All branches of the United States Armed Forces use the general term Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME) to describe the formal system of education which each branch provides to its enlisted personnel. Each branch has its own system and sequence of courses, with the overall focus on leadership and management. Education generally increases in intensity and level of knowledge as individuals progress in rank and assume broader leadership roles. EPME is distinct from the technical training which service members receive for their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), or Navy Rating.
The DoD operates a Joint Senior Enlisted Professional Military Education (SEJPME) course designed to integrate members from across all branches of service into a unified force. The SEJPME Course is designed to expose enlisted personnel to joint education and prepare them to succeed by improving their ability to operate effectively as part of a future joint force and supervise multiple Service members.
The course is available online as a distance-learning course.
Air Force EPME is created and provided through the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, part of the Air University system, named after the service's fourth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Thomas N. Barnes, the first African-American to attain the highest enlisted position in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The principal instructional method for all Air Force EPME is guided discussion, in which students share ideas, experiences, and work together to achieve various educational objectives. Formative evaluations are an integral part of the curriculum and serve as feedback tools for the student and instructor. Summative objective and performance evaluations are used to determine whether the educational requirements outlined in the course are met. All EPME courses include fitness and drill and ceremony components as well as formal lectures and academic research projects.
All Air Force EPME courses have been approved for college credit in the Leadership, Management & Military Science discipline of the service's Community College of the Air Force Associate in Applied Science degree programs.
Airman Leadership School (ALS): ALS is an Air Force education program held at base level to prepare senior airmen for positions of greater responsibility. The course teaches leadership skills required of supervisors and reporting officials throughout the Air Force. ALS enhances the development of senior airmen by strengthening their ability to lead, follow, and manage while they gain a broader understanding of the military profession. ALS is attended by Senior Airmen (E-4) and required for promotion to Staff Sergeant (E-5).
Course 15: computer-based training that is a prerequisite for attending NCO Academy.
Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (NCOA): This professional military education course prepares NCOs to be professional, war-fighting Airmen who can lead and manage Air Force units in the employment of air and space power. The principal method of instruction is guided discussion and case studies. This course is designed to develop Airmen into effective mid-level leaders and managers. It is the second PME that enlisted Air Force members encounter. NCOA focuses on leadership abilities, the profession of arms, effective communication, and organizational leadership. NCOA is attended by Technical Sergeants (E-6) and is required for promotion to Master Sergeant (E-7).
Senior Noncommissioned Officer Distance Learning Course (SNCO DLC): Computer-based training that replaced Course 14 on 1 July 2016. Required for promotion eligibility to SMSgt.
Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (SNCOA): SNCOA is an advanced professional military education program that prepares select NCOs for greater responsibilities by expanding their leadership and managerial capabilities and their perspective of the military profession. The curriculum, designed to meet senior NCO needs, consists of lectures and small group work seminars. The principal instructional method is the 12 to 14 member-guided discussions, in which students share ideas and experiences and work collectively to achieve educational objectives. Members of the Academy's faculty and speakers from AU, Headquarters USAF and other commands, and civilian agencies lecture at the Academy. The Academy curriculum is based on the belief that the senior NCOs attending the course bring with them some understanding and competence in all areas of the curriculum.
In 2016, the Army revised AR 600-8-19 making BLC a prerequisite for pin-on to E-5. [2]
Coast Guard EPME is a continuum of leadership training that provides enlisted members with a solid foundation for a successful Coast Guard career. Students must meet performance requirements, pass an Advancement Qualification Exam (AQE), and pass a service-wide exam. Students must demonstrate mastery of current and next rank leadership requirements before advancing in rank.
There are three levels of Coast Guard EPME:
The Marine Corps College of Enlisted Military Education is a part of Marine Corps University and is responsible for the EPME curriculum development and administrative support to Marine Corps Units (Corporals Course) and the Staff Noncommissioned Officers Academies located in Quantico, VA; Camp Pendleton, CA; Twentynine Palms, CA; Camp Lejeune, NC; Kaneohe Bay, HI; and Okinawa, Japan.
Senior Enlisted Professional Military Education (SEPME) is designed to equip Marines in the ranks of master sergeant and first sergeant with critical thinking and adaptability skills necessary to function at the operational and strategic levels of war. Completion of the course equips senior enlisted Marines with demonstrated proficiency in the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP), communication and administration. At its highest level, SEPME enhances the senior leader's ability to provide sound recommendations for mission success. [3] SEPME is not a requirement for promotion to either master gunnery sergeant or sergeant major.
The Navy Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA) provides senior enlisted leaders education in communication skills, leadership and management, national security affairs, Navy programs, and physical fitness. Of the 1,200 students in attendance annually, the majority are active duty Navy personnel. Navy Reserve, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and International service members make up the remainder of the student population.
