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What Did You Inspect Today?

By Command Sgt. Maj. Philip B. Blaisdell and Sgt. Maj. Robert N. Christensen

U.S. Army V Corps

July 6, 2026

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A Soldier in dress uniform measures the placement of pins and insignia on another Soldier during an inspection.

Inspections are the vital mechanisms through which abstract concepts like discipline, standards, and attention to detail are made tangible and measurable. They are indispensable education and behavior modification tools ingrained in Soldiers from their first day of basic combat training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Craig Jensen)

The Foundation of the NCO Corps

The U.S. Army's legacy was forged in the desperate, frozen winter at Valley Forge. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben looked on a demoralized and ill-equipped Continental Army and drew a stark conclusion.

He judged that if the Continental Army was forced to fight on short notice, Gen. George Washington would only have a third of the fighting force available because of its poor state of readiness and morale.

To rectify this, von Steuben undertook the task of translating the Prussian military's rigorous, battle-tested processes into a systematic framework the fledgling American army could execute.

This effort produced the "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States" - the "Blue Book." This document formalized the NCOs' role as the primary engine of discipline and operational readiness.

In this foundational text, von Steuben issued a direct charge: "Each Sergeant and Corporal will be in a particular manner answerable for the squad committed to his care. He must pay particular attention to their conduct in every respect; that they keep themselves and their arms always clean."

This was more than a call for cleanliness and orderly behavior. It was a directive to use inspections as the fundamental tool for building a professional army, creating a cohesive and reliable force by instituting a focus on training and readiness, with hands-on inspections as the core methodology. This principle, born from necessity, became the enduring bedrock of NCO responsibility.

A historical illustration of Baron von Steuben appears beside the title page of the Blue Book.

Maj. Gen. Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben translated the Prussian military's processes into a framework the Continental Army could execute, producing the "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States" - the "Blue Book," which formalized the NCOs' role as the primary engine of discipline and operational readiness. (Portrait extracted from "Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben," by Ralph Earl 1786 and inside Blue Book cover from the U.S. National Park Service. Assembled by Tom Galvin)

At their core, inspections are the vital mechanisms through which abstract concepts like discipline, standards, and attention to detail are made tangible and measurable. They are indispensable education and behavior modification tools ingrained in Soldiers from their first day of basic combat training.

The seemingly endless cycle of inspections - of barracks, equipment, and personal appearance - serves a profound purpose. It systematically breaks down the habits of civilian life, teaching a recruit what it truly means to be precise, accountable, and to take pride in themselves and their equipment.

Inspections teach Soldiers how to be before they ever learn what to do. It instills warrior foundational habits - preparation, precision, accountability - long before they engage in the tactical tasks of closing with and destroying the enemy.

This dynamic oversight becomes the cornerstone of trust between NCOs and their officers. The NCO Creed outlines two basic, intertwined responsibilities: "accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers."

Inspections are the practical bridge connecting these two duties. When a commander observes that troops are prepared, their needs are met, and discipline is maintained not out of fear but out of habit, it validates the immense trust placed in the NCO corps to transform intent into reality.

Lesson 1: Inspect Equipment to Accomplish the Mission

An NCO's first responsibility, accomplishing the mission, depends entirely on the unit's equipment readiness. Leaders can hope rifles will fire, radios will transmit when keyed, or vehicles will run, but hope isn't a method; it's a gamble with Soldier lives - a truth perfectly summarized by a sign I once saw in a company area: "Hope is not a COA!"

The time-tested approach instituted by von Stueben is a thorough, hands-on inspection before the critical moment arrives. This proactive verification replaces the uncertainty of hope with the confidence of certainty. It is the fundamental difference between a professional and an amateur.

A Soldier inspects the undercarriage of a large military vehicle from a service pit.

This NCO duty is never more critical than at the conclusion of a major training exercise or deployment. A mission's end isn't a finish line; it's the starting point for the next, unknown operation, a key point for NCO expertise.

The recovery phase - that meticulous, often grueling process of cleaning weapons, servicing vehicles, and restoring every piece of equipment to full mission capability - is one of the most consequential inspections units will ever conduct.

Soldiers allowed to rush through this process actively degrade readiness. Leaders who allow it trade short-term convenience for long-term discipline - a bad bargain that ultimately erodes the formation's trust and combat effectiveness.

A hastily cleaned weapon may jam in a firefight; a poorly serviced vehicle may break down during a critical movement. These are the seeds of mission failure, planted by neglect.

As NCOs, you have the direct and inescapable responsibility to manage the time available to conduct these vital recovery inspections.

Resist the pressure to cut corners.

In a resource-constrained environment, inspections are fundamentally transformed into the central pillars of sustained readiness. The concept of "surging" - a rapid infusion of funds, parts, and man-hours - is a luxury of a bygone era and creates readiness gaps.

When resources dwindle, inspections' true nature is not changed, but revealed. They're stripped of their perception as a simple compliance checks and are exposed for what they have always been: the most critical forward-looking diagnostic tools leaders possess.

They serve as early warning systems, identifying minor deficiencies, corrosion, or wear and tear long before they cascade into catastrophic failures units can no longer easily fix.

By making meticulous inspections a core training priority, junior NCOs are empowered to identify problems with precision. This allows for scarce resources to be carefully allocated - whether it's a single skilled mechanic, a rare spare part, or limited maintenance hours - against the most pressing needs.

This is the essence of stewardship: maximizing the operational life of your existing equipment to ensure a predictable, reliable state of readiness, rather than gambling on a costly scramble for a single event.

Explosive ordnance disposal Soldiers in tactical gear conduct a pre-combat inspection.

