On the values and ethics of the Marine Corps

Running head: ROLE OF A MARINE SNCO1
Role of a Marine SNCO
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ROLE OF A MARINE SNCO

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Role of a Marine SNCO
The business of war is a lifetime endeavor. To excel in different war activities, a Marine goes a long way not only starting by studying such activities conceptually and putting into practical action relevant concepts and activities. More importantly, a Marine, particularly one posited for a leadership position, is on a long path of learning and gaining insights in class and during service for perhaps long decades. Understanding war is demanding enough for any Marine at any level of service. There are, in fact, as many learning lessons, strategic insights and practical applications making leadership development among Marines a matter of great significance. Essentially, leadership is a constant in Marine life. The day-to-day and strategic engagements a Marine performs over short and/or long spans define, ultimately, a future role such Marine is to play as a mentor and role model. This leadership role is, perhaps, best understood in a context of education, perseverance and value-sharing Marine leaders establish with young officers and who are future Marine leaders. For current purposes, Marine Staff Non-commissioned Officer (SNCO) role is of central interest. The contribution a Marine SNCO has to unit officers cannot be overemphasized to develop essential leadership knowledge and skills young Marines need to play a similar role in any future missions. The role of a Marine SNCO, current paper shows, is to become a mentor and role model for young officers, and to educate them on the values and ethics of the Marine Corps so Marines can overcome the challenges and threats that they will be facing in the future.
The complexity of war is well-documented in military literature and practice. Essentially, U.S. Marines explains a number of principles and concepts Marines should understand and apply under possibly extremely varying battlespace conditions. Specifically, war
ROLE OF A MARINE SNCO

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is characterized as “a violent clash of interests” involving friction, uncertainty, fluidity, disorder, and complexity (U.S. Marine Corps, 1997). This characterization makes war less of a straightforward endeavor of planning to execution. Instead, war is placed in a context of policy-making and, from a leadership perspective, an exercise in applying initiative and response according to unfolding situations a Marine leader identifies and acts on accordingly. From an education and mentorship perspective, moreover, a Marine SNCO – having understood and practiced such war concepts and principles of combat power, speed and focus, and surprise and boldness (U.S. Marine Corps, 1997) – is well posited to inform young officers, each at her or his own pace, what battlespace risks and, more importantly, what values and leadership qualities, each should develop to make sound life-saving decisions as officers and future leaders.
Integral to understanding war is, of course, an understanding of warfighting functions. The underlying rationale of understanding warfighting functions is, fundamentally, about leadership in and beyond battlespace. Indee...