SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
For the third year in a row and for the first time in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. Army Central hosted the Multinational Noncom-missioned Officer Symposium July 10-13.
"U.S. Army Central set out three years ago to spread the word throughout its area of responsibility on just how vital the noncommissioned officers are to the success of the Army and its missions," said Master Sgt. Barry J. Barclay, the training and theater security cooperation sergeant major at USARCENT.
The annual symposium enables Command Sgt. Maj. Eric C. Dostie, USARCENT command sergeant major and other senior enlisted advisors to meet with their counterparts throughout the USARCENT area of operations, to improve regional dialogue, enhance interoperability and further the professionalization of the NCO Corps.
Our partner nations from Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan sent representatives of various ranks ranging from sergeant to sergeant major of the Army to participate in this event.
"Coming together and having professional discussions, meeting with each other, and building relationships. That's how we get the most value from these type of events," said Dostie.
The primary topics presented during this were developed based on after action reviews from the two previous symposiums, and were primarily focused on human Resources, recruiting command, training structure, as well as leadership development and training.
Partner nations were given the opportunity to brief symposium attendees on the structure of their country's NCO enlisted ranks and the types of training and schools required for them to progress through the NCO ranks.
Every participant agreed that it is important to conduct an event like this symposium. These events facilitate the building of relationships, allows for honest and constructive dialogue while sharing the best practices for developing NCOs and to foster regional cooperation.
Command Sgt. Maj. William Thetford, senior enlisted advisor of U.S. Central Command closed out with his final remarks where he outlined priorities in the region.
Thetford, also stressed the importance of our regional partners achieving both CENTCOM, and their individual national security goals, as well as importance of mutual cooperation in providing and maintaining regional stability.