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The
grade of rank closely parallels that of the sergeant in duties and
responsibilities. In fact, the basic duties and responsibility of
all the NCO ranks never change, but there are differences,
significant differences, between this step in the NCO structure
and the preceding one.
Understanding these differences is vital. The staff sergeant is
a more experienced leader of soldiers. The staff sergeant has
considerably more time in the Army than the sergeant. It is proper
to expect that the staff sergeant can bring the benefits of that
experience to bear in any situation and under all circumstances.
The major difference between the staff sergeant and the
sergeant is not, as often mistakenly believed, authority, but
rather sphere of influence. The staff sergeant is in daily contact
with large numbers of soldiers and generally has more equipment
and other property to maintain.
The staff sergeant will often have one or more sergeants who
work under his direct leadership. The staff sergeant is
responsible for their continued successful development as well as
that of other soldiers in the section, squad or team.
More often than not, the lack of understanding of the function
of this important NCO position by leaders is the cause of
disruption and failure in small unit training.
If NCO are “The Backbone” of the Army, then staff sergeants are
the elements of which backbones are made. The complexities of the
job of the staff sergeant increases as the responsibilities
broaden. The staff sergeant’s professional competence is measured
by how well the staff sergeant develops, maintains and uses the
full range of human potential of his soldiers. The staff
sergeant’s success, more than any other grade of the NCO rank,
leads the path to the Army’s success, and the footprints you will
see behind those of our greatest military leaders are probably
those of a staff sergeant, where he stood confident, proud and
eager to assist.
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