A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.
A Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon is an award presented by the United States Army, Air Force, and Space Force to recognize those noncommissioned officers (NCOs) who have completed a prescribed leadership course at an NCO training school. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have no equivalent to the Noncommissioned Officer Development Ribbon.
The U.S. military issues instructor badges to specially training military personnel who are charged with teaching military recruits the skills they need to perform as members of the U.S. Armed Forces or teach continuing education courses for non-commissioned officers and officers in the military. With the exception of the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard, these badges are considered temporary military decorations and must be surrendered upon completion of one's duty as a military instructor. Because of this, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps award Drill Instructor Ribbons as a permanent decoration to recognize service members who have qualified and performed as military instructors.
Air University is a professional military education university system of the United States Air Force. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award master's degrees.
The Oklahoma National Guard, a division of the Oklahoma Military Department, is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It comprises both Army (OKARNG) and Air (OKANG) National Guard components. The Governor of Oklahoma is Commander-in-Chief of the Oklahoma National Guard when not on federal active duty. The state's highest-ranking military commander, the Adjutant General of Oklahoma (TAG), serves as the military head of the Guard and is second only to the Governor. The TAG is served by Assistant Adjutants General, all brigadier generals, from the OKARNG and OKANG. The two components each have a senior noncommissioned officer, State Command Sergeant Major for Army and State Command Chief Master Sergeant for Air. The TAG is also served by his Director of the Joint Staff or Chief of Staff, who has direct oversight of the state's full-time National Guard military personnel and civilian employees.
The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) was established on 1 July 1972 at Fort Bliss, Texas, and began instruction in January 1973. Its curriculum is designed to broaden the student's current knowledge base. This approach differs from the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) related training at the basic and advanced levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System. The prime educational technique employed throughout the course is the small group participatory learning process.
The U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (USACAC) is located at Fort Leavenworth and provides leadership and supervision for leader development and professional military and civilian education; institutional and collective training; functional training; training support; battle command; doctrine; lessons learned and specified areas the Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) designates in order to serve as a catalyst for change and to support developing relevant and ready expeditionary land formations with campaign qualities in support of the joint force commander.
The Air National Guard Readiness Center (ANGRC) is based at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and performs operational and technical functions to ensure combat readiness of Air National Guard units and is a channel of communication between the National Guard Bureau and the states on Air National Guard operational activities.
The 124th Attack Squadron is a unit of the Iowa Air National Guard 132d Wing. It is assigned to Des Moines International Airport, Iowa and was formerly equipped with F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. The unit is reequipping with the MQ-9 Reaper.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College, known officially as the AFPCGSC or GSC, is one of the training units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is tasked with training future generals, as well as general and command staff, and developing doctrine, training materials and courses for the AFP.
The United States Air Force's 269th Combat Communications Squadron is an Ohio Air National Guard combat communications unit located at Springfield Air National Guard Base, Ohio.
I. G. Brown was a senior officer in the United States Air Force who served as the First Director, Air National Guard from August 6, 1969 – April 19, 1974.
Major General Eric W. Vollmecke is a retired United States Air Force general. He was the Air National Guard Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe/Air Forces Africa and was formerly the Assistant Adjutant General - Air in the West Virginia National Guard.
James A. Cody is a retired airman of the United States Air Force who served as the 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 24 January 2013 until his retirement on February 17, 2017. He served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and advancement of the enlisted force.
The Iowa–Kosovo National Guard Partnership is one of 25 European partnerships that make-up the U.S. European Command State Partnership Program and one of 88 worldwide partnerships that make-up the National Guard State Partnership Program. The partnership was created on March 11, 2011 with the long-term goal of developing the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and fostering mutually-beneficial interests across all levels of society. Establishing a strong relationship with the government of Kosovo, this partnership represents a critical step toward the reform development of Kosovo's security forces along Euro-Atlantic standards. The relationship lead to a sister state agreement.
Kaleth O. Wright is a retired senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force who served as the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from February 17, 2017, to August 14, 2020. In this post he served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Wright is the second African American to serve in this position. Wright is often referred to by the nickname “Enlisted Jesus” by airmen on the internet due to his successful advocacy and reforms on behalf of enlisted personnel.
The Air National Guard's 280th Special Operations Communications Squadron is a communications unit located at Hall Air Guard Station, Dothan Regional Airport, Alabama. The 280th SOCS provides tactical communication services to state, military and federal agencies utilizing state of the art information systems. The 280th SOCS provides over 44% of Air Force Special Operations Command's deployed communications capabilities.
JoAnne S. Bass is a senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force and the nineteenth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. She became the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and the first female to hold the highest senior enlisted rank in any United States military branch, on August 14, 2020, having been selected for the position on June 19. She is also the first person of Asian-American descent to hold the highest senior enlisted position in the Air Force. At the time of her selection, she was the Second Air Force's Command Chief Master Sergeant at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, which she had reported to in July 2018. Air Force News reported "incoming Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown said Bass brings skills, temperament and experience that the job requires and an outlook on leadership that meshes with his own", and that he "could not be more excited to work side-by-side with Chief Bass."
Tony L. Whitehead is a senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force and the sixth Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He succeeded Army CSM Christopher S. Kepner on 25 August 2020, and is the first senior enlisted advisor of the NGB to wear a unique rank insignia. At the time of his selection, he was the Command Chief Master Sergeant, CONR-1 AF (AFNORTH), Tyndall AFB, Florida.
The Forrest L. Vosler Non-Commissioned Officer Academy is a United States Space Force unit. Assigned to Space Training and Readiness Command's Space Delta 13, it is responsible for training newly promoted technical sergeants. It is named after Forrest L. Vosler who was an enlisted airman and a Medal of Honor awardee. It was transferred into the Space Force on 21 September 2020 and is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado.
