pertaining to company administration. A good first sergeant is indispensable to the making of a good company, for without him the best efforts of the captain. would be rendered abortive. Exercising a certain supervision over the duties performed by every member of the company, he commands and instructs men in the ranks who receive more compensation than is allowed him, his pay being $6 less than that of a soldier detailed as a mechanic and $1.50 less than is received by the private detailed on duty as laborer. Company sergeants, who are charged with important duties in the internal economy of the company, besides commanding guards, escorts, fatigue parties, etc., receive $6.50 less than a soldier teamster in the Quartermaster's Department; while a private on extra duty receives $8.50 more than the pay of a corporal. These facts sufficiently evidence what little incentive is offered to noncommissioned officers to re-enlist and remain in the service.

The class of noncommissioned officers in the Army occupies the intermediate grade between the private and the commissioned officer, and its duties demand men of good capacity, strict honesty, untiring energy, and possessing high soldierly attributes. Justice to company noncommissioned officers demands that their pay should assimilate to that allowed similar grades in other branches of the service.

I submit that first sergeants and duty sergeants of companies, troops, and batteries (1,910 in number) should receive the following rates of pay: First sergeants, $34, and sergeants $25 per month.

The increase of pay in these grades is $12 for first sergeants and $8 for duty sergeants, and will increase the annual appropriation by $201,168.

In connection with the foregoing, I beg to say that the highest in rank of the noncommissioned officers of the Army is the regimental sergeant major, whose pay is now only $23 per month. This should be increased to $36, the same pay as is now received by the sergeant major of Engineers. The duties of a sergeant major are most responsible in the correct and safe keeping of the regimental records, and he must be the highest type of the enlisted soldier to fulfill the military duties of his position. In fact he is selected as and he should be the ideal soldier and exemplar to the enlisted men of his regiment and a valuable aid to the regimental commander and his adjutant, and should receive pay commensurate with his rank and important duties. I also beg to recommend that Congress be asked to authorize the appointment of fifty "post sergeant majors," with the same pay as regimental sergeant majors, for assignment to important posts at which there are no regimental headquarters. This grade of noncommissioned officers is greatly needed to aid post commanders and post adjutants in keeping the post records and also in the other

duties pertaining to their positions, which have now to be performed by men detailed for the purpose, and are seldom sufficiently well done, due largely to constant changes in troops from one post to another and change in details. This would not be the case were permanent post sergeant majors provided, similar to post quartermaster sergeants, and for the same reason for the protection of the best interests of the service.

The increase of pay of regimental sergeant majors and the appointment of fifty post sergeant majors will amount to $27,840 per annum.

When the Adjutant-General can state in the posters calling for recruits that there are 2,000 positions of noncommissioned officers in the Army with pay and allowances that make them desirable, the disposition of good men to enlist will surely be greatly stimulated, and it will be economy to secure such men even at the cost of $228,000 per annum. . . .

Extract from Annual Report of the Secretary of War for the Year 1892.

Non-commissioned Officers

With but very few exceptions the intelligence, instruction, character, and efficiency of this class of enlisted men are reported satisfactory for the performance of their duties, and they are required to study and recite in small-arms firing regulations in nearly all infantry and cavalry organizations; in the artillery this duty is exacted in but twenty-one batteries.

The non-commissioned officers have been called the vertebrae of the Army and much thought has been given the subject of improving them. Inquiry into the matter has elicited valuable suggestions from experienced officers, and by far the greater number advocate an increase in pay with a corresponding increase in the requirements as the most feasible steps to accomplish the object desired. Various other suggestions have been made, such as care in selecting recruits, regular and systematic instruction and drill, separate mess and sleeping apartments, competitive examination for appointment and promotion, regular schools for non-commissioned officers, etc. The lot of the non-commissioned officer, with its increased requirements and responsibility, which seem out of proportion to the small increase in his pay, should be made more enviable, and it is an undisputed fact that the extra duty man receives more pay and has less responsibility than the average non-commissioned officer. . . .

Extract from Annual Report of the Secretary of War for the Year 1893.

Non-commissioned Officers

Under recent tactical and other changes in the army the non-commissioned officer has become a more important factor than ever before and much depends upon his efficiency, which in this class of enlisted men is generally very satisfactory, even though some organizations may not report them up to all the modern requirements. The change in requirements has been rather rapid for immediate readjustment, and perhaps we will not be able to get the best men for these positions until their pay is at least equal to that of the extra-duty man, or commensurate with the increased responsibilities and higher duties demanded. The act of Congress approved February 27, 1893, has slightly bettered conditions in this respect by increasing the pay of first sergeants to $25 and that of sergeants to $18 per month. It should be still more; and our sergeant majors and regimental quartermaster-sergeants, who occupy the highest positions of all enlisted men and receive less pay than first sergeants, deserve speedy consideration.

