,
paternity, and name changes)
• Providing tax advice on real and personal property and income
• Providing tax preparation and electronic filing (e-filing) (in some locations)
• Answering questions about landlord-tenant issues
• Providing advice on immigration and naturalization issues
• Providing advice on the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)
• Providing advice on Special Education
MILITARY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (MEO) POLICY AND PROGRAM
A-35. The MEO Program formulates, directs, and sustains a comprehensive effort to maximize human
potential and to ensure fair treatment for all Soldiers based solely on merit, performance, and potential in
support of readiness. MEO philosophy is based on fairness and justice. Commanders are responsible for
sustaining a positive EO climate within their units. Specifically, the goals of the MEO Program are to—
• Build and maintain a cohesive, combat ready Army which is focused and determined to accomplish
its mission
• Provide support to Soldiers, both on and off-post, and within the limits of the laws of localities,
states, and host nations.
• Ensure MEO exists for all Soldiers
• Ensure every Soldier is treated with dignity and respect
• Support commanders at all levels and MEO professionals (EO PMs, EO SGMs, EO advisors; and
EO specialists (RA/USAR)) and EO Leaders (EOLs) who are responsible for the execution of MEO
policies in their units organizations, and agencies
MILITARY & FAMILY LIFE COUNSELING PROGRAMS (MFLC)
A-36. MFLC Program’s licensed clinical providers assist service members and their Families with issues
they may face throughout the cycle of deployment - from leaving their loved ones and possibly living and
working in harm's way to reintegrating with their Family and community.
MORALE, WELFARE, RECREATION, AND FAMILY PROGRAMS (MWR)
A-37. MWR and Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (FMWR) provide programs and services supporting
Soldiers, Families, and Civilians that promote resiliency and strengthen our Army. Services include Child &
Youth Services, Army Family programs, Soldier programs and community recreation, Family and MWR
Business Initiatives, Armed Forces Recreation Centers, and MWR recreation delivery to theater operations
(See AR 215-1).
PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS (P3)
A-38. The P3 program develops, integrates, and directs partner relations for the Army Reserve. P3 partners
with not-for-profit (NFP), for-profit (FP), and academic organizations to support the Chief, Army Reserves
top priorities and the Army Reserve mission of providing trained, equipped, and ready Soldiers, leaders, and
units to meet America’s requirements at home and abroad.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT RESPONSE AND PREVENTION (SHARP), I AM STRONG,
AND CATCH
A-39. Sexual harassment and sexual assault violate everything the Army stands for including our Army
values and Warrior Ethos. The Army is aggressively addressing sexual assaults by first focusing on
prevention through education and training. Army leaders encourage reporting and work hard to reduce the
stigma associated with sexual violence. Once reported, the Army focuses on care for victims and thorough
investigations and prosecutions to hold offenders accountable. The Army continually assesses the
effectiveness of its SHARP efforts to ensure the Army is meeting the needs of the Soldiers, Department of
the Army Civilians, Family members and the nation. The SHARP program’s mission is to reduce with an
aim toward eliminating sexual offenses within the Army through cultural change, prevention, intervention,
investigation, accountability, advocacy/response, assessment, and training to sustain the all-volunteer force.
Appendix A
74 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
A-40. Intervene, Act and Motivate (I.A.M.) STRONG is the Army's campaign to combat sexual harassment
and sexual assault by engaging all Soldiers in preventing sexual assaults before they occur. Grounded by our
shared belief in the Army values, we are a band of brothers and sisters, placing mission first, never accepting
defeat, never quitting, and never leaving a fallen comrade. Our interdependence and shared respect among
comrades, frames who we are as a team and an Army—a team who finds sexual harassment and sexual assault
reprehensible and beyond toleration. Those who commit these acts hurt other team members and wound our
Army. These criminal acts are cowardly and damaging to the very moral fiber that gives our Army its innermost
strength. They are a betrayal of the trust inherent in serving in the Profession of Arms. As Soldiers and proud
members of our team, we are duty bound to Intervene, Act and Motivate others to stop sexual harassment
and sexual assault and help foster an environment free of these behaviors.
A-41. Catch a Serial Offender (CATCH) allows sexual assault victims (who filed a restricted report) to
discover if the suspect in their report may have also assaulted another person, and having that knowledge,
may help with the decision to convert their Restricted Report to Unrestricted. Participation in the CATCH
program is voluntary. More information about this program can be found at https://cms1.sapr.mil/catch.
SOLDIER AND FAMILY READINESS GROUP
A-42. The Soldier and Family Readiness Group (SFRG), is a unit’s commander’s program, comprised of
Soldiers, Civilian employees, Family members (immediate and extended), and volunteers belonging to a unit.
It forms a network of mutual support and assistance and assists unit commanders in meeting military and
personal deployment preparedness and enhances Soldier and Family readiness. The primary goals and
expectations of SFRGs are to:
• Act as an extension of the unit command in providing official and accurate command information
to Soldiers and their Families,
• Connect Soldiers and Families to the chain of command and provide support between the
command and SFRG members,
• Connect SFRG members to available on- and off-post community resources, and
• Offer a network of mutual support.
SOLDIER FOR LIFE (SFL) AND TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP)
A-43. U.S. Army SFL is an official U.S. Army program created to engage and connect Army, government,
and non-government organizations in order to influence policies, programs, and services that support
Soldiers, veterans, and Families; build sustainable relationships and outcomes; and reinforce the SFL mindset
throughout the entirety of the Soldier Life Cycle (SLC). SFL, connects current Soldiers, retired Soldiers,
veterans, and their families with education, employment, and health and wellness resources and opportunities
via a powerful network of government and community organizations, corporate partners, advisors, educators,
and retired Soldiers and veterans. Once a Soldier. Always a Soldier. A Soldier For Life!
A-44. The Army Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is the Army's Transition Program responsible for
providing Soldiers with the counseling, employment and education workshops, and seminars required to
achieve the law and policy Career Readiness Standards (CRS) mandated compliance. TAP has undergone a
re-engineering to prepare and connect Soldiers to ensure the greatest opportunities for successful personal
and career achievement upon transition from active duty.
A-45. All Soldiers completing 180 days or more of continuous active-duty service are required to meet CRS
compliance. Eligible Soldiers can begin receiving transition counseling and employment assistance 18
months prior to transitioning from active duty or 24 months prior to retirement.
A-46. Active-duty Soldiers and their eligible family members may participate in TAP services up to 365 days
following their release from active duty. If retiring, TAP services can be initiated by the soldier and eligible
family members up to 24 months prior to retirement date and eligibility remains for life.
A-47. Reserve component Soldiers with more than 180 days of continuous service but less than 365 days of
mobilization must complete the self-assessment and individualized initial counseling during pre-
mobilization, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Leader Tools
14 August 2025 75 TC 7-22.7
A-48. Army National Guard Soldiers on state active duty are eligible for TAP services on a space available
basis.
A-49. Soldiers in the AGR program completing 180 days or more of continuous Title 10 active-duty service
or more are required to meet CRS compliance. Eligible Soldiers can begin receiving transition counseling
and employment assistance 12-18 months prior to transitioning from active duty or 24 months prior to
retirement.
S1 NET
A-50. S1NET is a community of professionals sharing HR knowledge Army-wide & world-wide, across all
components through conversation in context of current operations. It includes, but not limited to, the
following subcommunities: AG Corps/School, Army Retirement Services, Compensation and Entitlements,
Enlisted Military Schools Branch, Enlisted Retention, Evaluations (NCOER/OER/AER), IPPS-A, iPERMs,
Job Announcements/Mob Vacancies (Military), MILPER Messages, and Promotions. S1NET can be found
on the ACT website.
TOTAL ARMY SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM (TASP)
A-51. The TASP assists Soldiers, Civilian employees, and Families during the reassignment process. It assists
Families geographically separated from the Soldier or Civilian employee sponsor because of duty
requirements. It improves unit or organizational cohesion and readiness by decreasing distractions that hamper
personal performance and mission accomplishment, specifically by providing support and assistance,
teaching teamwork, and encouraging development of a sense of responsibility (see AR 600-8-8). It
supports the army’s personnel life-cycle function of sustainment.
UNITED SERVICES MILITARY APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (USMAP)
A-52. USMAP is a registered apprenticeship that is a formal, structured training program. It combines on-th-
job training (OJT) or mastery of competencies and related technical instruction. To be eligible, you must
meet specific requirements and must also adhere to standards set by the Department of Labor, designed to
ensure the validity and value of the apprenticeship. Apprenticeships help show employers documented work
experience using sought-after skills in the workforce. Proving you have completed an apprenticeship could
qualify you for better jobs and significantly more pay for life after the Army.
VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)
A-53. VA helps servicemembers, veterans, and eligible surviving spouses with numerous benefits. Some of
the benefits include, but not limited to health benefits; outreach, transition, and economic development;
compensation; education and training; Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E); home loans with no
down payment, low interest rates, and limited closing costs (available to apply while on active duty); life
insurance; and pension.
A-54. The VA Home Loan Program helps veterans finance the purchase of homes with favorable loan terms
and a competitive rate of interest (see www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/). For VA housing loan purposes, the
term Veteran includes certain members of the Army National Guard, the Army Reserve, regular Army, and
certain categories of Spouses. Benefits for VA Home Loans include:
• Equal opportunity for all qualified veterans.
• VA loan that is reusable.
• No down payment, (unless required by the lender or the purchase price is more than the reasonable
value of the property).
• No mortgage insurance.
• One time VA funding fee, that can be included in the loan.
• Veterans receiving VA disability compensation are exempt from the VA funding fee.
• VA limits certain closing costs a Veteran can pay.
• Can be taken over by other qualified persons.
• Minimum property requirements to ensure the property is safe, sanitary, and sound.
• VA staff dedicated to assisting veterans who become delinquent on their loan.
This page intentionally left blank.
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 77
Appendix B
Change of Responsibility Example Script
MUSIC: From 1515 until 1528 plays appropriate music, and the Color guard takes its initial position.
PARTICIPATING UNITS: All MSC/battalion/company, and HHC on the final line. Each company 1SG will
dress their formations at the ready line prior to the ceremony starting. All units will be at Parade Rest NLT 1515
hours.
NCOIC: (At 1525) faces about and directs BATTALION ATTENTION, PARADE REST.
NARRATOR: (At 1528 announces) “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE CEREMONY WILL BEGIN IN
TWO MINUTES. PLEASE MOVE TO YOUR SEATS AND SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES AND
ELECTRONIC DEVICES.”
*Note: for Indoor ceremony narrator reads*
NARRATOR: “THIS CEREMONY WILL BE CONDUCTED AS AN OUTDOOR CEREMONY; ALL
MILITARY PERSONNEL WILL WEAR HEADGEAR AND RENDER PROPER OUTDOOR MILITARY
COURTESIES.”
