As is well known, in a number of Western armies, there is a category of chief sergeants of units, parts, and formations. These officials are highly respected, authoritative, and have a wide range of powers. Becoming a chief is the dream of many junior commanders who are serious about serving in the military. By the way, our Armed Forces also have chief specialists among the junior command staff. These are the chief ship's petty officers in the Navy. In the Army, however, sergeants have never risen above the rank of "senior." It seems that there is no reason for this. Unfortunately, the image of the sergeant from the time of the renowned military leader Georgy Zhukov, who was always associated with strict military discipline, has long faded. Recently, there have been lively discussions in military circles about the role and place of sergeants in our Armed Forces. This issue has become even more pressing after the war in Chechnya. Analyzing the combat operations, military experts have concluded that junior commanders often lacked the ability to make independent decisions, organize combat, and lead their subordinates in extreme conditions. This war has exposed the "pain points" in the training of junior commanders that have always been obvious, but for some reason no one has been willing to address them, and in fact, no one is willing to do so now. Meanwhile, the process of" degradation " of non-commissioned officers is almost landslide. Recall that even during the war in Afghanistan, sergeants reliably performed the duties of senior individual posts, intelligence groups, squad commanders, crews, and crews. They replaced retired officers and ensigns, became the head of platoons, companies, batteries and achieved the fulfillment of tasks. What happened, why did such drastic changes occur in such a short period of time? The answers are not far to seek. The socio-economic environment in which the conscript is formed has changed, and the popularity of the army has sharply ... Читать далее