MG Emory Upton & the Army's NCOs

Christopher L. St. Cyr

Agenda

Introduction

Background information

MG Upton's ideas for change

Benefit of those changes for the NCO

Another side of Upton's vision

Summary

Introduction

Noncommissioned Officers Conduit between officers and enlisted

Traditional roles

MG Emory Upton

Dreamed of attending West Point

Graduated in 1861

NCOs became the Backbone of the Army

Unclassified

The Birth of the NCO

Baron von Stuben established NCO roles Training and discipline of Soldiers

Rank and file closers on battlefield

NCO Growth

GEN Scott added to roles Replace fallen officers on battlefield

Seize initiative

NCO Loyalty during Civil War

Largest group of leaders in Union Army

Remaining commissioned officers relied on NCO to fill shortages

Unclassified

Background – Upton

U.S. Army officer In Civil War

Commanded FA, INF, & CAV

New ideas for the future of the Army

Files of Four

Upton's Army of the Future

Adopt Prussian General Staff model

A large, full-time Army

No militia

Freedom from civilian control

Integrated tactics for combat branches

Troop dispersion

Leader development training

Unclassified

General Staff Model

Military service required of all men

Offense and defense belong to regular army

Peacetime – plan and train for war

Answers only to emperor

Integrated tactics

Troop Dispersion

Communication difficult across distance

NCOs led small units of action

NCOs identified and exploited opportunities

Created Modern NCO Corps

Increased responsibility

Increased visibility

Learned tactics to support officer intent

Retained traditional roles

Backbone of the Army

Leader Development Training

Officer selection West Point

From existing NCOs

Pointed to example from FA

Institutional and unit led development

Upton's NCO Legacy

Unit Leader Development

Looked forward to, not suffered through

Timely, topical, professional discussions

Preferred method: Facilitation of hands-on

Learn from past mistakes and successes

Structured Self-Development

Self-development pillar of leader development

Formal educational process

Rooted in traditional NCO role of trainer

Opportunities for college education

Development of NCOES

Smarter NCOs = better leaders = Backbone

Educational pillar of leader development

NCO MovementStripes go with you

Varied assignments benefit NCO & units

Opportunities for Learning

Promotion (officer)

Operational assignment pillar of leader development

All Ideas Not EqualLarge, standing armies

Disbanding Militias

What are your Questions

VI. Conclusion

MG Emory Upton saw the need for change

General Staff

Leader training and development

Tactics requiring more leaders

NCOs filled the voids

NCOs became the Backbone of the Army

AcknowledgementsReferences

Ambrose, S. (1993). Upton and the army (Louisiana paperback ed.). Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.

Arms, L. (2007). A history of the nco. Briggs Army Air Base, TX: U. S. Army Museum of the Noncommissioned Officer.

Craig, A. M., Graham, W. A., Kagan, D., Ozment, S., & Turner, F. M. (2009). The heritage of world civilizations (8th ed., Vol. 1). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Hamilton, A., Jay, J., & Madison, J. (1787). The federalist papers (Kindle ed.).

Hogan, D. W., Jr., Fisch, A. G., Jr., & Wright, R. K., Jr. (eds.). (2007). The story of the noncommissioned officer corps: The backbone of the Army (Rev. Ed., CMH Pub 70-38). Washington, DC: U. S. Army Center of Military History.

Kelso, W. M. (2006). Jamestown the buried truth. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.

The constitution of the United States: A transcription. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2016, from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html#top

Von Steuben, F. W. (1794). Regulations for the order and discipline of the troops of the United States (New ed.). Boston, MA: Henry Ranlet.

Images

Images were from Flikr.com unless otherwise noted and are in the public domain, or Creative Commons.

Slide 6: from Hogan etal

Slide 7: Author

Slide 12: Hogan etal

Slide 14: National Guard Heritage Series. Retreived from: http://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/ImageGallery/HistoricalPaintings/HeritageSeries/UtahLightArtillery.aspx

Slide 16: USASMA and Flikr.com

Slide 19: Upton, Emory, A New System of Infantry Tactics, Double and Single Rank, Adapted to American Topography and Improved Fire-Arms (published in 1867) Retreived from: https://archive.org/details/newsystemofinfan00 upto