NARRATOR: (At 1530 announces) “GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
ON BEHALF OF Commander’s Name, THE COMMANDER OF Unit Name, WELCOME TO THE CHANGE
OF RESPONSIBILITY CEREMONY. TODAY, COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM1 Name WILL
RELINQUISH RESPONSIBILITY AS THE Unit Name COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR TO COMMAND
SERGEANT MAJOR CSM2 Name. WE EXTEND A SINCERE WELCOME TO OUR DISTINGUISHED
GUESTS. AMONG OUR DISTINGUISHED GUESTS FOR TODAY’S CEREMONY ARE (Names of
Distinguish Guest)
*NOTE: Protocol will provide the list just prior to the ceremony*
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AT THIS TIME SPOUSE’S FULL NAME SPOUSE OF
RANK, LAST NAME OF CSM1 IS BEING PRESENTED A BOUQUET OF RED ROSES (or Gift)
THANKING HIM/HER FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT AND DEVOTION TO THE SOLDIERS AND
FAMILIES OF (Unit Name). RED ROSES SIGNIFY THE BONDS OF LOYALTY AND AFFECTION
BETWEEN THE SOLDIERS AND FAMILIES, AND TO SIGNIFY OUR SORROW AT THEIR
DEPARTURE FROM Unit Name. THEY WILL BE REMEMBERED AND MISSED.”
USHER: Presents flowers to Mrs. /Mr. CSM1 spouse’s name.
*NOTE: Flowers may be substituted with a gift for the spouse if the CSM chooses not to give flowers.
NARRATOR: “AT THIS TIME SPOUSE’S FULL NAME SPOUSE OF
RANK, LAST NAME OF CSM2 IS RECEIVING A BOUQUET OF YELLOW ROSES (or Gift)
WELCOMING HIM/HER TO THE UNIT Name. YELLOW IS THE COLOR OF NEW BEGINNINGS AND
SYMBOLIZES HIS/HER ARRIVAL TO THE UNIT Name. IN TIME FIRST NAME OF INCOMING
SPOUSE’S ROSEBUDS WILL BLOSSOM, AS WILL HIS/HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SOLDIERS
AND THEIR FAMILIES.”
USHER: Presents flowers to Mrs. /Mr. CSM2 Spouse’s name.
*NOTE: Flowers may be substituted with a gift for the spouse if the CSM chooses not to give flowers.
Once applause is complete:
78 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
Appendix B
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE STAND FOR THE INVOCATION GIVEN BY
CHAPLAIN NAME, AND REMAIN STANDING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE OFFICIAL PARTY,
POSTING OF THE COLORS AND HONORS TO THE NATION.”
CHAPLAIN: Moves to the podium (Prayer should not exceed 1 minute). After completion of his/her
remarks, moves to his/her seat.
NARRATOR: “THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER IN CHARGE FOR TODAY’S CHANGE OF
RESPONSIBILITY CEREMONY IS Rank and Name. THE CEREMONY WILL BEGIN WHEN THE
NCOIC COMMANDS THE UNITS BE BROUGHT TO ATTENTION.”
NCOIC: Faces about and directs BRING YOUR UNITS TO ATTENTION.
UNITS: Each unit will execute the Position of Attention (in sequence starting with the right flank unit).
OFFICIAL PARTY: When all units are at attention, the official party marches to their post or are already in
place at this time.
Once the official party has halted at their post:
NCOIC: Gives the command COLORS CENTER, MARCH.
COLOR GUARD: Takes seven steps forward and halt. Then the NCOIC marches forward until he/she is three
steps in front of the color detail, halts, and then faces about. The NCOIC will then command "COLORS
FORWARD, MARCH." On the command of execution MARCH, the NCOIC and the Colors march forward
and then halt when the NCOIC has reached his/her original post. The NCOIC then commands "MARK TIME,
MARCH, COLORS HALT".
Once the Colors has halted:
NCOIC: Executes the Hand Salute and reports, “SIR/MA'AM, the Colors are PRESENT.”
COMMANDER: Returns the Salute and directs "CONDUCT THE CHANGE OF RESPONSIBILITY."
NCOIC: Executes a right face and takes approximate eight (8) steps to his/ her post and executes a right face
and directs "BRING YOUR UNITS TO PRESENT ARMS."
UNITS: Each unit will command Present, Arms in sequence starting with the right flank unit.
Once the last unit has executed Present Arms:
The NCOIC faces about (looking over the left shoulder) and gives the command.
COLORS, PRESENT, ARMS. NCOIC Salutes along with detachment.
MUSIC: Plays the NATIONAL ANTHEM.
Upon completion of the National Anthem.
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE BE SEATED.”
NCOIC: Executes Order Arms, and faces about, then commands ORDER, ARMS. NCOIC: Directs BRING
YOUR UNITS TO ORDER ARMS AND PARADE REST.
UNITS: Each unit will execute Order Arms and Parade Rest in order beginning with unit on far right. When all units are at Parade Rest, the NCOIC faces about and remains at Attention with the colors.
Change of Responsibility Example Script
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 79
NCOIC AND OFFICIAL PARTY: As the narrator begins reading, the NCOIC moves (cue words: “THE
CHANGE”) towards the colors and centers him/herself about one-step in front of the colors. The reviewing
party moves forward and halts three paces in front of the NCOIC. Then CSM1 and CSM2 will take one step
forward and (simultaneously) the NCOIC faces about to retrieve the Colors from the Color bearer. Once the
NCOIC retrieves the Colors, the command CENTER, FACE will be given (both CSMs face inward and the
NCOIC faces about) placing all parties in position.
NARRATOR: “THE CHANGE OF RESPONSIBILITY IS A SIMPLE YET TRADITIONAL EVENT THAT
IS RICH WITH SYMBOLISM AND HERITAGE. THE KEY TO THE CEREMONY IS THE PASSING OF
THE COLORS. THE VERY SOUL OF A MILITARY UNIT IS SYMBOLIZED IN THE COLORS UNDER
WHICH IT FIGHTS, FOR THEY REPRESENT NOT ONLY THE LINEAGE AND HONORS OF THE
UNIT, BUT ALSO THE LOYALTY AND UNITY OF ITS SOLDIERS. THE CUSTODIAN OF THE
COLORS IS THE COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR, WHO IS THE SENIOR ENLISTED SOLDIER IN
THE UNIT, AND PRINCIPAL ADVISOR TO THE COMMANDER.
NCOIC: Once the narrator reads (cue words: “THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER IN CHARGE”), the
Colors are then passed from the NCOIC (Right hand above their left hand) to CSM1; CSM1 (Left hand above
their right hand) steps forward and presents the Colors to the Commander (Right hand above their left hand),
and then to CSM2 (Left hand above their right hand).
NARRATOR: THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER IN CHARGE Rank and Name WILL PASS THE
COLORS TO COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM1 Name, WHO WILL IN TURN PASS THE COLORS
TO THE COMMANDER. THE PASSING OF THE COLORS SYMBOLIZES THE RELINQUISHMENT OF
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY FROM COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM1 Name. THE
COMMANDER WILL THEN PASS THE COLORS TO COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM2 Name,
CHARGING HIM/HER WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY THAT COMES WITH
HIS/HER POSITION.
NARRATOR: "CHARGE ORDERS FOR COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM2 Full Name. LET IT BE
KNOWN FROM THIS DAY FORWARD THAT THE COMMANDER OF THE Unit Name, HAS PLACED
SPECIAL TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN YOUR PATRIOTISM, DEDICATION, INTEGRITY, AND
LEADERSHIP ABILITIES. THEREFORE, YOU ARE HEREBY APPOINTED AS THE COMMAND
SERGEANT
MAJOR, Unit Name.”
NARRATOR: COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM2 Name WILL NOW RETURN THE COLORS TO
THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER IN CHARGE.”
Once the Colors are handed to CSM2:
Upon completion of reading the Charge of Responsibility order, the colors are returned to the NCOIC:
NCOIC: Gives the command of ABOUT, FACE and all parties execute a movement to face the Color guard.
The NCOIC returns the Colors to the Color bearer and then the commander gives the command ABOUT,
FACE and all parties face the reviewing stand. The commander then gives the command FORWARD,
MARCH and the commander, and both CSMs step off as in marching. While moving back to the reviewing
stand, the CSMs pass behind the commander (incoming ahead of the outgoing) changing positions. Once back
to the review stand, the commander commands MARK TIME, MARCH, and GROUP, HALT. Once at a halt,
the commander commands ABOUT, FACE and PARADE, REST.
NCOIC: On the command Forward March, he/she returns to initial position. Then assumes the position of
Parade Rest.
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE COMMANDER OF THE Unit Name,
a. Commander’s Rank and Name.”
Appendix B
80 14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7
COMMANDER: Comes forward and gives his/her remarks. After completion of his/her remarks, moves to
his/her seat.
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE OUTGOING COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR,
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM1 name.”
CSM1 NAME: Moves to the podium and gives remarks. After completion of his/her remarks, moves to his/her
seat.
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE Unit
Name, COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM2 name.”
CSM2 NAME: Moves to the podium and gives remarks. After completion of his/her remarks, moves to his/her
seat.
Once CSM2 moves to his/her seat:
NCOIC: Assumes the position of Attention, faces about and directs "BRING YOUR UNITS TO
ATTENTION."
UNITS: Each unit will execute the Position of Attention (in sequence starting with the right flank unit).
Once all of the units are at Attention:
NCOIC: Faces about.
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLAYING OF THE ARMY
SONG.”
*Note Units may opt to retire the colors if the ceremony is conducted indoors.
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLAYING OF THE ARMY
SONG AND REMAIN STANDING FOR THE RETIRING OF THE COLORS.”
MUSIC: PLAYS THE ARMY SONG.
Upon completion of the Army Song:
NCOIC: Looks over left shoulder and gives the command "COLORS, POST."
On the command POST the Colors Reverse March and halt. NCOIC remains looking over left shoulder.
NCOIC: Gives the command MARCH.
On the command MARCH the following actions occur simultaneously: Colors step off and return to their
original posts, executes reverse Colors, and halts. The NCOIC marches to his/her position, centered on the
formation, and executes right Face.
CSM2: Moves towards the NCOIC and takes charge of the formation, NCOIC moves towards the formation
and takes his/her place behind the color guard. CSM2 faces about.
CSM2: Salutes and announces “Sir/Ma’am, this concludes today’s ceremony.” COMMANDER: Returns
Salute and commands "TAKE CHARGE OF THE UNIT." CSM2: Gives the command "TAKE CHARGE
OF YOUR UNITS."
CSM2: After units take charge, he/she will face about and moves to his/her seat:
Change of Responsibility Example Script
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 81
NARRATOR: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS CONCLUDES TODAY’S CEREMONY. PLEASE
TAKE A MOMENT TO WISH COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM1 Name AND HIS/HER SPOUSE A
FOND FAREWELL. THERE IS A RECEPTION FOR COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR CSM2 Name AND HIS/HER SPOUSE AT Location.”
below optional
*NOTE: Units may execute the retiring of the colors following the steps below.
UNITS: Each unit will execute a Column Right (in sequence starting with the right flank unit, follow the colors
out of the off-parade field).