Part of the Navy War College, the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy was established in 1981, and graduation is required before personnel can assume the position of command master chief or chief of the boat.
The mission of the Senior Enlisted Academy is to further develop, through education and training, the leadership capabilities of Senior Enlisted to give sound decision support in command, staff, management, and leadership positions in Naval, Joint, and Multinational environments. To provide Senior Enlisted a sound understanding of military strategy and leadership skills; cultivating Leaders who maintain a constant focus on Ethics, Flexibility, and Mission Accomplishment in an ever-changing environment.
The resident curriculum is a six-week course of instruction, containing 240 academic hours. The blended curriculum includes six-weeks BlackBoard distance learning and a two-week in-house course of instruction. Both formats require completion of Navy Primary PME (approx. 70 hours of online instruction) prior to attending.
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not earned a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually obtain their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, Officer Candidate School (OCS), or Officer Training School (OTS) after receiving a post-secondary degree.
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. This is a NATO ranking.
Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, above staff sergeant and below master sergeant and first sergeant, and is a senior staff non-commissioned officer (SNCO). It has a pay grade of E-7.
Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) is the eighth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, just above master sergeant and below chief master sergeant and is a senior noncommissioned officer (SNCO).
Master gunnery sergeant (MGySgt) is the 9th and highest enlisted grade in the United States Marine Corps. Master gunnery sergeants are senior staff non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) with the pay grade of E-9, equivalent to sergeants major and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors.
A Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon is an award presented by the United States Army and Air Force to recognize those noncommissioned officers who have completed a prescribed leadership course at an NCO training school. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have no equivalent to the Noncommissioned Officer Development Ribbon.
The School of Infantry (SOI) is the second stage of initial military training for enlisted United States Marines after recruit training. Since the initial training pipeline is divided between coasts, Marines from areas east of the Mississippi River usually graduate from MCRD Parris Island and move on to SOI at SOI East, while those from the western half of the nation attend MCRD San Diego and move on to SOI West at the Camp San Onofre area of Camp Pendleton in California. Female Marines are trained at both SOI East and SOI West. The School of Infantry's training mission ensures "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman". At SOI, Marines with the Military Occupational Specialty of infantry are trained at the Infantry Training Battalion (ITB), while all non-infantry Marines are trained in basic infantry and combat skills at the Marine Combat Training Battalion. SOI marks a transition in the professional training of entry-level students from basically trained Marines to combat-ready Marines.
The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Virginia, in the south-west of the Marine Corps Base Quantico complex. Each year over 1,700 new officers are trained, representing such commissioning sources as the U.S. Naval Academy, Navy ROTC, Officer Candidates School, and Marine Corps Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Warrant Officer accession programs.
The United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS) is a training regiment designed to screen and evaluate potential Marine Corps Officers. Those who successfully complete the period of instruction are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Marines. Unlike the other United States military services, the majority of Marine Corps officers complete OCS to earn a commission; the exceptions are midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy, limited duty officers, and inter-service transfers. It is located at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Air University is a professional military education university system of the United States Air Force. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award master's degrees.
Communications School is where selected United States Marine Corps commissioned and warrant officers are sent to learn the art and science of planning and employing communications and performing command and staff duties.
First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. In NATO armed forces the rank is on OR8 level.
The U.S. Army Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, otherwise known as the Noncommissioned Officer's Creed, and commonly shortened to the NCO creed, is a tool used in the United States Army to educate and remind enlisted leaders of their responsibilities and authority, and serves as a code of conduct. Each branch has their own version, and many have been altered over the years.
The I.G. Brown Training and Education Center is a detachment of the Air National Guard Readiness Center and is located at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base near Knoxville, Tenn. The TEC conducts an average of 16 Enlisted Professional Military Education courses and 40 Professional Continuing Education sessions throughout the year. Typically, the TEC accommodates 11,000 service members on campus annually from the Total Force, Coast Guard, and partner nation armed forces. TEC also manages the ANG's Warrior Network; a $7 million satellite broadcast enterprise with more than 186 downlink sites, providing training and education, and command information nationwide. In addition, the studio and multimedia facilities support ANG video productions, senior leader conferences, and general-to-career field-specific training.
James A. Cody is a retired airman of the United States Air Force who served as the 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 24 January 2013 until his retirement on February 17, 2017. He served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and advancement of the enlisted force.
Kaleth O. Wright is a retired senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force who served as the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from February 17, 2017 to August 14, 2020. In this post he served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Wright is the second African American to serve in this position. Wright is often referred to by the nickname “Enlisted Jesus” by airmen on the internet due to his successful advocacy and reforms on behalf of enlisted personnel.