The reports show that 347 non-commissioned officers hold certificates from service and other schools or have graduated from colleges, and 116 have belonged to the National Guard before they joined the army. These figures indicate to some extent the qualifications and attainments of this class of enlisted men.

In the greater number of organizations the rank of corporal is attained only after one or more years' of service, though there are a few in which the average length of service has been reported as less. The greatest average length is reported from the infantry, the greatest in any organization being 11 years. In the cavalry the greatest is 8, and in the artillery 7 years, and in over half of the regiments the average length of service of a private is said to be five or more years before he is promoted.

The instruction of our non-commissioned officers has generally consisted in recitations in Small Arms. Firing Regulations, Drill and Army Regulations and Manual of Guard Duty; and a number of company commanders have also instructed them in minor tactics, field service, rapid entrenchments, and kindred subjects. Recitations in Small Arms Firing Regulations have been most active in the infantry and cavalry, and less so in the artillery, though the number of batteries in which they have been held is greater than reported last year, and the extent of the regular instruction of artillerymen was never greater than now in our service. At a few posts the non-commissioned officers have been permitted to attend the lectures at the officers' lyceum, and it is to be hoped that this commendable practice will steadily extend. Inquiry into the subject of improving our non-commissioned officers has elicited about the same

suggestions as submitted last year, the greater number of officers advocating an increase of pay; and this seems to be the keynote in our endeavor to secure the best possible material. The discipline and instruction of the service demand specially careful and continuous attention from the officers and non-commissioned officers during this transition period of armament and drill, when so many innovations have been imposed. And the non-commissioned officer was never a more important and responsible individual than now.

Pay of Non-commissioned Officers

Col. P. T. Swaine, Twenty-second Infantry, commanding officer, Fort Keogh, Mont., reports:

It is urgently recommended that the pay of regimental non-commissioned staff officers be apportioned to their rank, as compared with other non-commissioned officers. First sergeants, being of an inferior grade, actually receive more pay, whereas the higher grade should, as in the case of commissioned officers, receive the better compensation.

Col. C. H. Carlton, Eighth Cavalry, commanding officer, Fort Meade, S. Dak., reports:

As the regimental sergeant-majors and regimental quartermaster-sergeants are of higher rank and are selected from and promoted from first sergeants, the regimental sergeant-majors and the regimental quartermaster-sergeants should receive higher pay than the first sergeants; they are now receiving less.

Col. G. S. Poland, Seventeenth Infantry, commanding officer, Fort D. A. Russell, Wyo., reports:

The pay of regimental sergeant-majors and quartermaster-sergeants should be increased to at least $60 per month. They do more work per day (and are liable to perform field service) than many general service clerks and civilians in the employ of the Government who receive $100 per month and upwards.

The pay of each grade of non-commissioned officers should be increased also.

Maj. A. S. B. Keyes, Third Cavalry, commanding officer, Fort Ringgold, Tex., reports:

Greater inducements should be given for reenlistments, especially to sergeants. First sergeants' pay should be $40 per month, with increase for service, and other sergeants in proportion.

Col. L. L. Langdon, First Artillery, commanding

officer, Fort Hamilton, N.Y., reports:

There are many reasons why the pay of sergeantmajors and quartermaster-sergeants should be larger than that of all other non-commissioned officers; but I can imagine none why it should be the reverse, as it is now.

Congress has several times increased the pay of the other non-commissioned staff officers, but the cause, if any, of leaving the regimental non-commissioned staff in statu quo each time has, to my recollection, never been explained.

First. Regimental sergeant-majors and quartermastersergeants rank all the other non-commissioned officers in this army as well as in every other army; but in others, the English, for instance (if comparisons should be considered), pay goes with rank. The question of rank, which the position itself necessitates, alone is a sufficient reason ipso facto for superiority of pay.

The rates of pay and the rank of the noncommissioned officers are as follows:

All with the usual increase for continuous service.) Second. The regimental non-commissioned staff is selected from the best material of a whole regiment on account of the requirements of the position, which are: Good moral character, sobriety, intelligence of a high grade, and the strictest integrity. It is comparatively an easy matter for a well-educated sergeant of the line, possessing common sense and judgment, to fill the positions of ordnance sergeant and first sergeant; but such a man would have to be qualified by nature and education, as well as by special course of study, to make a good sergeant-major.

