The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) was established on 1 July 1972 at

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of William Wallace Smith Bliss, LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President ...

, Texas, and began instruction in January 1973. Its curriculum is designed to broaden the student's current knowledge base. This approach differs from the

Military Occupational Specialty A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code (MOS code), is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a sy ...

(MOS) related training at the basic and advanced levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System. The prime educational technique employed throughout the course is the small group participatory learning process.

Courses

Basic Leader Course

The Sergeants Major Academy was established by General Order in July 1972 and started educating sergeants major in January 1973 with Class 1 consisting of 105 students. The academy was also given the mission to further the efforts to standardize noncommissioned officer education, resulting in the addition of the Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC), now known as the Basic Leadership Course (BLC). This course is a blend of the NCO Candidate Course and the original Noncommissioned office Basic Course and then later the combination of the Primary Leadership Course (PLC) and the Primary Noncommissioned Officer Course (PNCOC) and the Primary Technical Course (PTC) into one course that provided leadership tools to non-specific military occupations at the junior NCO level. It was newly structured against critical task and input from current operations learned during Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. USASMA is the Army's proponent for course development for the Basic Leader Course to educate junior noncommissioned officers preparing to assume positions as team or section sergeants.

Advanced Leader Course

USASMA developed the common leader training for the Basic NCO Course (BNCOC), and has been the proponent since 1984. BNCOC transitioned to the Advanced Leader Course (ALC) in 2008. USASMA is responsible for the development and delivery of common core leader tasks for the Advanced Leader Course-Common Core (ALC-CC) as of October 2009 delivering 82 hours of course material to nearly 14,000 sergeants annually. This course focuses on leadership and technical skills required to prepare Soldiers selected for promotion to staff sergeant to effectively lead squad/platoon size units. ALC is typically attended by NCOs in the ranks of Sergeant and Staff Sergeant. MOS-specific versions of ALC are taught at the

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

level.

Structured Self-Development

Starting in October 2010, the Sergeants Major Academy developed and delivered level I of Structured Self-Development (SSD) where every soldier graduating from

advanced individual training United States Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) is the recruit training program of the United States Army, for service in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard. Some trainees attend basic combat training along with their ...

is automatically enrolled and must complete it to be eligible for attendance to the Basic Leader Course or promotion to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. There is no level II SSD as ALC-CC substitutes for level II participation. SSD III concentrates on platoon-level tasks and is required for staff sergeants for them to be eligible for attendance to the Senior Leader Course and consideration for promotion to sergeant first class. SSD IV was developed and launched for Master Sergeants to complete as a prerequisite for attendance to the Sergeants Major Course. SSD V trains promotable master sergeants and sergeants major for nominative and joint assignments and will be a requirement for those positions starting 1 January 2015.

Former Leadership

Commandant: CSM Raymond F. Chandler, 1st Enlisted Commandant

Notable alumni

* William A. Connelly, 6th SMA * Glen E. Morrell, 7th SMA *

Michele S. Jones Michele S. Jones is the first woman in the United States Army Reserve to reach the position of command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve. She is the first female non-commissioned officer to serve in the highest enlisted position of a compo ...

, First Female Honor Graduate * Robert J. Lloyd, 6th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard *

Vincent W. Patton III Vincent W. Patton III (born 1954) is a retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard in the United States. Education A 1972 graduate of Cass Technical High School, Patton was a member of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) during hi ...

, 8th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard * James L. Herdt, 9th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy *

Charles W. Bowen Charles W. "Skip" Bowen was the tenth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG). He assumed the position from MCPOCG Frank A. Welch on June 14, 2006, and was relieved on May 21, 2010, by Michael P. Leavitt. Bowen was previously assig ...

, 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard * Raymond F. Chandler, First Enlisted Commandant of USASMA, 14th SMA

Hall of Honor

The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy's Hall of Honor was established on 5 May 2006 as "a means of recognizing outstanding individuals who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the USASMA and the Army’s NCO Education System." To date there have been 28 members selected for that honor.USASMA’s Hall of Honor: 28 enshrined at Fort Bliss
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Staff College branch campus

USASMA was accredited as a branch campus of the

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

(CGSC) in 2018. Danielle O’Donnell (NCOL COE) Higher learning: USASMA now a staff college branch, first students to receive BAs to graduate Friday
/ref> CGSC Combined Arms Center Execution Order, dated 21 March 2018, made USASMA the 4th campus of CGSC. On 21 June 2019 USASMA Class 69 became the first students from the Sergeants Major Course to earn Bachelors of Arts in Leadership and Workforce Development (Staff College) through USASMA. The accreditation process took 10 years, beginning with the last officer commandant, Col. Donald E. Gentry.

References

External links

U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy's Official Website
{{Authority control 1972 establishments in Texas United States Army schools US Army NCO training Fort Bliss Education in El Paso County, Texas