NCOIC: Commands "RIGHT WHEEL, MARCH" and once the movement is complete the command
"FORWARD, MARCH" is given.
COLOR GUARD: Executes Right Wheel, and marches off the parade field.
This page intentionally left blank.
TC 7-22.7 83 14 August 2025
Appendix C
NCO Induction Ceremony Script
Introduction: Below is a basic script for the execution of an NCO Induction Ceremony at the Battalion level.
This can be tailored to fit any size organization. Feel free to add or subtract from this script to make it personal
to your organization. Additions for specific unit history or regimental significance is highly encouraged.
Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, the ceremony will begin in two minutes please take your seats and silence all
electronic devices.
*Start a video of pictures of all NCOs about to get inducted*
Narrator: Today’s official party for the ceremony is Command Sergeant Major ????, the???? Command
Sergeant Major, and Command Sergeant Major ????, the???? Command Sergeant Major. Ladies and gentlemen,
please stand for the arrival of the official party, posting of the colors and remain standing for the singing of the
National Anthem and the invocation.
*Official party music plays and ends when the official party arrives at their positions*
Color guard posts colors and marches off.
Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen please be seated. Good afternoon, CSM ????, CSM ????, distinguished guests,
families, friends, and fellow Noncommissioned Officers. Welcome to the???? Battalion Noncommissioned
Officer Induction Ceremony, where we will recognize the passing of Soldiers into the ranks of the United States
Army Noncommissioned Officer Corps.
Narrator: The tradition of passing a Soldier on to be a Noncommissioned Officer can be traced to the Army of
Fredrick the Great. You may notice the two Noncommissioned Officers guarding the Noncommissioned Officer
arch with their sharp uniform, clean boots, and NCO- issued halberds/swords. While in battledress, the NCO
wears boots. They always have. Well, almost. Many Soldiers at Valley Forge did not have shoes, much less
boots. They marched and fought with no more than rags that were wrapped around bleeding, frostbitten feet.
Those volunteers literally knew the meaning of a “come as you are” war.
From the crude, rough and soiled moccasins worn by Soldiers more than 225 years ago, to the smooth and
polished boots of today, boots have been basic to Soldiering. Whether strapped, laced, buttoned, buckled, or
wrapped by leggings, boots have marched, paced, sloshed, trampled, jumped and charged over or through dirt,
mud, snow, brush, rock, sand and water.
In peace and war, the boots of the American Soldier have left their prints in many places ... (add places from
unit history), to name a few.
With boots on, U.S. Soldiers have fought wars, policed cities, stood between hostile forces, provided
humanitarian relief, rescued civilians ... And died. Boots have been buried with Soldiers, removed from bodies,
amputated along with legs, and shattered by mines. No matter where, or when, or what the mission, an Army
NCO was there ... Wearing boots.
Their issued weapon enables them to cut to the heart of the matter and ensure only those that are qualified and
are a demonstrated true leader of Soldiers may pass under this sacred archway.
In the beginning, before one could be fully recognized as an NCO, he was required to stand four watches: one
every four days. At the first watch a Soldier appeared and claimed a gift of bread and brandy. (Pause)
(SPC ???? from ???? Company, moves from their seat to take the bread and brandy then returns to their seat).
The sergeant of the guard came to the second watch for beer and tobacco. (Pause)
(SSG ???? from ???? Company, takes beer and tobacco and returns to his seat).
The First Sergeant reserved his visit for the third watch, when he was presented with a glass of wine and a piece
of tobacco on a tin plate. (Pause)
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 84
Appendix C
(1SG ???? from ???? Company, takes a glass of wine and tobacco on a plate, then returns to his seat).
On the morning after the fourth watch, the sun would rise on a new NCO.
Today, we commemorate this rite of passage as a celebration of the newly promoted sergeants joining the ranks
of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, to emphasize and build on the pride we all share as members of such an
elite corp.
Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to the voices of the NCOs from the past, present, and future as they light the
candles:
Narrator: SSG ???? from the ???? Company, will light the red candle with the letter “N” which represents
THE PAST, AND THE BLOOD WHICH WAS SHED.
*As the NCO begins speaking to light the candle, the table for the watch is removed*
SSG ????: “I am that Sergeant, a Noncommissioned Officer in the Army of the United States of America. For
over two hundred and forty-three years I have trained and led our Nation’s Soldiers; and with them have
purchased freedom with our blood. To the tyrant we are the day of reckoning, to the oppressed we represent a
hope for the future. I was there at the beginning.
*After saying their part, returns to their seat*
Narrator: SFC ???? from ???? Company, will now light the white candle with the letter “C” which
represents THE PRESENT AND PURITY.
SFC ????: “I led my Soldiers across that line of death drawn in the sand by a tyrant and in 100 hours crushed
his Army. Against an enemy that knew they had no hope of surviving a head-to-head battle and resorted to
guerrilla warfare, I stood firm at my outpost and showed that the American Army is the Supreme Fighting Force
for freedom in the world.”
*After saying their part, returns to their seat*
Narrator: SSG ???? from the ???? Company will now light the blue candle with the letter “O” that represents
THE FUTURE AND LOYALTY TO OUR COUNTRY.
SSG ????: “I am the Sergeant leading my Soldiers on patrol, manning check points, executing logistics, and
securing sites across all domains of battle. I am a warrior and I train my Soldiers to live the Warrior Ethos. I am
prepared to go anywhere on this earth to project the power of our country to implement peace and guarantee
democracy.”
*After saying their part, returns to their seat*
Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, the Command Sergeant Major for the ???? (hosting) battalion, Command
Sergeant Major ????.
CSM ????: (introduces the guest speaker).
CSM ????: Ladies and gentlemen: Command Sergeant Major ????.
*applause*
CSM ????: (speech).
*applause after speech*
*Arch guards move into place beside the arch, facing out*
NCO Induction Ceremony Script
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 85
Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, now you will witness the signing and issuing of the NCO Charge by the
inductees and Command Sergeant Major ???? (Host CSM). This document denotes acceptance of the duties and
responsibilities of the Noncommissioned Officer.
*Host CSM moves from his seat to center stage. CSM ???? turns to narrator and asks:*
CSM ????: “How many candidates do we have to induct?”
Narrator: Sergeant Major, there are ?? candidates.
*On “Candidates” all the Soldiers will stand in unison*
Narrator: As leaders, NCO’s must be proven worthy of the rank of Sergeant. Keep an attentive ear as you
listen to your First Sergeants while they give you words of wisdom and experience.
*On “First Sergeants”, 1SG #1 stands and faces the inductees*
1SG #1: (commands, “Stand at ease”) “inductees, the place you will leave is a place to be respected and
remembered, for there remain your subordinates. However, you are never to stand there again, unless you are no
longer eligible to continue as a Noncommissioned Officer.”
1SG #2: “The place that you are going is sacred, for it symbolizes the past, present, and future of the
Noncommissioned Officer.”
1SG #3: “From this place, you will carry out the responsibilities of your position. Never forget where you came
from or that you must lead by example and always take care of your Soldiers.”
1SG #4: “The NCO’s within your unit also stand behind you as you learn and grow. Stay within the circle of
Noncommissioned Officers, solicit their help and knowledge; accept their guidance, because they have been
where you are about to go.” (Calls; “GROUP ATTENTION”).
*Host CSM ???? moves to center stage after 1SG #4 stops speaking*
*1SG #4 executes an about face and turns the formation over to CSM ????*
Host CSM ????: "Inductees, raise your right hand and repeat after me."
Host CSM ????: "I (state your full name) will discharge carefully and diligently the duties of the grade
to which I have been promoted, and uphold the traditions and standards of the Army. I understand that Soldiers of lesser rank are required to obey my lawful orders.
Accordingly, I accept responsibility for their actions
as a Noncommissioned Officer.
I accept the charge to observe and follow the orders and directions given by supervisors, acting according to the
laws, articles, and rules governing the discipline of the Army.
I will correct conditions detrimental to the readiness thereof. In so doing,
I will fulfill my greatest obligation as a leader, and thereby confirm my status as a Noncommissioned Officer."
Host CSM ????: “Inductees, do you swear or affirm to uphold and secure the value and the responsibilities of
the Noncommissioned Officer Corps?”
Inductees: “Yes, Command Sergeant Major!” (drop right hand).
*CSM ???? looks at the candidates
Appendix C
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 86
Host CSM ????: “Candidates are you ready to pass through the lines of authority and accept the responsibility
of a Noncommissioned Officer?”
Inductees: “Yes, Command Sergeant Major!”
Narrator: Please take your seats.
*All companies except HHC take their seats*
Company 1SG’s gives command “Right Face” and “Forward March” candidates move to table and signs the
charge of responsibility; inductee then moves onto the stage as their name is called*
*As soon as 1SG’s call right face the Arch Guards center face*
*Host CSM ???? walks across the stage and has the Guest speaker join them next to the arch*
Host CSM ????: “Who will vouch for these NCOs to be inducted?”
*Host CSM ???? will ask each respective 1SG as he takes his position beside the arch ahead of his Soldiers*
1SG from Unit: “I do, Command Sergeant Major!”
*Arch guards raise their halberds/swords with the tips crossed after the 1SG’s pass under, then they will raise
and cross their sword while the entire company passes under*
*NOTE: For smaller ceremonies, each NCO inducted can have a sponsor that is asked the same question before
being allowed to cross under the archways.
CSM- Are there any Soldiers present that deserve to be members of our time honored corps?
Inductee: I (Rank/Name).
Sponsor: I (Rank/Name) recommend SGT ???? to be inducted into the Noncommissioned Officer Corps.
*Once all have been introduced and recommended, all move on stage to cross under the archway*
Narrator: Now that you have been officially charged, step forward to receive your charge. Take them
with you and display them proudly. As you leave here today, never forget your role as a
Noncommissioned officer.
*Unit may determine what each inductee will receive. Recommended they receive their Signed NCO Charge, a
framed copy of the NCO Creed signed by the BN Command Team, a copy of the Battalion History and a copy
of the description and symbolism of their patch and the Battalion Crest, as well as TC 7-22.7,
Noncommissioned Officer Guide. *
*As the second-to-last NCO’s name is called from the preceding company, the following company will move to
the position of attention, execute a right face and march to the stage. *
Narrator: Recites NCO inductee List
*Each new NCO will move through the arch, receive charge, and shake hands, pose for a photo, and return to
their seat. Once the last NCO and official party is seated, narrator continues.*
Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, “A Soldier’s Request”.
NCO Induction Ceremony Script
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 87
*Soldiers/NCOs will stand from their seats in the audience and recite their lines*
Soldier 1 SPC ????, Company : Treat me with respect, Sergeant. For no heart in the entire world is more loyal
than the heart of an American Soldier. Do not break my spirit with your words, Sergeant. Know I will do what you
demand, your guidance, patience, and understanding will more quickly teach me to “Be, Know, and Do”.
NCO Response SGT ????, Company: trust me, soldier. You have a mind and the will to be trained. I will tell
you my highest truth if I know you are listening. Your trust is one of your most prized possessions; working to
earn it makes me a better leader.