Explosive ordnance disposal specialists, 192nd Ordnance Battalion, conduct a pre-combat inspection at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, June 11, 2026. When resources dwindle, inspections' true nature is not changed, but revealed. They're stripped of their perception as a simple compliance checks and are exposed for what they have always been: the most critical forward-looking diagnostic tools leaders possess. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Edgar Martinez)

Lesson 2: Inspect Your People to Ensure Their Welfare

NCOs' second key responsibility is Soldier welfare.

The inspection philosophy is most powerful when it goes beyond the material and is applied to individuals. In today's data-rich environment, it's easy to overvalue or focus exclusively on metrics.

Soldiers' physical fitness scores or their marksmanship qualification can be precisely measured, but these data points, although relevant, are an incomplete cross-section of their true combat effectiveness.

A surprise barracks inspection or a thorough pre-combat check reveals what spreadsheets never can: a direct look into Soldiers' character and state of mind. Does their personal space reflect discipline and order, or haste and neglect? This isn't about appearances; it's a powerful indicator of a Soldier's ability to manage ambiguity, their adherence to standards when no one is looking, and their internal drive for excellence.

Soldiers who maintain their personal areas with precision demonstrate the self-discipline required to maintain a sector of fire under duress or to meticulously follow orders in the chaos of battle.

This form of holistic inspection also includes a direct assessment of their well-being. A counseling session is one of the most critical inspections leaders can conduct. It's a diagnostic tool for assessing the "internal rust" that can cripple warriors more effectively than any external threat: burnout, financial stress, family issues, or flagging morale.

A Soldier inspects a pull-out trash can beneath a kitchen sink during a barracks inspection.

A surprise barracks inspection reveals what spreadsheets never can: a direct look into Soldiers' character and state of mind. Does their personal space reflect discipline and order, or haste and neglect? This isn't about appearances; it's a powerful indicator of a Soldier's ability to manage ambiguity, their adherence to standards when no one is looking, and their internal drive for excellence. (U.S. Army photo by David Logsdon)

This same principle applies to informal interactions throughout the duty day. NCOs who pull Soldiers aside after a long weekend or well-earned leave and ask, "How was your time off?" are conducting an essential inspection. The answer - and the tone and body language that accompany it - provide a real-time status check on that individual's well-being.

While Soldiers are not equipment, they're the decisive advantage on the battlefield - the unit's living, breathing, and thinking connective tissue. A unit's resilience is not found in its vehicles or weapons systems; it's found in the strength of its human connections.

As NCOs, you are the most important inspectors of this "human weapon system." By consistently assessing your Soldiers' character, welfare, and potential, you perform preventative maintenance. You identify and reinforce weak points - a struggling Soldier, a lapse in discipline, a dip in morale - before the friction of combat can cause them to snap.

This builds a culture where seeking guidance is not a sign of weakness but a part of the professional maintenance process, ensuring the unit is always prepared for the next challenge.

Lesson 3: Inspect Yourself to Earn the Right to Lead

Fulfilling your two great responsibilities - mission and welfare - depends on mastering the most critical inspection of all: honest self-inspection.

Soldiers stand in a line outdoors while another Soldier inspects cards they are holding.

As leaders, we're under constant, silent inspection by our Soldiers. They see our every action, listen to our every word, and, with an unflinching eye, measure us against the standards we set for them.

The discipline we demand must reflect our own; any hypocrisy is instantly spotted and corrodes the foundation of trust and authority we strive for. Your demand for a six-minute mile is meaningless if you can't run it. Your uniform enforcement standard is hypocrisy if yours is out of regulation. And your expectation that Soldiers live the Army Values is hollow if those values are not the bedrock of your conduct.

Your daily, individual inspection is the organization's first line of defense. It takes shape in the quiet moments before the day's duties begin. It is present in morning physical training, where you assess your own fitness not just to meet a requirement, but as a daily commitment to being prepared for anything. In that moment, you must ask yourself: Am I physically and mentally prepared to lead my troops through whatever challenges this day may bring?

This personal inspection goes far beyond physical readiness. It's a daily, often hourly, assessment of your character, composure, and competence.

When you demand attention to detail, have you first ensured your own uniform is immaculate and your mission knowledge is precise?

When you preach resilience in the face of adversity, do you exhibit calm and decisive leadership when the plan inevitably goes awry?

Soldiers see. They see the leaders who push themselves to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. They see the leaders who spend extra time maintaining their own equipment to standard. They see the leaders who remain composed and respectful under pressure.

It is through this constant, demonstrated commitment to inspecting ourselves first that we earn the moral authority to inspect others. The standard we set for our unit will never, under any circumstances, exceed the standard we set for ourselves.

You are the benchmark.

Bio

Command Sgt. Maj. Philip B. Blaisdell is a foreign language specialist assigned to the Delta Company, 229th Military Intelligence Battalion, U.S. Army command sergeant major of U.S. Army V Corps, Fort Knox, Kentucky. He enlisted in the Army as a rifleman in 1992 and has served in every position from rifleman to command sergeant major. His military education includes all levels of the NCO Education System, and he is a Class 63 graduate of the Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, Texas. Blaisdell also attended the first sergeant course, air assault school, combat lifesaver course, emergency medical technician course, pre-ranger course, U.S. Army Ranger School, jumpmaster school, nominative leaders course, and the keystone course.

Sgt. Maj. Robert N. Christensen is operations sergeant major of U.S. Army V Corps, Fort Knox, Kentucky. He has served in a variety of positions over his 30-year career from helicopter repairer, section sergeant, platoon sergeant, senior instructor, first sergeant, senior aviation advisor, observer coach/trainer, operations sergeant major, to command sergeant major. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Workforce Development from the Command and General Staff College, a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Business and Management from Excelsior College, and a Master of Public Administration from Norwich University.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the NCO Journal, the U.S. Army, or the U.S. Department of War.