Third. The duties of sergeant-major comprise the supervision of all the clerical work, post and regimental, the preparation of the numerous and intricate papers relating to regiment and post headquarters, the keeping of all the rosters, the distribution to all the officers and organizations of the orders intended for them, the entering of all communications passing through the offices, the proof-reading from the regimental press, the care of the books, accounts, etc., of the noncommissioned staff and band-in fact all the complicated work, for which the adjutant is responsible to his colonel, passes through the sergeant-major's hands, and

he must have at his finger tips all the orders and decisions issued from the army, division, and department headquarters. He must be a man of discretion and tact. In addition, the sergeant-major attends guard mounting every day in the year, and all the battalion parades, inspections and drills.

The duties required of him are more varied and exacting, the hours longer, and an all-day holiday, or even a free Sunday, is an unknown pleasure to him, unless he avails himself of a pass or furlough, which he very seldom does on account of the responsibility for the continued and proper performance of the work intrusted to him.

Fourth. The regimental quartermaster-sergeant has as much as to do daily as a post quartermaster-sergeant, and performs the same duties as the latter if there be none at regimental headquarters, which is very often the case. If not directly, he is morally responsible for a large amount of government property intrusted to his care, as much as any commissary or post quartermaster-sergeant in their departments, who receive larger pay, and as he moves with the regiment whenever it does, or goes into the field, his work doubles, and his responsibility then becomes greater.

Fifth. When a private is on extra duty as a clerk or laborer, teamster or mechanic, his additional pay for this service is from $10 to $15 a month. Thus, a recruit may, and often does, draw more pay than a sergeant-major or a regimental quartermaster-sergeant. The present sergeant-major of my regiment, prior to his appointment as such was sergeant and school-teacher, and drew $36 a month, but on being promoted to the rank of sergeantmajor his pay dropped $8 a month.

Appreciating fully the momentous value of any action by you in such matters, I most earnestly request your attention to the above, with the view of enlisting your interest and endeavor toward the introduction of a separate bill in Congress for better pay to these hardworked and deserving non-commissioned officers, with the final object to have superiority of pay go hand in hand with rank and responsibility of position, and particularly to offset the oversight of omitting them altogether in the bill passed at the last session of Congress.

A bill increasing the pay of sergeant-major and regimental quartermaster-sergeant to $50 per month, with the usual increase for continuous service in each case, would accomplish the desired result, of which everyone would acknowledge the fairness and justice and no one could complain.

The increased cost to the taxpayers will be slight, as there are only 40 sergeant-majors and 40 regimental quartermaster-sergeants in the whole Army.

Extract from Circular No. 30, War Department, Washington, 1 May 1924.

III-Issue of old type officers' uniforms to noncommissioned officers of the first, second and third grades. The existing stock of officers' breeches, coats and complete uniforms, old type, of the following material:

Serge, 12, 16 and 20/22-ounce,

Melton, 16 and 20-ounce,

Whipcord,

Cotton, olive drab,

Gabardine:

which was manufactured for sale to officers, but which is now obsolete by reason of AR 600-35, as changed by Changes No. 9, AR 600-40, as changed by Changes No. 10, is authorized for issue to noncommissioned officers of the first, second and third grades, until supply is exhausted. The cotton garments will be charged to the clothing allowance at the price of olive drab cotton issue coats and breeches and the woolen garments at the price of the olive drab woolen issue coats and breeches 20-oz. Braid will be removed from the sleeves of the coat by enlisted men before wearing. Uniform clothing issued under this authority is specifically authorized to be worn at any camp, post or station as long as the clothing is serviceable.

(A.G. 421 (3-3-24).)

By order of the Secretary of War:

JOHN J. PERSHING, General of the Armies Chief of Staff.

Extract from Army Regulation 350-90, HQ, Department of the Army, Washington, 25 June 1957.

Education and Training Noncommissioned Officer Academies

1. General. These regulations establish a standard pattern for the Noncommissioned Officer Academies in the United States Army. The purpose of Noncommissioned Officer Academies is to broaden the professional knowledge of the noncommissioned officer and instill in him the self-confidence and sense of responsibility required to make him a capable leader of men.

2. Establishment. a. Any of the following commanders is authorized, but not required, to establish a Noncommissioned Officer Academy:

(1) Commanding general of a division.

(2) The commander of a major installation, subject to approval of the appropriate Army commander, major

oversea commander, or chief of a technical service.

b. Where possible, nondivisional troops will use the Noncommissioned Officer Academy of a nearby division rather than establish separate facility.

c. Each academy will be designated as (division or installation) Noncommissioned Officer Academy" (e.g., 4th Infantry Division Noncommissioned Officer Academy).

d. All academies will conform to the standard pattern prescribed below.