Soldier 2 SPC ????, Company: Speak with me often. For the praise and counseling you give is expected. I am an
American Soldier, expecting to be trained. Discipline must be a part of my life. Train me for the elements,
Sergeant. For I must learn to fight and win in the cold, the wet, and the desert. Those who would be my enemies
will use these elements. I must be prepared.
NCO Response SSG ????, Company: follow me, soldier, for the steps I take are taken more carefully if I know
yours will follow. Personal sacrifices are easy but your safety I hold dear. Make them one and I will lead you as
best as I can.
Soldier 3 SPC ????, Company: I ask no greater glory, Sergeant, than to defend our country and our way of life,
against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Allow me that privilege, Sergeant…..train me. Provide me the
necessities of food and drink, Sergeant. Train me to be self-sufficient, that I may lead the way, and stand ready,
willing and able to protect you; with my life if necessary, should your life be in danger.
NCO Response SGT ????, Company: obey me, soldier, not because you have to but because you want to. Your
actions give my words power. A leader’s influence is limited by the activity that leader can influence. Empower
me so that I may use that power to your benefit.
Soldier 4 Pv2 ????, Company: Train me, Sergeant, that one day I too can be called Sergeant, trainer of Soldiers,
backbone of the Army. Train me to accept those responsibilities that are yours. Train me to train my Soldiers to be
the greatest defenders of freedom in the world. Sergeant, train me to be a Sergeant. I shall leave this Army
knowing, with my last step and my last breath, that my fate was always safest in your hands.
All four Soldiers: Sergeant, train me, that I too can earn the title “Sergeant”.
NCO Response SSG ???? Company: respect me, soldier, because respect is a two-way street. It is given more
easily to those from whom it is readily received. When you remind me what respect looks like, I can keep myself
in line as well. Soldier, I am a leader. Give me a soldier to lead. I am at my best when you are at yours. Push
yourself and thereby push me to be a better leader for you every day. I promise I will rise to the challenge.
All newly inducted NCO’s standing say in unison “WE WILL LEAD YOU!”
Narrator: SGT ????, will now present our guest speaker CSM ???? with a small token of appreciation for her
kind words of wisdom. (Moves to the podium and gives the guest speaker the gift) Asks if he/she would join the
newly inducted NCO’s to recite the NCO Creed.
Narrator: Every Soldier has a Sergeant… Every Soldier deserves a leader who is a capable trainer, is trustworthy,
is genuinely concerned for their health and welfare, and develops them to be the leaders of tomorrow. The
Soldier’s Creed and the Warrior Ethos are compelling obligations we expect our Soldiers to live by. Likewise, we
expect our leaders to live by those obligations and the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer. The Creed of the
Noncommissioned Officer has served as a guiding document for Noncommissioned Officers since its inception in
1973, though its concepts have always been a part of our Corps. Each major paragraph begins with three letters: N,
C, O. These words have inspired Noncommissioned Officers, and have served as a compass to guide us through
the difficult paths that we travel. Today, our newest Noncommissioned Officers will affirm their commitment to
the professionalism of our Corps, and become a part of the “Backbone” of the Army.
Appendix C
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 88
Narrator: Ladies and Gentlemen please stand and join our inductees and all NCOs past and present as they recite
the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, emphasizing their duties and responsibilities of the grade to which
they have been promoted and remain standing for the benediction, singing of the Division Song, the Army Song
and the departure of the Official Party.
*On “Please Stand” all Official Party and Inductee’s stand at attention.*
Chosen Inductee: The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
NCOs: Recite the NCO Creed.
*Once the NCO Creed is complete, chosen NCO walks back to their seat.*
NCO: Give Benediction (SFC ????).
*Plays the Division/Army song. Then departure music*
*CSM ???? commands, “Right Face, forward march.” Official Party exits ceremony area*
Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen this concludes our ceremony. Please take a moment to join us in
congratulating our newly inducted NCOs. Thank You for attending! “Battalion Motto!!”
14 August 2025 TC 7-22. 89
Appendix D
The Emerging NCO
D-1. The Professional NCO Emerges during the 20th and 21st Century. The performance of the Army in
the Spanish American War, difficulty in recruiting, and a new global presence forced the Army to reconsider
its recruitment and retention practices, which included a reassessment of the nature and role of the NCO. In
1907 the War Department issued its annual report identifying pay, promotion, and prestige as the main
challenges to retaining NCOs. It noted:” The noncommissioned officer are men who in civil life would be
skilled workmen, foremen, chief clerks, and subordinate officials. If the Army cannot offer them inducements
that civil institutions are glad to offer, it cannot hope to secure or retain them.”1
D-2. Making pay equivalent to what the private sector offered, therefore, was key. Prestige was also crucial
– In Great Britain the report observed, "…(Noncommissioned ranks) form a class into which…the best
Soldiers strive to enter, and having entered, remain."2 Acting on the report (and at the urging of the Army)
Congress passed the Pay Bill of 1908, raising the pay for NCOs to levels comparable to private industry. The
Pay Bill gave rewards for those with specialized skills and senior NCOs, but it was still recognition that the
working skills of the NCO Corps were a crucial part of the Army and worth the pay of civilian counterparts.
Following that, in 1912 the Committee on Military Affairs began revising the Articles of War, which had
remained essentially unchanged throughout the 19th century. Article 65 (Insubordinate Conduct Toward a
Noncommissioned Officer) prescribed penalties for a Soldier who "…disobeys the lawful order of a
noncommissioned officer…", giving NCOs specific legal authority for the first time.3 The 1908 Pay Bill and
the revisions to the Articles of War addressed the problems of pay and prestige, but it would take a world
war to rediscover the need to develop the NCO as a combat leader.
D-3. Between 1908 and 1917, the Army was slow to change. Despite advances in pay, the Army in 1914
still retained much of its 19th century character. The largest units in the Army were regiments (not divisions
or corps), and supply, training, and administrative organizations were capable of supporting relatively small
unit operations, but not large-scale operations.4 The United States tried to stay neutral in the conflict that
began in 1914, but once the US declared war in 1917, the Army was flooded with volunteers and draftees.
For the first time since the Civil War, Americans were conscripted and nearly three million reported for duty
before the war was over. Once again, the influx of civilians placed enormous strains on the entire Army and
on the NCO system. The need for officers led to rapid senior NCO commissioning, and long-term NCOs
found themselves in positions where they had little experience. To replace them, lower grade and in some
cases untalented NCOs rose to fill the slots they vacated. Another way NCOs were replaced was through
remobilization of retired NCOs, but the more common method was to give stripes to Officer Candidate
School washouts. Neither method could create NCOs as fast as they were needed, and neither enhanced the
quality, prestige, or authority of the NCO within units. The Pay Bill of 1908 rewarded new recruits who had
a useful skill, but the nature of modern industrialized warfare required an additional level of standardized
NCO training and professionalism that was simply not present.5
1. War Department Annual Report 1907: Vol. I (GPO: Washington, D.C., 1907), 83. The entire document addresses problems of recruitment,
but pages 76-93 ("A Study of Conditions in the Ranks of the Army and of the Measures Deduced Therefrom as Essential to Make Enlisted Service Desirable as a Life Occupation") pays particular attention to Army NCOs.
2. War Department Annual Report 1907, 84.
3. There were several meetings about the revisions, which were finalized in 1920. This reference comes from Hearing before the Committee
on Military Affairs: Revision of the Articles of War. Report to accompany S.3191. 64th Congress, 1st Session, Article 65 p. 8. See also Altenburg, NCO Authority, p. 41-45.
4. Elijah Root had begun reforming the Army in 1899, but his vision had not been realized by 1914. See Hirrel, Leo P. Supporting the
Doughboys: U.S. Army Logistics and Personnel During World War I (Combat Studies Institute Press: Ft Leavenworth, 2017), p. 1-7. 5. Daniel K. Elder, Educating Noncommissioned Officer: A chronological study of education programs for U.S. Army noncommissioned
officer (Letterkenny Army Depot: Chambersburg, 1999), p. 6-7; Fisher, Guardians of the Republic, 184-190.
14 August 2025 90 TC 7-22.7
Appendix D
D-4. In response, in 1917 GEN John Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF),
called for division and local units to create NCO schools designed to “…make the NCO realize his position
was a responsible one.”6 It was the first call for NCO education beyond technical training, but its
implementation left much to be desired.7 Some units did set up schools, but most relied on the understudy
system where a senior NCO would be shadowed by his replacement. The call for the divisional school
recognized the need for professionally trained NCOs, but in the pressure of war such education and
standardization did not materialize. This also pointed out two serious flaws in the NCO system.
D-5. First, since officers appointed NCOs within units, NCO training was localized, short, and inconsistent,
if it existed at all. Training reflected local commander’s needs and did not necessarily mean promotion or
rank retention. This left them unprepared to deal with conscripts who were in some cases better educated and
less motivated than prewar privates. Complicating this, in most new regiments, the NCOs were selected from
the draftees much as they had been in the Civil War and the NCO in many cases became little more than an
enhanced private or super Private First Class (PFC). Second, the role and ranking of NCOs was not clearly
defined. According to Army regulations, virtually everything in Army life was to be done under an officer’s
inspection, but time and manpower shortages made this all but impossible. According to the War
Department’s 1917 Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United
States, the role of the NCO was primarily to support and assist the officer in instruction and care of other
enlisted Soldiers. As the war progressed, however, NCOs found themselves taking over roles that had been
the domain of officers, such as inspections and setting training schedules, but not officially given authority,
status, or recognition.
D-6. Taking over such roles had long been the norm in other armies. The French, British, German, and
Russian armies viewed the NCO as a separate class, and when officers were killed in battle, it was expected
that the senior NCO would take command and be able to function in that role. In 1916, that was not the
expectation of the American NCO, but as the American NCO was exposed to this idea, as officers came to
depend on them, and faced with the realities of combat, expectations changed. The NCO began to see himself
as more than an enlisted Soldier promoted and demoted at his officer’s pleasure, but as an essential part of
the Army’s functioning. It is instructive to note that when a British commander at the time addressed his
troops he began “Officers, NCOs and men,” while in the US the opening was “Officers and men.” The short
term, makeshift schools that trained the Army in 1917-18 could not meet that standard, but the view had
changed. Once the American Army was sent to the front, the fragmented nature of combat created
opportunities for NCOs to demonstrate their value as combat leaders. The most famous case is that of Alvin
C. York. In 1918, CPL York of G Co., 2 d BN, 328th Infantry, 82d Division, four other NCOs, and thirteen
privates were sent to flank a machine gun emplacement. The other NCOs were killed, but York managed to
capture 129 Germans, destroy the machine gun emplacement, and repel a counterattack. York’s actions are
a classic example of NCO initiative under fire. Still, NCOs such as York were produced despite the NCO
selection and training system, not because of it.
