I know that N.C.O. means non commissioned officer, but what does non commissioned officer mean?

Answer 1

Someone who has NOT entered directly through a military training establishment such as Sandhurst and given an Officers Commission. (eg a formal job description responsibility and pension scheme).

A NCO is someone who has risen from the rank and file to a supervisory role rather than a managerial one. if you take modern business as an example. a NCO would be team leader or assistant duty manager.

whereas a true officer would be a director, manager or even chairman

Answer 2

Non Commissioned Officer

Answer 3

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Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons in a military environment able to exercise command (according to the most technical definition of the word) over a military unit. Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se, although the use of the word "command" to describe any use of authority is widespread and often official. Also, a Commissioning is an Appointment while an NCO is an Enlistment - You can resign your Commission but you cannot resign your Enlistment. In looking back through Air History, A pilot could be anyone that was trained to fly. In WWII, they would take enlisted members that passed certain exams, gave them pilot training and gave them a Commission as a Lieutenant. As the times changed, during the Korean War they started requiring at least a 2 year degree to become a pilot. Finally, from that point on, you needed a 4 year degree.

Answer 4

Simple put Commissioned Officers are Officers Commissioned by the Department of the Army, through Congress. Non-Commissioned Officers are usually Enlisted (Grades E-4 CPL to E-9 SGM) and Warrant Officer (WO-1 to WO-5) who are leaders in there areas of specialty. They work with the officers to conduct training and lead lower ranking soldiers. Though it is important to know that some Warrant Officers are Commissioned, and an Enlisted Person can get commission or even hold a part time commission status.

Answer 5

Commissioned officers have a commission from congress to serve as unit commanders in the military. The numbers in each rank are strictly limited & controlled by congress, and upper rank promotions require congressional approval. Officers don't have four year contracts like enlisted. They merely have a mandatory minimum number of years they must serve on active duty (or drilling w/ guard/res), they may be layed off if there are excesses (as the AF did last year), and after leaving active duty may be recalled at any time unless they resign their commission.

A NCO is on their second or subsequent enlistment (E-5 or higher), and serves as a low to mid-manager or assists a junior officer in leading a small unit (settle down all, I know there are exceptions & wide ranges of responsibility, but you got a get a traditional definition out first). These Sergeants lead enlisted troops in a similar way to junior officers, but without the congressional commission.

There are also Warrant Officers in some services. These folks are between the enlisted & officer ranks. Their role is very similar to a senior enlisted NCO with high technical skill & less focus on leading troops (Army helicopter pilots are the most plentiful example). They serve exactly like a junior officers, but their comission is a "warrant" issued by the military to satisfy internal needs.

Did that make sense? It's really not all that complicated.

Answer 6

As you can see you have a wide range of "opinions" on what an NCO is. and is defined differently depending on your country, but for the U.S. military djack had the most correct answer. An NCO is an enlisted person who by demonstration of sufficient knowledge, expertise, and leadership skills, has been promoted through the lower enlisted paygrades to the rank of E4 (Cpl) and above in the Marines, or E5 and above in other branches. These are small unit leaders in some cases or may have other administrative duties in higher echelons. This is where the description gets complicated because the role of the NCO rank varies based upon his billet or level of command within a military organization. For example a Sgt. (E5) might be a squad leader or could be a Plt. Sgt. This would be the typical billet within an infantry company. They could hold these positions over several pay grades, for ex. either might be a Staff Sgt.(E6). At a certain point these former small unit leaders are moved up to a billet on a higher level (larger unit) of command, such as a Co. or Bn. 1st Sgt.(E8) or a Bn. or Reg. SgtMajor (E9). The degree of command and authority therefore varies based not only on rank or pay grade but upon billet (job). Now by definition the difference between a commissioned and non-commissioned officer is (in the U.S.) congressional appointment or commission. All people entering the military have an active duty service obligation. After fulfilling a given enlistment period non-commissioned officers and below may leave active duty and go to reserve status until a 6 year obligation is complete, at which time they are discharged from the service unless they reenlist. The commissioned officer after fulfilling his obligated service time may be released from active duty and be placed on either an active or inactive reserve dutry status and is subject to recall as an officer at any time up to retiring from the service or resigning his commission. Thus a commission is more or less a professional certification which does not expire. I hope this helps.

P.S. Slight correction. Actually a commissioned officer retains his commission even after retiring and is subject to recall until formally resigning his commission.

Answer 7

Officers get a commission from HRH the Queen. This is an order stating that this person is basically allowed to give orders on behalf of the Queen. NCO's don't have this commission and therefore can't give the more important orders. Warrant Officers hold a slightly more restricted form of a commission, called a Warrant. This is also issued by the Queen.

Answer 8

It might be easier to start with the Commissioned Officer and take it from there. Commissioned Officers are those who receive the Queens Commission (in the UK at the moment) and are the leaders and managers in the Armed Forces.

Non Commissioned Officers do not receive the Queens Commission and are those who are trained in particular skills and get the job done, when they are promoted they become more like supervisors than managers.

Answer 9

Basically they are the people in the Armed Forces who have authority, but did not join as Officers and have not done Officer training......SO
You are really talking about all the guys and gals with stripes on their Uniforms, such as Corporals, Sergeants etc and Warrant Officers.
Someone who joins the UK forces as an Officer is given a Queens Commission on completion of training - thus the difference between commissioned and non commissioned!

Answer 10

A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer.

The non-commissioned officer corps is the 'junior' management of the military. Typically NCOs serve as administrative personnel, as advisors to the officer corps, as trainers of both lower and higher ranking personnel, and as both supervisors of, and advocates for, the lower-ranking or more inexperienced enlisted personnel. But their most valuable function is as a link between the 'common soldier' and the (commissioned) officer, who in most armies is encouraged to not develop a too close personal relationship with his charges.

The NCO corps includes all the grades of sergeant and, in some militaries, corporals and warrant officers. The naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer, although not all navies class their petty officers as NCOs.

An experienced NCO corps is a key component of Western armies: in many cases NCOs are credited as being the metaphorical "backbone" of their service. By contrast, the weak NCO corps of the modern-day Russian armed forces, and those modelled after it, is widely blamed for the general ineffectiveness of those militaries. The Russian Federation has recently recognized this problem and plans to develop a fully professional NCO corps.

Some have compared the centurions of the Roman Army with modern NCOs. At some levels this comparison may be apt, but a Roman centurion was responsible for between 60 and 1,200 men, making him much more comparable to an officer. The Roman decurion held a small-team leadership position similar to that of a junior NCO.