The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy

The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy is the capstone of the Army’s Noncommissioned Officer Education System.

The academy’s Total Army mission cuts across the spectrum of conflict, from operations other than war to the high-technology battlefield. It plays an active role in the training of all enlisted leaders, from corporal to command sergeant major in the active Army, the Army Reserve and the National Guard. 

The Sergeants Major Academy uses small group methods of instruction for all its resident courses. Used first with the Sergeants Major Course, small group instruction has since been implemented throughout the Noncommissioned Officer Education System.

In the small group, discussion becomes the primary vehicle for learning. This contrasts with conventional training which uses discussion only to support formal instruction.

The group discussion creates a positive climate for learning. Students at the Sergeants Major Academy frequently cite the small group process as the most rewarding experience of their stay.

Training developed at the Sergeants Major Academy focuses on the technical and tactical standards needed of all NCOs as they advance in rank. Feedback from the field and the latest developments in warfighting doctrine keep the curriculum up to date.

The academy assembled the building blocks of the NCO system: the Warrior Leaders Course and the core leadership training of the Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses. This training is exported to active and Reserve NCO academies, and Army service schools around the world.

The pinnacle of the NCOES, the Sergeants Major Course, is a nine-month-long resident course taught at the academy.

A corresponding studies version, designed to be completed in two years of home study, is also administered from the academy. The course parallels the resident course curriculum and graduates receive equal consideration in all personnel management actions.

The academy also develops and runs three functional courses attended by Soldiers going to specific jobs: the Command Sergeants Major Course, the First Sergeants Course and the Battle Staff NCO Course. 

The Command Sergeant Major Course prepares command sergeants majors for their first battalion assignment. The First Sergeants Course provides new and prospective first sergeants the tools they need to effectively carry out that “rubber-meets-the-road” job. The Battle Staff NCO Course enhances battalion, brigade, division and corps operations under Army Operations.

Advances in technology and the intensity of modern warfighting have pushed decision-making lower in the chain of command. The Sergeants Major Academy stands ready to help NCO leaders at all levels hone their abilities to command and lead the U.S. Army into the 21st century.

The Internet address for USASMA is https://www.bliss.army.mil/usasma.