D-7. The First World War ended in November 1918. Postwar, it was clear that the system of recruiting,
training, and retaining NCOs badly needed overhauling. World War I was an infantry war but ushered in new
weapons and tactics that required more technical expertise than ever before. It has been noted elsewhere that
the development of the internal combustion engine and the rise of the modern NCO Corps go hand-in- hand,
and at no time was the link more obvious than in the immediate postwar world.8 At the same time, the 1920s
saw yearly reductions in force, reducing the Army from 2,897,000 in 1918 to 247,398 by 1923.9 Of those,
roughly 150,000 were enlisted.
6. Fisher, Guardians of the Republic, 199; Fisch and Wright, The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 25.
7. To be clear, others had called for NCO education before, and even the 1907 War Department report cited observed the positive
effects of
NCO schools in Germany and Great Britain. However, in the US Army in general proposals aimed for either preparing NCOs for
commissioning or for general education. 8. Fisher, Guardians of the Republic, 12.
9. Selected Manpower Statistics, Table 2-11.
D-8. The pressure on the NCO Corps was intensified when senior NCOs who had been commissioned during
wartime were returned to NCO ranks, while excess officers were given Master Sergeant rank as a way of
dealing with officer overages. Multiple efforts were made to keep NCOs, especially those with technical
The Emerging NCO
91 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
skills, through demotion, relocating NCOs to Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) units, and freezing
promotions, none of which enhanced the NCO’s professional status. The greatest impact on the NCO Corps
and on enlisted personnel in general, however, was the National Defense Act (NDA) of June 1920.
D-9. The 1920 NDA amended the 1916 NDA, which had created the National Army and replaced it with
the standing Army of the United States. It recognized new technical specialties within the Army, such as the
Chemical Corps, and established a standing US Army Air Service as a permanent part of the Army.10 The
1920 NDA also created a new enlisted seven-rank system. At the top was the G (for Grade) 1 Master
Sergeants.11 First Sergeants and Technical Sergeants were G2s, G3s would be Staff Sergeants, a new position
between the 1SG and the platoon leaders, who were G4 line Sergeants. Corporals made up the fifth rank and
PFC and Privates made up the G6 and G7 ranks. (This changed in 1948 and 1949, becoming the system we
use today where Privates are E1s.) The G rank established a basic pay grade. In addition to that, however, the
privates and PFCs had 12 specialist ratings which added to pay, and by 1922 the Army identified 231
vocational skills in which a Private/Specialist could qualify and receive additional pay. While on paper this
system addressed the overabundance of NCOs and reduced the number by reclassifying those whose rank
depended on a specific skill as Specialist rather than NCO (thereby reducing the rank without reducing pay),
in practice this became an unwieldy and confusing system. Under those conditions, one could draw almost
as much pay as a G7 PFC Specialist Rating 10 as a line sergeant, and one would find an easier, more stable
career. Further, since promotion was still controlled by the local commander, NCOs transferring from one
unit to another may or may not keep the same rank and if one lost rank there was no appeal. In addition, when
an enlisted Soldier was transferred, regardless of rank, they were demoted to Private from the time of transfer,
and it was up to local command and unit need to determine if rank would be restored once the Soldier arrived
at the new permanent duty station. As mentioned, a G7 PFC Specialist Rating 10 drew as much pay as an
NCO and had none of these issues, and his pay was steady.12
D-10. Despite that, the position of the NCO had changed dramatically between the end of the Spanish-
American War and 1920. NCO pay was roughly the equivalent of a comparable civilian, a more attainable
retirement plan was in place, and NCO authority had been enshrined in military law. Stabilizing the NCO
career path was the next logical step, especially as the Army added new, technically challenging branches.
Yet, reforming the local selection and promotion system proved difficult. The Chief of the Ordnance Branch,
for example, argued that allowing enlisted transfer in grade would dilute the professional standards of the
ordnance system, which required technical skill for promotion. Ironically, it was the expansion of the Army
Air Corps in the 1930s that put pressure on the system, as highly technically skilled NCOs were needed in
several new units and transferring in and out of rank was not a practical option. By 1939, the Army Air Corps,
Signal Corps, Finance, Quartermaster Corps, Medical Service, and Chemical Warfare Service were allowed
NCO transfer in grade, but in general, up until WW2, enlisted personnel were only allowed transfers as
privates. As the United States entered WW2, however, the need to build on the experiences of NCOs overrode
tradition, and by 1943 enlisted transfer in grade became the norm in practice, if not in law. An NCO could
be, and during combat often was, transferred without losing rank.
10. In 1926 the USAAS became the USA Air Corps, and in 1941 the US Army Air Force. In 1947 the USAAF became the US Air
Force.
The presence and expansion of the air components within the Army was a major factor in reforming permanent retention of NCO rank within the entire Army. 11. The ranks of Regimental Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major Senior Grade were abolished.
12. Taken as a whole, the National Defense Acts sought to create a three tiered Army, with the Regular/Active duty Army, the National
Guard and the Army Reserve. Although not specifically mentioned in the legislation, the general idea seems to be the Regular Army
would
provide the nucleus of an expanded wartime Army, especially a professional officer corps, and the National Guard would provide a reserve of experienced troops, especially NCOs.
Appendix D
TC 7-22.7 92 14 August 2025
D-11. In the 1930s, the need for Soldiers who would follow that path became painfully obvious. The rise of
Imperial Japan, Fascist Italy, and Nazi Germany threatened world peace, and although the US was initially
neutral, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought the US into the war. As in World War I, the
ranks quickly swelled. In 1938, the year Hitler annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia, the US Army had
185,488 Soldiers under arms. By 1941, that number increased to 1,462,315 and peaked at over 8 million in
1945. Mass mobilization alone could not achieve victory, because the wars raging in Europe and Asia were
not the same as World War I. Much more dependent on tanks, vehicles and aircraft, WW2 was a war of
technology, industry, mobility, and firepower. Not only could the US produce manpower, but it also produced
huge amounts of relatively high-tech, sophisticated weapons. As such, the Army counted on its specialists
and technicians more than ever before, but managing the Civilian-Soldiers and leading them in combat
required an effective NCO Corps. The Army responded by creating technical ranks, an attempt to combine
specialist ranks with NCOs while keeping them separate.13 A Technical rank would have NCO authority in
between his G rank and the next lowest. For example, a T/5 would rank below a Corporal (G5) and above a
PFC (G6). As with the Private/Specialist idea, this was an unwieldy and confusing system, and was replaced
in 1949 in favor of the grade structure we use today.14.
D-12. In part, this was because of the massive post-war demobilization – by 1948, the Army was only 554,030
troops. After the atomic bombing of Japan, the need for conventional nonnuclear forces was in some doubt.
The technical ranks were simply not seen as needed, but the need for technically competent combat NCOs
did not disappear, especially in American-occupied Cold War Europe.15 Under the point system, Soldiers
who had been in-theater longest were given priority to demobilize back to the States, and the Soldiers who
had been there the longest were the NCOs. Replacing them became a matter of urgency in the face of the
threat the USSR posed. During the escalating tensions of the Cold War, the Army rethought how it selected
and trained NCOs, and it is not a coincidence that the first postwar NCO academies were created in occupied
Italy and Germany.
D-13. In November 1945, the 88th Infantry Division in Venezia Guila, Italy, created the first school devoted
to educating professional NCOs, called the Lido Training Center. The course taught at Lido Training Center
lasted six weeks, and prospective NCOs lived in a model battalion that was in many ways reminiscent of
basic training. Corporals and Sergeants conducted instruction. At the same time, the US Army in Europe
(USAREUR) organized the United States Constabulary. Training new Soldiers in occupation duty required
new techniques and the Constabulary School opened its doors in February 1946. Both officers and enlisted
Soldiers made up the first class, although separating the two occurred immediately afterward. Between 1946
and 1948, the Constabulary School offered several NCO courses, including a First Sergeants course. In mid-
1948, the Constabulary School was closed. By that time, at the Armor School in Ft. Knox, BG Bruce C.
Clarke organized a four-month long NCO Course with comprehensive classroom instruction. In mid-1949,
Clarke assumed command of the 2nd Constabulary Brigade. In September 1949, with the support of MG
Isaac White, Constabulary commander, BG Clarke opened the Constabulary NCO Academy (NCOA) at
Jensen Barracks, Munich, West Germany. It was the first NCOA and the first academy specifically devoted
to creating a professional NCO.16
D-14. Throughout the 1950s, BG Clarke organized NCOAs both in the European theater and in Texas,
Hawaii, and Korea. The Korean War, 1950-1953, put pressure on efforts at developing systematic,
standardized NCO education. Once again, the rapid size increase of the Army strained the entire system and
underscored the need for technical expertise. After the war, in 1954, the Army introduced the Military
Occupational Specialty (MOS) system of specialized tasks and brought in the Specialist system, which was
like the old technical rank. Demand for NCOs was great, yet attendance at NCOAs was not then mandatory
for promotion. 13. Army Circular No. 204, War Department, Washington, D.C., 24 June 1924. Found in Fisch and Wright, The Story of the
Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 188-189.
14. “Career Compensation Act of 1949.” H.R.5007/Public Law 351: October 12, 1949.
15. Army Circular No. 202, Section II: Grade Structure. Found in Fisch, Arnold G. and Robert K. Wright, The Story of the
Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 189-190.
16. Dan Elder, Educating Noncommissioned Officers, p. 14-16.
D-15. The 1954 system revived to some degree the old technical rank system, but with the understanding that
the Specialist was not an NCO and had no command authority.17 At E-4, a Soldier could either become a
Corporal or a Specialist. Likewise, for each pay grade, an NCO rank was paired with a specialist rank – a
The Emerging NCO
93 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
E5/Sergeant held the same pay grade as a Specialist Fifth Class. Like the technical system, this proved to be
awkward in practice. It was unclear, for a single example, what a Specialist six should do for guard mount.
Should they pull guard duty like an E3, or should they hold guard mount like an NCO?18 The Army itself
wavered on the position. Upper grade Specialists saw themselves as senior enlisted troops and thus exempt
from the mundane work details of the junior ranks, while NCOs saw them as drawing the same pay without
the responsibilities for leadership. In practice, when NCOs were in short supply, Specialists could and did
find themselves doing an NCO’s job, while an NCO was always expected to have the same pay level MOS
expertise as a Specialist. Four years later, in part to ensure a career path for Specialists, a Spec eight and Spec
nine rank were created. It was never clear how the qualifications for a Spec nine and a Sergeant Major
differed, and in 1968 the Spec eight and nine were abolished. In 1978, the Spec seven rank was converted to
SFC, and the Spec five and six ranks were converted to SGT and SSG in 1985.19 Today the Specialist E4 is
the last Specialist rank in the Army. While the Specialist system was designed to put Soldiers in pay grades
commensurate with their expertise while preserving the prestige of the NCO as distinct combat leaders in
those pay grades, it never quite lived up to its promise.
