NCO Journal logo highlighting the ranks of enlisted officers

Publishing Disclaimer: In all of its publications and products, NCO Journal presents professional information. However, the views expressed therein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Army University, the Department of the US Army, or any other agency of the US Government.

 
 

NCO Journal Writing Topics & Prompts

We highly encourage submissions from all viewpoints and hope the topics below will inspire you to write and submit.

The Chief of Staff of the Army, Sergeant Major of the Army, and Secretary of the Army said we must stay grounded, and dedicate our energy in four focus areas: Warfighting, Delivering Ready Combat Formations, Continuous Transformation, and Strengthening the Profession.

Here is a list of writing prompts with their focus in mind.

  • Warfighting
    - Reflect on a recent training exercise where your team excelled in shooting, moving, or communicating. What strategies or techniques contributed to your success?
    - Discuss a time when your unit faced a challenge in maintaining cohesion during tough training scenarios. How did you address this challenge, and what lessons did you learn?
    - Share examples of how you foster camaraderie and teamwork within your squad or platoon, especially during demanding training exercises or deployments.
  • Delivering Ready Combat Formations
    - Describe a situation where your unit faced logistical challenges in deploying to a training exercise or deployment. How did you overcome these challenges?
    - As an NCO, how do you ensure soldiers and their families have access to necessary resources and support before, during, and after deployments?
    - Share examples of how you communicate strategic intent to your soldiers and translate it into actionable plans for readiness within your unit.
  • Continuous Transformation
    - Reflect on a recent instance where your unit embraced innovation or tested new ideas during training or operations. What were the challenges, what was the outcome, and what lessons did you learn?
    - As an NCO, how do you encourage a culture of innovation and adaptation within your unit, particularly in integrating new technologies or tactics?
    - Share examples of how you empower soldiers to take ownership of their professional development and contribute to bottom-up innovation within the unit.
  • Strengthening the Profession
    - Reflect on a situation where you had to enforce standards or address disciplinary issues within your unit. How did you handle it, and what were the outcomes?
    - Discuss the importance of competence and character in earning and maintaining the trust of the American people. How do you embody these qualities as an NCO?
    - As an NCO, how do you foster a culture of continuous learning and professional growth within your unit?
    - Share examples of how you engage in debate and share ideas with your peers to strengthen the profession and enhance collective learning within the NCO corps.

This is a list of topics and prompts by the NCO Journal.

Lessons Learned and Professional Growth:


  • Lessons Learned
    - What is a time in your military career where you failed at something and what did you do about it?
    - Describe a time when you took the hard right over the easy wrong and how did it work out?
    - Describe a time you took the initiative in the absence of orders and what was the end result?
    - Reflect on a recent training exercise or deployment and identify three key lessons learned as an NCO. How have these lessons shaped your leadership approach?
    - Discuss a mistake or setback you experienced as an NCO. How did you analyze the situation, adapt, and apply the lessons learned to improve your leadership and decision-making skills?
    - Share a success story where you applied lessons learned from previous experiences to overcome a challenge or achieve a mission objective.
  • Training and Leader Development
    - Share a personal experience where you took on a leadership role in training and developing junior soldiers or peers. What strategies did you use to foster their professional growth and readiness?
    - Reflect on the effectiveness of current training methods and leader development programs within your unit. What improvements would you suggest to better prepare NCOs for the complexities of modern warfare?
    - Discuss the role of mentorship in NCO professional development. How can experienced NCOs effectively mentor their subordinates to cultivate the next generation of leaders?
  • Soldier Lethality
    - Based on your background and experience as an NCO and in your particular field, how can Soldiers be more lethal on the battlefield?
    - NCO leadership lessons learned in combat or in the combat zone. Recount a combat experience and what you learned from it.
    - In what ways can NCOs contribute to enhancing soldier lethality within their units? Discuss specific training, mentorship, or leadership initiatives that can improve soldiers' combat effectiveness.
    - How do advancements in technology and equipment impact soldier lethality, and what role do NCOs play in integrating these advancements into training and operations?
    - Explore the concept of holistic soldier readiness and its connection to soldier lethality. How can NCOs promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being among their soldiers to maximize combat effectiveness?
  • History and NCO Contributions
    - Take a focused look at the history of your unit, or any unit of your choice, and offer a critical review of NCO contributions (successes or failures).
    - Reflect on a significant historical event or military campaign and discuss its relevance to contemporary NCO leadership and professional development.
    - Explore the leadership qualities and tactics of a historical military leader (e.g., NCO, officer) and their applicability to modern leadership challenges.
    - Analyze the lessons learned from a past military conflict or operation and discuss how they can inform NCO training, decision-making, and readiness in current and future missions.

