Why is it that ncos can not tolerate a soldier failing to follow a directive order?

Jon T

As an NCO I need to know that if my Officer or I give an order... it will be followed. In combat, failure to follow an order can mean your life or the lives of your fellow Soldiers. I need to be able to trust my Soldiers just as my superiors need to be able to trust me.

Keep in mind, a direct order is issued by an Officer while NCOs issue lawful orders. Regardless, both have to be followed.

INF_SQD_LDR

If pvt Joe Snuffy tells me to get bent when I tell him to go pick up trash, chances are pvt Snuffy will tell me to get bent when I tell him to kick a door open. Any time a soldier disobeys an order, he or she potentially puts the whole team in danger, more so than the danger we are already in. Discipline isn't just being respectful to your NCO's and Officers, it's doing what you're told to accomplish the task at hand without putting your team in harms way.

Billy11B

Because we expect soldiers to do what they are told when they are told to do it. If they don't understand we expect them to ask for direction. All soldiers are expected to operate as a member of a team to accomplish a mission - we need to know that they can do their part for the team.

It's disrespectful. The NCO has earned the right, and is trusted to know what is best to do. As an NCO it is your job to train and mold those below you into better soldiers so that one day they may become NCOs

Raymond C

Because they are not in the pansy liberal military where joe private can talk back and even ignore an order.The fact you even asked this Q is suspect.

Joe G

An order is an order whether or not the soldier agrees. The NCO is in charge of making sure that orders are followed. A soldier who does not follow orders violates the UCMJ.

a saying I was taught while in the military was, "yours is not to reason why, but just to do or die".

Scooter

Because we are not in the French Military! And quite often the order may keep the junior from harming themselves or others. So if the junior person develops the habit of maybe following orders, then when the situation is dangerous they can 'get dead'

BTW: It's "Direct" not directive

Ronald D

Because if a soldier cannot listen at a time when a situation is not critical, then how can we expect him to perform during War time Crisis. Most NCO's have done 99 percent of what they tell you to do. When you fail to follow an order you are a thorn in the military team concept. You are expected to perform as a team member not an individual. The letter "I" is not in the word "TEAM". I remeber when I was a new troop in the Army, I asked my Sergeant why I had to do certain things that seemed stupid to me. He told me when you become an NCO, you will be over soldiers and you will understand. Boy was he ever right. I have never forgot that Sergeant to this day. He was a model NCO!!!

Becky C

NCO's are NCO's for a reason. when Sarge gives an order, Joe follows.

Submariner 1

Is this a serious question!

Mary P

To provide a non-military response - it's the defiance thing. As a teacher it would drive me crazy to tell a student to do something (turn in homework, spit out gum, comply w/dress code) and 5 minutes later have to tell them a second time. As a parent having your child run away when you tell them to come here or continue to brush the dog with my toothbrush after being told not to - are ingredients for hypertension. While there are more life/death issue potentials in a NCO/soldier situation - defiance is defiance and is very irritating.

Silent Bitxh â”Œâˆ©â”(â—£_â—¢)

Don't you sign up, to do your job without complaint & they can trust you to get it done? It's what you expect.

cnqaus

It's your job, do what you're told.

Caleb C

what a stupid question. army tends to frown on everyone doing what they want...your someone who grew up with out discipline...im willing to beat, you got groundings, not beatings...

migbuster

An order is to be obeyed. Bottom line.

nightmusic

If everyone in the army did their own thing, how would we accomplish our missions? BTW I hear that the Taliban is advancing on the capital of Pakistan. They have taken a village that is 60 miles away. Pakistan has nukes.

Matthew

This is an important question from both sides of the situation. The reason soldiers need to be able to react to orders without question is a long standing issue related to combat. NCOs and officers need to know that when orders are issued in a situation like combat where timing and reaction can be key, that the soldiers can act decisively and quickly. If the time is spent questioning them, this could cause injury or death.

The other side of this though, that NCOs don't always think or seem to care about, is that respect goes both ways. If you treat your soldiers poorly and expect them to follow every order without explanation, you will never build good trust with them.

Too many NCOs seem to think that just because they were treated poorly when they were privates, means it's ok to act the same as thier NCOs did. If both sides of the situation just communicated a little better (I don't expect hand holding, just take a minute to think sometimes.) things might work out alot more efficiently.

Matt
-Former Cav Scout

Unforgiven

depends on the situation, are you having a personality conflict with this NCO? is the NCO authoritarian, are you just wanting to get out of obeyin orders, some NCO's are on a power trip and some soldiers comign in are so ghetto that I can't believe they mad eit thru basic training.

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