An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | by COMDT CONOR KING PHOTOS by CPL NEVILLE COUGHLAN T he inaugural Senior NCOs Seminar took place in Col- lins barracks, Cork on 2nd and 3rd July 2015, organ- ised by Strategic Planning branch (SPb) and hosted by HQ 1 bde. It was attended by 44 sergeants major, war- rant officers, bQMS/RQMS and senior chief petty officers, representing all services and corps of the Defence Forces. The seminar built on the good work of the Sgts Major Seminar and Senior Logisticians Conference held in 2014, focusing on the most senior NCOs in the Defence Forces and their crucial role in the organisation. The seminar was pitched at the strategic level and tapped into the wealth of knowledge and experience of the attendees. The seminar's primary aim was to discuss the role of the senior NCO in today's Defence Forces, and to gain an en- hanced understanding the senior NCO's role as steward of the institution, supervisor of the command climate, coach and mentor, role model, internal and external messen- ger, and upholder of the ethos and values of the Defence Forces: respect, loyalty, selflessness, physical and moral courage, and integrity. A food-for-thought (FFT) paper was prepared by SPB and issued to all attendees in advance. This paper identified the equally vital but different responsibilities held by the sergeant major and BQMS, with the former as the de facto HR manager for a unit, whose job it is to feel the pulse of the unit and ensure esprit de corps is maintained, and the latter performing the role of senior logistician, focused on maintaining unit efficiency through providing effective support to unit operations and the provision of facilities to contribute to unit welfare. (This paper, which served as a theme for the seminar and framed discussions in syndicate and plenary sessions, is available on SPB's IKON page.) The extensive draft competencies developed for senior NCOs through the Integrated Competency Framework also formed the basis for discussion during the seminar. Launching the seminar, D SPB Col Kevin Cotter (now Maj Gen, D COS (Sp), who provided the General Staff vision and intent, explained its strategic context, and what the expected outcomes should be. He also spoke about the crucial position of the senior NCO in the implementation of the forthcoming white paper on defence. This author then briefed the attendees on the contents of the food-for-thought paper and expanded on the key themes. The draft competencies of the senior operational NCO and senior logistic NCO were issued to syndicates to facilitate discussion. Six syndicates, comprising a mixture of all services and corps, were each tasked with producing a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation on a diverse but related range of topics, to be presented to the General Staff the following day. The topics for the syndicates were: Responsibilities of the Senior NCO to the Commander, to Subordinates, and to the Organisation; Defence Forces Ethos and Values; Coaching and Mentoring; Command Climate; The Senior NCO as an Internal and External Messenger; Role of the Senior NCO.

• Cover