    • Operational Challenges and Readiness:

  • Expeditionary Army Capabilities and Capacity (“The Army must overcome the challenges of rapidly moving large forces from the U.S. to distant locations to fight an informed and capable enemy. It must be able to employ sufficient, organized forces across all domains, in all environments, under all conditions.”)
    - What role to NCOs in your particular field play in these challenges?
    - As an NCO, how do you prepare your unit for expeditionary operations in diverse environments? Discuss the challenges and strategies for maintaining readiness and adaptability in expeditionary settings.
    - Analyze a recent deployment or exercise where your unit demonstrated expeditionary capabilities. What were the key factors that contributed to success, and what lessons can be applied to future operations?
    - Explore the role of NCOs in building and sustaining expeditionary capacity within the Army. How can NCOs foster a culture of innovation, flexibility, and resilience to meet the demands of expeditionary missions?
  • Challenges to Army in the Future Fight
    - How have current technological advances changed your NCO mission?
    - Will future technologies change the way NCOs accomplish their mission? How? Why?
    - What challenges might NCOs face in the future ... 10 years, 20 years, 50 years from now? Think outside the box (works of fiction for the NCO Creative Domain could address future challenges and help the Army plan for the next war)
    - Identify emerging threats and challenges that the Army may face in future conflicts. As an NCO, how can you help your unit adapt and prepare for these challenges?
    - Discuss the importance of multidomain operations in addressing future threats. How can NCOs contribute to integrating land, air, sea, cyber, and space capabilities to maintain dominance on the battlefield?
    - Reflect on a scenario where your unit encountered a novel challenge during training or operations. How did NCOs lead their soldiers to effectively overcome the challenge, and what lessons can be applied to future operations?
  • Multi-Domain Operations
    - Describe a scenario where you had to coordinate operations across multiple domains (land, air, sea, cyber, space, etc.) as an NCO. What were the key challenges you faced, and how did you assure integration between the different domains?
    - Discuss the importance of NCOs in facilitating multi-domain operations within a joint or coalition environment. How can NCOs improve interoperability and communication between different branches or allied forces?
    - Analyze a historical or contemporary military campaign that successfully employed multi-domain operations. What lessons can NCOs learn from these examples to enhance their own planning and execution?
  • Resource and Capabilities Adaption in the Future Fight
    - Imagine a scenario where your unit is tasked with operating in a future conflict environment characterized by emerging threats and evolving technology. How would you adapt your resources and capabilities to meet the demands of this new battlefield?
    - Analyze the importance of agility and flexibility in resource management for NCOs operating in dynamic and unpredictable environments. How can NCOs effectively prioritize and allocate resources to maximize mission success?
    - Reflect on recent advances in military technology and equipment. How can NCOs stay informed and prepared to integrate these new capabilities into their operations effectively?
  • Generating Force Readiness
    - Describe the role of NCOs in ensuring the readiness of the force during peacetime, including training, maintenance, and administrative tasks. What challenges do NCOs face in maintaining high levels of readiness, and how can these be overcome?
    - Discuss the concept of readiness from both an individual and collective perspective. How can NCOs balance the need for personal readiness with the broader goal of ensuring unit readiness?
    - Explore the relationship between leader development and force readiness. How can NCOs mentor and develop their subordinates to enhance overall unit readiness?
  • Security Assistance, Stabilization, and Counter-Extremism
    - Reflect on a mission or operation where you were involved in security assistance, stabilization, or counter-extremism efforts. What were the key challenges you faced, and how did you contribute to achieving mission objectives?
    - Discuss the unique role of NCOs in building relationships and fostering trust with local populations during security assistance and stabilization missions. How can NCOs effectively engage with communities to promote stability and counter extremism?
    - Analyze the impact of emerging extremist ideologies and tactics on modern military operations. How can NCOs identify and mitigate these threats while upholding principles of human rights and international law?

    • Health and Well-being:

