How a Vietnam-Era NCO School Reshaped Army Leadership Forever
A new book explores how a Vietnam-era training programme helped shape today’s Army leadership. Retired Command Sergeant Major Daniel K. Elder’s NCO School: How the Vietnam-era NCO Candidate Course Shaped the Modern Army examines the impact of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course (NCOCC). The programme, created during a critical troop shortage, left a lasting mark on military training methods.
In the mid-1960s, the Army faced a severe shortage of noncommissioned officers as troop numbers surged for Vietnam. To fill the gap, leaders launched the NCOCC—a fast-track course to train enlisted soldiers for leadership roles. Known informally as 'NCO School,' the programme combined classroom lessons with hands-on combat training.
The NCOCC’s legacy lives on in today’s training systems. Its methods helped establish the rigorous standards now expected of Army NCOs. Elder’s book documents how a wartime solution became a foundation for long-term leadership development.
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