Empowerment of the Noncommissioned Officer has steadily increased since the birth of the United States Army. The Noncommissioned Officer Corps could be a lot stronger given all the tools we have if we would start looking at the quality of the NCO and not the quantity. The first regulation written in 1779, "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States", outlined the duties and responsibility of the Noncommissioned Officer. Activated in 1971, the Noncommissioned Officer Education System trains Noncommissioned Officers on personnel management, leadership, motivation, and training. In 1980 the Noncommissioned Officer Development Plan was activated to give Senior Noncommissioned Officers the opportunity to refine and define the NCO leadership within the unit. Are we as strong as we could be? At this time in the Army's two hundred and thirty four years, we as an NCO Corps should be stronger than we are.

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