  • Suicide Prevention (A disturbing number of service members and veterans commit suicide each year.)
    - Talk about your experiences and provide lessons learned. What can NCOs do to help their Soldiers?
    - As frontline leaders, how can NCOs recognize signs of distress and support soldiers who may be at risk of suicide? Share strategies for fostering a culture of openness, trust, and support within your unit.
    - Discuss the importance of resilience training and mental health awareness for NCOs. How can NCOs prioritize their own well-being to better support their soldiers?
    - Share a personal experience or case study where your intervention as an NCO played a critical role in preventing a suicide or supporting a soldier in crisis. What lessons did you learn from the experience?
  • Health Care Management
    - Reflect on your experiences with health care management within the military, either as a patient or as a leader responsible for the health and well-being of your unit. What lessons have you learned about navigating the military health care system?
    - Discuss the unique challenges faced by NCOs in promoting health and wellness among their soldiers. How can NCOs effectively advocate for preventive care and access to medical resources?
    - Analyze the intersection of physical and mental health in military readiness. How can NCOs support their soldiers in maintaining optimal health and resilience?
  • Soldier & Family Challenges
    - What are the problems with military housing and how they can be resolved?
    - Explore the unique challenges faced by soldiers and their families during deployments and extended separations. How can NCOs provide support and resources to help soldiers maintain strong family connections?
    - Discuss the impact of relocation and frequent moves on soldiers and their families. What initiatives can NCOs implement to ease the transition process and ensure the well-being of their soldiers and their families?
    - Reflect on a situation where you provided mentorship or assistance to a soldier facing personal or family challenges. How did your support positively impact the soldier's resilience and readiness?
  • Resiliency
    - Reflect on a time when you or a member of your unit faced a significant personal or family challenge. How did you support each other's resilience during that time? What resources or programs were most beneficial?
    - Explore the impact of deployment and operational stress on soldier and family resilience. How can NCOs promote a culture of support and mental wellness within their units?
    - Discuss innovative approaches or best practices for promoting resilience and well-being among soldiers and their families, especially in high-stress environments.

    • Technology and Innovation:

  • Current and Emerging Capability Gaps
    - Reflect on a recent training exercise or deployment where you encountered a capability gap. How did you adapt and overcome the challenge? What lessons did you learn that could be applied to future operations?
    - Identify a capability gap within your unit or organization that you believe requires immediate attention. Propose a plan of action for addressing this gap, considering both short-term and long-term solutions.
    - Explore a technological advancement or emerging threat that could potentially create a capability gap for NCOs in the near future. How can NCOs stay proactive in identifying and mitigating such challenges?
  • Information Technology
    - Reflect on a situation where you had to leverage information technology (IT) tools or systems to enhance mission effectiveness. How did your understanding of IT contribute to the success of the operation?
    - Discuss the role of NCOs in ensuring the security and reliability of IT systems within their units. How can NCOs promote cybersecurity best practices and mitigate vulnerabilities?
    - Analyze the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics on military operations. How can NCOs stay informed about these advancements and incorporate them into their decision-making processes?

    • Management and Administration:

  • Army Financial Management
    - Reflect on the importance of financial stewardship and accountability within the NCO corps. How can NCOs effectively manage resources and budgets to support mission success?
    - Discuss the role of NCOs in promoting fiscal responsibility and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse within their units. What strategies can NCOs employ to ensure efficient use of financial resources?
    - Explore the intersection of financial management and operational readiness. How can NCOs balance the need for cost-effective solutions with the imperative to maintain high levels of readiness?
  • Human Resources
    - Describe the role of NCOs in managing human resources within their units, including personnel assignments, evaluations, and career development. How do NCOs contribute to building cohesive and effective teams?
    - Discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in military organizations. How can NCOs foster an environment that values and respects the contributions of all soldiers?
    - Explore the evolving landscape of talent management in the military. How can NCOs adapt their approach to personnel management to meet the changing needs of the force?
  • Procurement
    - Reflect on your experiences with procurement processes within the military, either as a requester or as a supervisor overseeing acquisitions. What insights have you gained about the procurement lifecycle and its impact on mission readiness?
    - Discuss the role of NCOs in advocating for equipment and supplies that meet the operational needs of their units. How can NCOs effectively communicate requirements and priorities to higher commands?
    - Analyze the ethical considerations associated with procurement decisions in the military. How can NCOs ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability in the procurement process?

    • Diversity and Inclusion:

  • Gender and Race (These are sensitive subjects, so be careful how you approach them. The NCO Journal is not a place to voice your grievances, use this forum to grow and help other NCOs grow. Exercise your critical thinking skills.)
    - Do you have personal insight or relevant experiences?
    - Discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in the Army and its impact on mission effectiveness. How can NCOs promote a culture of respect, equality, and inclusivity within their units?
    - Reflect on your experiences as an NCO leading a diverse team. How have you effectively managed differences in gender, race, culture, and background to foster cohesion and teamwork?
    - Explore the historical contributions of women and minority groups to the military and discuss their significance for NCO professional development and leadership.

    • Response to External Factors:

  • Pandemic
    - Reflect on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to military readiness and operations. How did NCOs adapt their leadership approach and support their soldiers during this unprecedented crisis?
    - Discuss the importance of resilience and adaptability in overcoming challenges brought about by the pandemic. How can NCOs help their soldiers maintain morale and readiness in uncertain times?
    - Share lessons learned from the Army's response to the pandemic, including best practices for maintaining operational effectiveness while prioritizing the health and safety of soldiers and their families.