D-16. Separating NCOs from Specialists made clear what was expected of Specialists, but producing NCOs
remained a challenge. Throughout the 1950s, the NCOA experiment continued, but issues emerged which
affected the quality and effectiveness of the schools. NCOAs suffered from a lack of common curriculum,
trained instructors, and a clear sense of purpose. On 25 June 1957, AR 350-90 attempted to standardize
NCOAs, but fell woefully short. Commanders at multiple levels were authorized “but not required” to
establish NCOAs; there was a minimum of four weeks of instruction; and while there was a prescribed
number of class hours in various topics, there was no “standardized course of instruction” and even the
number of courses offered was “determined by local requirements.” While it was suggested that junior and
senior NCOs should attend separate courses, it was not required and “...the content of the two courses need
not vary appreciably.”20 Critics pointed out NCOAs “did not provide an overall program of NCO
development” and noted a “lack of uniformity” in their operations.21 Even as late as October 1967, GEN J.
K. Woolnough wrote to GEN Ralph Haines ”…I have found no clear and universally accepted definition of
the mission of our NCO Academies as I have traveled through CONARC (Continental Army Command)...I
believe this has been a basic weakness in our NCO development program.”22
17. Army Regulation 615-15: Separation of Noncommissioned Officers from Specialists. HQ, Department of the Army, Washington
D.C., 2 July 1954. Found in Fisch, Arnold G. and Robert K. Wright, The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 190-192.
18. AR 615-15 (opus cited) Section VII :b states that Specialists E7 and E6 would be exempt from guard and fatigue duty …”except in unusual circumstances…” but granted those grades the same privileges as NCOs – which did not clarify the situation.
19. Message, HQ, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., 28 May 1985: Elimination of Specialist Ranks. Found in Frisch, Arnold G. and Robert K. Wright, The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 192.
20. “Extract from Army Regulation 350-90, HQ, Department of the Army, Washington, and 25 June 1957.” Found in Fisch, and
Wright, The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 180-181.
21. Darden, Fred A. (CPT.) “No Time for Sergeants.” Infantry Journal V. 51: January-February 1961, 21-23;
USCONARC/USARSTRIKE Annual Historical Summary 1 July 1964-30 June 1965 (HQ, United States Continental Army Command: Ft Monroe, 1965), 241-243.
22. J.K. Woolnough, (GEN), CONARC CG to GEN Ralph Haines, Vice Chief of Staff. 25 October 1967.Washington, D.C. Found in
NCOLCoE Archives, NCOES Development Files, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Appendix D
TC 7-22.7 94 14 August 2025
D-17. Despite this, in the 1950s new emphasis on education and development of the NCO rank structure
promised change within the NCO Corps due to the new organizational structure of the Pentomic Division.
But the maelstrom of Vietnam put most of that on hold. As the Army became more deeply involved in
Vietnam, the structural flaws in the NCO system of recruiting, training, and adaptability became increasingly
apparent. The lack of NCO-specific training and education became critical as the need for small unit combat
leaders increased. The Army system of rotation in Vietnam (in particular the one-year tour of duty) did not
allow the NCO time to develop skills and experience to train and maintain the unit. Officers, on the other
hand, went through extensive training in several venues, which placed them in a much stronger position as
small unit leader. The war in Vietnam then reversed the traditional role between the NCO and the
commissioned officer. Unlike Von Steuben’s vision of the NCO being the mother and the commissioned
officer the father of the unit, conditions in Vietnam enhanced the role of the better educated, better trained
officer at the expense of the NCO and forced the officer to assume, at least in part, both roles.23 The role of
senior NCOs such as First Sergeants became increasingly minimized in the highly fragmented battlefield
environment. In addition, it was not entirely understood precisely what the role of the Sergeant Major (SGM)
was to be. It was generally understood by the mid-1960s that the SGM’s first duty was to serve his
commanding officer “well and loyally;” his second duty was to keep his staff advised of the commander’s
intent; and his third duty was as the senior enlisted Soldier with responsibilities towards the troops.24
Balancing these three duties depended greatly on other’s perceptions, but specific clarity remained elusive.
D-18. To address that lack of clarity, Chief of Staff, Army (CSA) GEN Harold Johnson sought to define the
role of the SGM as senior advisor at all levels and wanted to add prestige to the position of senior NCO. He
did these two ways. First, in 1966, stating that "…if we are going to talk about the noncommissioned officer
as being the backbone of the Army, there ought to be a position that recognizes that this is in fact the case,"
and thus approved the creation of and appointed to the position of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA)
William O. Wooldridge. Promoting an enlisted man, as an enlisted representative, to a key position within
the CSA’s position was unprecedented. When Wooldridge became SMA in 1966, the rank of SGM itself was
eight years old. The SMA was to serve as the senior advisor to the CSA regarding enlisted matters (the term
Johnson used was “ombudsman”). SMA Wooldridge expanded the role by working to improve enlisted/NCO
communication. He became, in a time of great trauma in the NCO Corps, a symbol of what an enlisted
Soldier’s career could be. The creation of office of the SMA changed the way the Army perceived NCOs and
the way enlisted/NCOs viewed themselves. SMA Wooldridge connected the enlisted ranks with the upper
Army echelons. As Vietnam challenged the perception many had about the Army and pushed change the
SMA worked to keep that change on a positive footing. He became not just the CSA’s eyes and ears but, in
many ways, that of the enlisted ranks as well.25
D-19. Likewise, so as to establish clarity between those SGMs who acted as the commander’s eyes and ears
and those who served as staff, in 1967 Johnson approved the creation of the Command Sergeants Major
(CSM) Program.26 The program was designed to create a select group of SGMs ready for assignment to all
major commands, and in 1968 192 SGMs were selected to become CSMs.27 For the first time in Army history
enlisted Soldiers were to be given responsibility at the highest Army levels. The creation of the ranks of
CSM, SGM and SMA was in response to problems that had been endemic throughout the 20th century.
Demobilization, career stagnation, and limited opportunity were challenges the Army had to
23. Fisch, and Wright, The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, 18-20. 24. Fisher, Guardians of the Republic, 314.
25. Daniel K. Elder, et al., The Sergeants Major of the Army. Part II: William O. Woolridge. Center for Military History (Washington,
D.C.: 2013), 57-67. 26. “Command Sergeant Major Program Chronology.” Unpublished bound volume compiled by Dr. R. Bouilly. NCOLCoE Archives,
Ft. Bliss, Texas.
27. CIR 611-39: Personnel Selection and Classification Command Sergeants Major. Headquarters, Dept. of the Army. Washington,
D.C.: 17 June 1968.
The Emerging NCO
95 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
deal with repeatedly, and a large part of that stemmed from an NCO system that was better suited for the 1880s
than for the problems of the post-WW2 world. The creation of the new ranks changed the system, added to the
prestige of the NCO Corps, and preserved and utilized senior NCO experience. Developing an educational system
that supported these new responsibilities remained to be done.
D-20. The idea of educating NCOs was, as we have seen, not a new one. GEN Pershing had called for schools
at local unit levels, and post-World War II NCO academies had been established to address the shortage of
competent NCOs.
D-21. Overall, NCO academies had limited success. In 1957, Army studies began on how NCOs were
selected and developing a standard NCO course or courses. One result of such studies was Secretary of the
Army Stephen Ailes’s “Drill Sergeant Concept.” Ailes compared the basic training of all services and
concluded the Army needed specially trained Drill Sergeants to instruct, monitor and mentor new recruits.
Drill Sergeants would represent, personally and professionally, the highest standards of the Army. Thus in
September 1964, the Drill Sergeant program and course was established at Fort Jackson, SC.28
This was the first NCO school to focus on effective NCO leadership rather than on leadership within an MOS
or branch (See Figure 1-3).29 It maximized the role of the NCO, as a Drill Sergeant was expected to work
with trainees throughout their entire Basic (and in most cases Advanced Individual Training) cycles. Within
three months, Drill Sergeant schools had opened at Fort Dix, NJ; Fort Polk, LA; Fort Knox, KY; Fort Leonard
Wood, MO, and Fort Ord, CA. By 1967, Drill Sergeants were an established part of Army life, and introduced
Soldiers to NCO professionalism and authority from their first day. In the face of the situation in Vietnam,
graduates of the Drill Sergeant schools became highly desired as unit NCOs. As effective as the Drill
Sergeant program was, it was specialized training and not a replacement for the NCOA system or for general
NCO education. The situation in Vietnam demanded NCOs immediately, and “…the expansion of the Army
was creating a youthful and inexperienced corps of noncommissioned officers.” More than half (57 percent)
of NCOs assigned to CONUS had not attended either an NCOA or Drill Sergeant School.30 Partly influenced
by the success of both the Drill Sergeant school and Officer candidate courses, and partly considering the
time frame of a two-year enlistment, CSA Harold Johnson approved in June 1967 a Noncommissioned
Officer Candidate Course (NCOCC.)31 The NCOCC was based on the same principle as OCS. Over twelve
weeks, Soldiers were trained in tactics, unit management, and leadership, followed by a 9- or 10-week
practical application in a training center. MG Melvin Zais, one of the original designers of the program, called
the course a “bold departure from previous…policies” and “revolutionary,” and its graduates were a “new
kind of Soldier.”32 NCOCCs produced more than 33,000 graduates who were in high demand in combat and
other units in Vietnam. At the same time, older NCOs who saw Soldiers obtaining the rank in 21 or 24 weeks
that had taken them years to achieve harbored a great deal of resentment over the ‘shake and bake NCOs’.
They were also concerned about how young, educated NCOs would affect their own chances for promotion.
Yet the success of the NCOCCs could not be denied, producing both junior NCOs in both quality and
quantity.33 MG Zais summed up the NCOCC’s legacy on future NCO education almost by accident in 1967:
“What we had been doing by accident, heretofore we would do by design.”34
28. The Fort Jackson NCOA was established in 1959, and the practice had been to rotate NCOs from the NCOA to the basic training
units. 29. Jackie H. Tyson and Mark T. Swanson. Fort Jackson 1917-2017 (New South Associates: Columbia, 2017), 165-168.
30. AG COL S. Gritz proposed sending all NCOs to Drill Sergeant School prior to deployment to Vietnam. Memorandum, “Training of Noncommissioned Officers,” Gritz, S. COL (Adjutant General Command) to Commanding Generals, CONUSA. 8 February 1967.
Found in NCOLCoE Archives, NCOES Files, Ft Bliss, Texas. 31. Dan Elder, Educating Noncommissioned Officers, 24.
32. Melvin Zais (MG), “The New NCO.” Army (May 1968), 72-76. 33. Dan Elder, Educating Noncommissioned Officers, 25-26. 34. Infantry NCO Candidate Course Handbook (US Infantry School: Ft. Benning, n.d.), p. 7.