3. Training. a. The minimum length of the course of instruction will be 4 weeks.

b. The number of courses conducted annually will be determined by local requirements. Consideration should be given to conducting separate courses for senior noncommissioned officers and for noncommissioned officer candidates. The content of the two courses need not vary appreciably.

c. Exacting selection procedures should be employed to insure the designation of outstanding noncommissioned officer instructors who have completed a course of instruction at a Noncommissioned Officer Academy. d. Prerequisites for attendance will be determined locally by the commander having jurisdiction of the Academy.

4. Curriculum. a. The increased responsibility of noncommissioned officers under the new concepts of atomic warfare will be stressed in all phases of instruction. In all subjects, emphasis will be on how to teach the material presented rather than on the mere presentation of information.

b. No standardized course of instruction is prescribed; however, inclusion of the following subjects is mandatory:

(1) Leadership-minimum of 15 hours.

(2) Drill, Ceremonies and Command-(Drill, Inspection, Fitting and Wearing of the Uniform, Ceremonies, Customs and Courtesies, Conduct of Physical Training Program, etc.)-minimum of 15 hours.

(3) Methods of Instruction-minimum of 30 hours. (4) Weapons Training-number of hours to be determined by division or installation commander. (5) Map Reading-minimum of 20 hours.

(6) Tactics-number of hours to be determined by division or installation commander.

(7) Problems of the command and their solutionnumber of hours to be determined by division or installation commander.

c. An example of a detailed course of instruction which is considered suitable for use by a Noncommissioned Officer Academy is shown in the appendix.

5. Programming, budgeting, and funding. Formal programming is not required. Each command will

support its academy from available resources. Use of training aids, furniture, equipment, etc., in support of these academies is authorized.

6. Administration. a. In accordance with paragraph 34a, AR 640-203, a notation will be made in paragraph 26 of DA Form 20, Enlisted Qualification Record, for each individual who successfully completes a course at a Noncommissioned Officer Academy as follows, (unit or organization) Noncommissioned Officer Academy, 4 weeks, - (year)." For example, "1st Infantry Division Noncommissioned Officer Academy, 4 weeks, 1957."

b. An individual who has successfully completed a course at a Noncommissioned Officer Academy which meets the criteria established herein will not be permitted to attend another such course.

By Order of Wilber M. Brucker, Secretary of the Army:

MAXWELL D. TAYLOR,
General, United States Army,
Chief of Staff.

Extract from Army Circular No. 35-52, HQ, Department of the Army, Washington, 20 May 1958.

Finance and Fiscal

Military Pay Act of 1958

1. The Military Pay Act of 1958 has been signed by the President and is P. L. 85-422 dated 20 May 1958. The Act becomes effective on 1 June 1958. . .

3. The act amends the table "incentive pay for hazardous duty" pertaining to commissioned officers, who perform aerial flights as crew members in accordance with section 204 of the CCA of 1949, as amended, by adding pay grades 0-9 and O-10 and by establishing the rate of incentive pay for those grades in the amount of $165 for all categories of years of service. The table for enlisted members, concerning this incentive pay, is amended by adding pay grades E-8 and E-9, and by establishing a rate of $105 for all categories of years of service.

4. The table prescribing special pay for sea and foreign duty contained in section 206 of the CCA of 1949 is amended by adding pay grades E-8 and E-9 and by establishing monthly rates of $22.50 for each of those grades.

5. The act provides that the rates for basic allowance for quarters for pay grades O-9 and O-10 are the same as those prescribed for pay grade O-8, i.e., with dependents $171; without dependents $136.80. Pay grades E-8 and E-9 will receive the same as pay grade

E-7, i.e., members on active duty without dependents $51.30; not over two dependents $77.10; over two dependents $96.90. The requirement that a member with dependents in pay grade E-7 have in effect an allotment of $80 per month is equally applicable to pay grades E-8 and E-9. If such enlisted members are on active duty for training, they will receive the same basic allowances for quarters as E-7 on active duty for training. The monthly rate of all other pay and allowances presently authorized for E-7 are for application to E-8 and E-9. . . .

(b) Soldiers on active duty training or full time training duty for 90 days or more (chapter 8).

(3) United States Army Reserve on extended active duty or Initial Active Duty for Training (IADT). b. The Chief, Army Reserve may issue additional instructions to supplement this regulation.

c. Each chapter in this regulation deals with a specific phase of enlisted career management; however, none of these phases will be used in isolation since they all deal with a system that is totally interrelated.

1-4. Policy. Effective management of Army personnel resources is necessary for successful accomplishment of the Army mission. Consistent with military necessity, the policy of the Department of the Army is to utilize personnel in positions commensurate with their military qualifications and personal attributes and to foster an atmosphere which will motivate all personnel to attain their full potential as soldiers.

1-5. Responsibility. Career management of enlisted.