NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER. A sol dier holding a rank intermediate between that of the enlisted man or private soldier and the commissioned officer. The following classifica tion gives the various non-commissioned grades of the United States Army in the order of their precedence: (1) Sergeant-major, regimental, and sergeant-major, senior grade, artillery corps; (2) quartermaster-sergeant, regimental; (3) commissary-sergeant, regimental; (4) ordnance sergeant, post-commissary-sergeant, post-quarter master-sergeant, electrician sergeant, hospital steward, first-class sergeant signal corps, chief musician, chief trumpeter, and principal MU sician ; (5) squadron and battalion sergeant major, and se•geant-major, junior grade, artillery corps; (0) first sergeant and drum-major; (7) sergeant and acting hospital steward: (Si cor poral. In each grade, date of appointment deter mines the order of precedence. See CORPORAL; SERGEANT; STAFF.
The non-commissioned officer of to-day must possess the ability to assume executive command in any emergency demanding prompt action and tactical ability: consequently only the most in telligent of the enlisted men are selected for promotion. United States Army regulations per mit a certain proportion of non-coolmisshined officers to obtain commissions annually, and in other ways make the rank very desirable. In
the English army, except in rare instanees. social conditions preclude the possibility of any non-commissioned officer of humble birth attaining the commissioned rank as it combatant officer; for although commissions are granted as quartermasters, riding masters, and occasionally as officers ill certain divisions of the artillery and in the engineers. they arc only given after a lifetime of service. and are to all intents and purposes honorary positions. During the Boe• War of 1899-1902 the heavy casualties among officers made it necessary in many instances to admit qualified non-commissioned officers to the eommissioned ranks, apart from any family or social consideration—and it is expected that this initiative will lead to an order of things similar to that of the United States Army. In Daly nearly one-third of the officers of each arm of the service are taken from the non-eommis sioned ranks. (See :MILITARY Eoic.i'rtox,) The German army system, as also that of France, makes special provision for the training of non• commissioned oflice•s.