D-22. The 1960s and the war in Vietnam left the Army and the NCO Corps badly in need of reform, but
between the Drill Sergeant school and the NCOCCs it was clear that the way to build an effective NCO Corps
lay in education. Throughout the 1960s several studies collectively known as Project Proficiency laid the
framework for NCOES, based on the principles learned at NCOCC and on a progressive model of education
similar to the system used for officers.35 The objectives of NCOES were "... to increase the quality of the
Appendix D
TC 7-22.7 96 14 August 2025
noncommissioned officer corps, to provide enlisted men the opportunities for progressive and continuing
development, to enhance career attractiveness by offering formal leadership and development training, and
to provide the Army with highly trained and dedicated noncommissioned officers to fill positions of
increasing responsibility."36
D-23. It is a vision that has remained consistent even as the mission of the Army and NCO education itself
evolved. Ten years later, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) stated NCOs had to be
"...competent, confident, and knowledgeable, and capable of teaching, leading, and caring for Soldiers."37 In
2007, TRADOC CSM John Sparks, in a presentation titled Transforming NCOES: A NCO Life-Long
Learning Strategy, stated an NCO was a professional American Soldier, technically and tactically competent,
a steward of resources, a critical and creative thinker, a warrior-leader, a leader developer, and a worldwide
ambassador.38 In the aftermath of Vietnam, NCOES was designed to produce a stronger, modern NCO Corps.
D-24. NCOES was originally conceived as a three-tier system – Basic for E5s, Advanced for E6s and 7s, and
a Sergeant Majors Course.39 The program itself was approved in 1969. The first Basic courses were taught
in 1970, and the Advanced courses taught in 1972. It was a rocky implementation, but as the NCO Corps
began rebuilding after Vietnam, NCOES quickly became part of the NCO experience. For the first time, NCO
advancement and promotion became linked to a standardized core curriculum. The third, and most
controversial, tier was added by Department of the Army General Order 98 in July 1972, which created The
U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA). USASMA had two functions – it was the home of the
NCOES, and it provided the capstone, 600-hour educational experience for senior NCOs. For the first time,
NCOs had an educational structure reflecting the professional realities and capabilities of an Army NCO.
D-25. If the NCOES was an educational system comparable to that which produced the officer corps, in 1976
the creation of the Enlisted Personnel Management System (EPMS) provided a career management system
for NCOs similar to that of the officer corps. Tying enlisted promotion to education had always been a long-
range Army goal.40 The establishment of TRADOC on 1 July 1973 facilitated the standardization of
curriculum throughout NCOES and provided a forum for reform of the system. For example, as EPMS was
implemented concerns about lower ranking enlisted personnel not being ready for Basic course led to the
development of the Primary NCO Course (PNCOC) and the redesign of the Basic course as BNCOC, while
the Advanced courses became ANCOC. The development of the EPMS and the NCOES throughout the
1970s and 80s began transforming the image of the Army NCO into a highly trained, highly educated
professional. One of the main engines of professionalization and education has been USASMA. In 1987,
USASMA moved into a modern academic campus at Fort Bliss, TX.
35. CONARC/ARSTRIKE Annual Historical Summary, FY 1971 (HQ, USACAC: Ft Monroe, 15 July 1972), p.241-242. 36. CONARC/ARSTRIKE Annual Historical Summary, FY 1971 (HQ, USACAC: Ft Monroe, 15 July 1972), p.241.
37. TRADOC Annual Historical Review 6 January to 31 December 1988, Henry O. Malone, ed. (Office of the Command Historian: Ft,
Monroe, 1989), p. 118.
38. John Sparks, CSM. Transforming NCOES: A NCO Life-Long Learning Strategy, 29 October 2007. Slides from PPT presentation,
found in NCOLCoE Archives, Slides 60-66. 39. There was some debate over the Sergeant Majors/Senior NCO course. CSA GEN William Westmoreland and CG CONARC GEN
James K. Woolnough, while enthusiastic supporters of NCOCCs and NCOES, felt that E8s and E9s, like general officers, needed no
further education. NOTE: GEN Woolnough’s successor, GEN Ralph Haines (CG CONARC from 1970 to 1973) reversed that, fully supporting what
would become the US Army Sergeants Major Academy. 40. TRADOC Annual Historical Review 6 January to 31 December 1988, p. 118.
The Emerging NCO
97 TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025
D-26. Into the 1990s and 2000s, NCOES underwent several changes. Reforms in the 1990s showed marked
improvement in curriculum. The attacks of September 11, 2001, and subsequent conflicts put increased
pressures on the Army and its NCOs. A major turning point came with the publication of The Army Training
and Leader Development Panel Report (NCO) Final Report 2 April 2002. The report itself was the
culmination of numerous studies and conferences throughout the 1990s, and the Final Report provided input
from the NCO Corps itself on the way it should evolve. The report clearly stated that improving NCOES was
the NCO Corps top concern. Such improvements included better addressing of full spectrum operations, a
downward rather than lateral emphasis on skill level training, increased rigor and higher standards, more
emphasis on experiential learning, and better input from the field to maintain NCOES relevancy. The wars
of the 2000s shaped the way NCOES responded to this study. On one side, repeated deployment and the
pressure of war made attendance and completion at NCOES schools difficult. Yet, the Gulf War had
demonstrated, and Final Report emphasized, how important NCOES was in creating and maintaining an
effective and professional NCO Corps.
D-27. Responses to the report and the war included curriculum changes, such as the 2005 transition from
PLDC to the Warrior Leader Course. The changes also included reconceptualizing NCO education, and
particularly the SGM’s course, as a pathway to a college degree. That meant a substantial redesign of
USASMA and NCOES itself, with the ultimate goal of giving USASMA 120-hour BA granting status. In
2002, invoking Title X as its authority, the number of instructors at USASMA increased and the academic
requirements to be an instructor became the same as at an accredited or other Army college who were
accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC.) In 2005, USASMA began adopting the
Command Staff General College’s (CSGC) Program of Instruction (POI) and academic structure, increased
its instructors again, expanded the number of academic departments from three to five, and the lessons and
lesson plans became more adaptable. The SGM Course itself went from nine to ten months to meet
CSGC/HLC academic requirements. USASMA qualified for accreditation through CGSC/The Higher
Learning Commission, with the first 110 Sergeants Majors of Class 69 receiving their BA in Leadership and
Workforce Development in 2019.
D-28. The new curriculum was in place by 2009, and first class to use the new POI was Class 60. That same
year, CSM Raymond Chandler became the commandant of USASMA, the first time an NCO became
commandant of a major Army school. The graduates of Class 60 also paved the way for another innovation.
In 2015, CSM Defreese, commandant of USASMA, oversaw the initiation of the Pennsylvania State
University’s USASMA Fellowship Program. Graduates of Sergeants Major Academy (SGM-A) that are
selected to be part of the Fellowship Program attend classes with Penn State University for a master’s degree
in Lifelong learning and Adult Education or Syracuse University for a master’s degree in Instructional
Design, Development, and Evaluation. After completion of either master’s degree program, graduates will
perform two to three years as an instructor in the SGM-A. This created a “feed” of instructors whose
qualifications met the HLC requirements for certification.
D-29. Still, NCO professional development remained fragmented in many ways. In August 2009 TRADOC
created the Institute for NCO Professional Development (INCOPD.) INCOPD was to coordinate and develop
all aspects of NCO education and professional development. Between 2009 and 2016, it developed a
comprehensive NCO educational and professional development system (NCOPDS) which replaced NCOES.
NCOPDS was announced to the Army with the publication of NCO 2020 Strategy: NCOs Operating in a
Complex World (Dec 2015), and continues the idea of educating NCOs, but in a more holistic way than
NCOES allowed. The NCO 2020 Strategy sees “NCOES evolving into an integrated NCO Professional
Development System.”
NCOPDS includes education, with Line of Effort (LOE) #1-Development, LOE#2-Talent Management, and
LOE#3-Stewardship of the Profession. The NCOPDS consists of five schools: the Basic Leader Course,
Advanced Leader Course, Senior Leader Course, Master Leaders Course, and Sergeants Major Course.
NCOPDS includes MOS proficiency and policy, providing NCOs with a holistic and relevant approach to
education, training, and professional career development. Overseeing NCOPDS and developing a common
curriculum and POIs, in 2018 USASMA became the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence (NCOLCoE.)
The result is to systematically and holistically develop an NCO Corps that is flexible, adaptable, credentialed,
has a strong sense of its own identity and ethos and is capable of meeting warfighting challenges across a
broad spectrum of situations and environments.
Appendix D
TC 7-22.7 98 14 August 2025
D-30. NCOPDS and the NCOLCoE are the latest step in the evolving capabilities and opportunities of the
NCO Corps. The modern battlefield is expected to be fluid and fast and requires maximum subordinate
freedom of action within the commander’s intent. Full spectrum dominance expands that and pushes the
physical battlefield into areas such as cyberspace that the combat leader cannot afford to ignore. The
volunteer Soldiers of today are better educated and technologically aware than previous generations and the
level of technical sophistication is much greater. Effectively leading, teaching and administering such troops
has never been more challenging. The NCO educational system developed in the post-Vietnam era teaches
NCOs how to function at higher levels and preserves, enhances and expands the quality, authority, and
prestige of the NCO Corps.
D-31. Post-9/11, with its subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the Global War on Terrorism
(GWOT) and the multi-domain battlefield, the Army and the NCO Corps that developed throughout the post-
Vietnam era faces its greatest trial to date. The Army has been at war for more than two decades, placing
pressure on troops, material, and resources. Tactically, the NCO of today bears more responsibility for
mission success than at any other time in the Army’s history. The nature of today’s conflicts places more
emphasis than ever on the role of the small unit leader and decentralized operations. The equipment the
modern Soldier carries is more technologically advanced and requires knowledge, care, and skill to employ
successfully. Today’s NCOs perform tasks in civil and military affairs that previously would have been the
exclusive province of officers.
D-32. In the era of the Internet and 24-hour news, the responsibility to act as upholders of Army values is a
never-ending task and the NCO ensures these values are kept throughout the ranks. Leading today’s educated,
technically savvy, highly motivated troops require excellent leadership, critical thinking, communication and
managerial skills. Being an NCO has transitioned from being a job to a professional career because today’s
Army demands more from its NCOs than ever before. As always, the NCO keeps careful watch over the
troop’s morale, training, well-being, and readiness. The risks of war and multiple deployments add a unique
stress to the NCO’s personal and family life. Yet, history, tradition, and the educational, professional and
organizational reforms from the 1970s to the present prepare the NCO Corps for the challenge. Von Steuben
might be surprised at the variety of roles and responsibilities the NCO Corps of today carries, but he would
certainly recognize in it the backbone of the Army he envisioned more than two centuries ago.
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 99
SECTION I – ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
Glossary
AAR After Action Review
ACS Army Community Service
ACT Army Career Tracker
ADP Army Doctrine Publication
AEF American Expeditionary Force
AFT Army Fitness Test
AOAP Army Oil Analysis Program
AR Army Regulation
ASRP Army Sustainment Resource Portal
ATIS Army Training Information System
ATMS Army Training Management System
ATN Army Training Network
BOSS Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers
CAL Center for Army Leadership
CALL Center for Army Lessons Learned
CAR Central Army Registry
CAS Close Air Support
CATS Combined Arms Training Strategy
CSF2 Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness
CMF Career Management Field
COC Chain of Command
CoE Center of Excellence
COMPO 2/3 Component 2=National Guard; 3=Reserves
CPCE Command Post Computing Environment
CSA Chief of Staff Army
CSDP Command Supply Discipline Program
CSGC Command Staff General College
C2 Command And Control
C3 Common Core Competencies
DOD Department Of Defense
DTMS Digital Training Management System
EFMB Expert Field Medical Badge
EIB Expert Infantryman Badge
EO Equal Opportunity
TC 7-22.7 100 14 August 2025
Glossary
EPMS Enlisted Personnel Management System
ESB Expert Soldier Badge
FM Field Manual
FRAGORD Fragmentary Order
FUOPS Future Operations
GWOT Global War On Terrorism
HLS Higher Learning Commission
HQDA Headquarters Department Of The Army
IG Inspector General
INCOPD Institute For Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development
IPPS-A Integrated Personnel And Pay System-Army
JAG Judge Advocate General
JP Joint Publication
LOE Line Of Effort
LTX Lane Training Exercise
MC Mission Command
MCM Manuel For Court Martial
MDMP Military Decision Making Process
MEDPROS Medial Protection System
MET Mission Essential Task
METL Mission Essential Task List
MFT Master Fitness Trainer
MOS Military Occupational Specialty
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NCOA Noncommissioned Officer Academy
NCOCC Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course
NCOER Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report
NCOES Noncommissioned Officer Education System
NCOLCoE Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Center Of Excellence
NCOPDP Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Program
NCOPDS Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development System
NDA National Defense Act
OIP Organizational Inspection Program
OPORD Operations Order
PACE Primary/Alternate/Contingency/Emergency (Communications Plan)
PME Professional Military Education
RFMSS Range Facility Management Support System
RM Risk Management
ROTC Reserve Officer Training Corps
SAV Staff Assistance Visits
SFL Soldier For Life
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 101
SECTION II – TERMS
Glossary
SFRG Soldier And Family Readiness Group
SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
SMA Sergeant Major Of The Army
SME Subject Matter Expert
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
STT Sergeants Time Training
STX Situational Training Exercise
TAMIS Total Ammunition Management Information System
TAP Transition Assistance Program
TC Training Calendar
TLP Troop Leading Procedures
TRADOC U.S. Army Training And Doctrine Command
TTP Tactics, Techniques, And Procedures
T&EO Training And Evaluations Online
UDL Unit Deterrence Leader
UTP Unit Training Plan
USASMA U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy
USC U.S. Code
VTC Video Teleconferencing
WARNORD Warning Order
Army Profession
A vocation of Soldiers and Department of the Army Civilians whose collective expertise is the ethical
design of, support to, and application of land-power; serving under civilian authority; and entrusted to
defend the Constitution and the rights and interests of the American people (ADP 6-22).
Candor
Being frank, honest, and sincere with others. Carefully considered professional judgment offered to
subordinates, peers, and superiors in an expression of personal courage. (ADP 6-22).
Certification
Verification and validation of an Army Professional’s Character, Competence, and Commitment to
fulfill responsibilities and successfully perform assigned duty with discipline and to standard (ADP 6-
22).
Character
Consists of their true nature guided by their conscience, which affects their moral attitudes and actions.
(ADP 6-22).
Command
The authority that a commander in the armed forces lawfully exercises over subordinates by virtue of
rank or assignment. Command includes the authority and responsibility for effectively using available
resources and for planning the employment of, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling
military forces for the accomplishment of assigned missions. It also includes responsibility for health,
welfare, morale, and discipline of assigned personnel. (A P 6-0).
14 August 2025 102 TC 7-22.7
Glossary
Command and Control
The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and
attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. (see A P 6-0).
Commitment
Resolve to contribute Honorable Service to the Nation and accomplish the mission despite adversity,
obstacles, and challenge (ADP 6-22).
Competence
Demonstrated ability to successfully perform duties with discipline and to standard. Leader
development: Leader development is a deliberate, continuous, sequential, and progressive process
grounded in the Army Values. It grows Soldiers and Army Civilians into competent, confident leaders
capable of directing teams and organizations. (AR 350-1).
Leadership
The activity of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the
mission and improve the organization. (ADP 6-22).
Mentorship
The voluntary developmental relationship that exists between a person of greater experience and a
person of lesser experience that is characterized by mutual trust and respect. (AR 600-100).
Mission Command
The Army's approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision making and
decentralized execution appropriate to the situation. (ADP 6-0).
Servant Leadership
Serving others by working toward their development and well-being in order to meet goals for the
common good. “Servant leaders seek to nurture their abilities to dream great dreams” (Spears, 2010, p.
28).
14 August 2025 TC 7-22.7 103
References
All websites accessed on 1 August 2025.
REQUIRED PUBLICATIONS
These documents must be available to intended users of this publication.
DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. June 2025
FM1-02.1 Operational Terms. 28 February 2024.
FM 1-02.2 Military Symbols. 23 January 2025.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS These documents are cited in this publication.
ARMY PUBLICATIONS
Most Army doctrinal publications are available online at https://armypubs.us.army.mil.
ADP 1. The Army. 31 July 2019.
ADP 2-0. Intelligence. 31 July 2019.
ADP 3-0. Operations. 21 March 2025.
ADP 3-19. Fires. 31 July 2019.
ADP 3-37. Protection. 10 January 2024.
ADP 4-0. Sustainment. 31 July 2019.
ADP 6-0. Mission Command: Command and Control of Army Forces. 31 July 2019.
ADP 6-22. Army Leadership and the Profession. 31 July 2019.
ADP 7-0. Training. 29 April 2024.
AR 25-13. Army Telecommunications and Unified Capabilities. 11 May 2017.
AR 27-10. Military Justice. 8 January 2025.
AR 40-502. Medical Readiness. 27 June 2019.
AR 215-1. Military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs and Nonappropriated Fund
Instrumentalities. 24 September 2010.
AR 350-1. Army Training and Leader Development. 10 December 2017.
AR 350-53. Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness. 4 October 2024.
AR 350-90. Education and Training, Noncommissioned Officer Academies. 25 June 1957.
AR 385-10. The Army Safety and Occupational Health Program. 24 July 2023.
AR 600-8-8. The Total Army Sponsorship Program. 28 June 2019.
AR 600-8-19. Enlisted Promotions and Demotions. 21 June 2024.
AR 600-9. The Army Body Composition Program. 16 July 2019.
AR 600-20. Army Command Policy. 6 February 2025.
AR 600-25. Salutes, Honors, and Courtesy. 10 September 2019.
AR 600-85. The Army Substance Abuse Program. 4 October 2024.
AR 600-100. Army Profession and Leadership Policy. 27 March 2025.
AR 601-280. Army Retention Program. 14 April 2023.
AR 608-1. Army Community Service. 19 October 2017.
References
TC 7-22.7 14 August 2025 104
AR 608-75. Exceptional Family Member Program. 27 January 2017.
AR 615-15. Separation of Noncommissioned Officers from Specialists. 2 July 1954.
AR 621-5. Army Continuing Education System. 28 October 2019.
AR 623-3. Evaluation Reporting System. 14 February 2025.
AR 670-1. Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia. 26 January 2021.
AR 710-4. Property Accountability. 26 December 2023.
AR 735-5. Relief of Responsibility and Accountability. 10 March 2024.
AR 750-1. Army Material Maintenance Policy. 2 February 2023.
AR 930-4. Army Emergency Relief. 29 November 2024.
ATP 5-19. Risk Management. 9 November 2021.
ATP 6-22.1. Providing Feedback: Counseling- Coaching-Mentoring. 13 February 2024.
ATP 7-22.01. Holistic Health and Fitness Testing. 01 October 2020.
ATP 7-22.02. Holistic Health and Fitness Drills and Exercises. 01 October 2020.
DA Pam 385-10. Army Safety and Occupational Health Program Procedures. 24 July 2023.
DA Pam 385-30. Risk Management. 2 December 2014.
DA Pam 600-25. U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Guide. 11 September
2023.
DA Pam 611-21. Military Occupational Classification and Structure. 20 December 2022.
DA Pam 750-1. Army Material Maintenance Procedures. 02 February 2023.
FM 3-0. Operations. 21 March 2025.
FM 4-0. Sustainment Operations. 14 August 2024.
FM 6-22. Developing Leaders. 1 November 2022.
FM 7-0. Training. 14 June 2021.
FM 7-22. Holistic Health and Fitness. 1 October 2020.
MIS PUB 27-7. Manual for Courts-Martial United States. 2 January 2024. https://jsc.defense.gov/.
STP 21-1-SMCT. Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks, Warrior Skills, Level 1. 16 October 2023.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
The following publication is available online at https://uscode.house.gov.
10 United States Code 1331. 28 July 2025.
The following publication is available online at https://armypubs.army.mil/default.aspx.
GTA 22-01-002. Counseling Enhancement Tool- Soldier. 1 September 2023.
GTA 22-01-003. Counseling Enhancement Tool- Leader. 1 September 2023.
WEBSITES
American Red Cross. www.redcross.org.
Army Community Service (ACS). https://www.armymwr.com/programs-and-services.
Army Continuing Education System (ACES). https://home.army.mil/imcom/index.php/customers/ACES.
Army Emergency Relief (AER). www.aerhq.org.
Army Family Action Plan (AFAP). https://www.armymwr.com/programs-and-services.
Army Family Advocacy Program / New Parent Support Program. https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/.
Army Institute of Heraldry. https://tioh.army.mil/default.aspx.
Army Safety Program. https://tioh.army.mil/default.aspx.
105 TC 7-22.7 1 September 2025
References
Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)/Substance Use Disorder Clinical Care (SUDCC).
https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/ASAP/index.html.
Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). https://www.armywcap.com/.
Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS). https://www.armymwr.com.
Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). https://ilconnect.dmdc.osd.mil.
Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/benefit-
library/federal-benefits/exceptional-family-member-program-(efmp)-?serv=122.
Financial Readiness Program (FRP). https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-
Benefits/Financial-Readiness-Program-(FRP)?serv=122.
Inspector General (IG). https://ig.army.mil/.
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR). www.armymwr.com.
Private Public Partnerships (P3). www.usar.army.mil/P3.
Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) / I AM STRONG /CATCH.
https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/sharp/pages/professional.html.
Soldier For Life (SFL). https://soldierforlife.army.mil/.
Total Army Sponsorship Program (TASP). https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/TASP/index.html.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP). https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-
Benefits/DoD-Transition-Assistance-Program-(DoD-TAP).
United Services Military Apprenticeship Program. https://usmap.osd.mil/.
Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Loan Program. www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/.
PRESCRIBED FORMS This section contains no entries.
REFERENCED FORMS
Unless otherwise indicated, DA forms are available on the Army Publishing Directorate website
(https://armypubs.army.mil/).
DA Form 2028. Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms.
DA Form 4856. Developmental Counseling Form.
This page intentionally left blank.
TC 7-22.7
By Order of the Secretary of the Army:
Official:
MATTHEW L. SANNITO Administrative Assistant
to the Secretary of the Army 2522408
14 August 2025
RANDY A. GEORGE General, United States Army Chief of Staff
DISTRIBUTION: Active Army, Army National Guard, and United States Army Reserve.
116102 TC 7-22.7
This page intentionally left blank.
This page intentionally left blank.
PIN: 105083-000
