How would you react to an E2 who "smart mouths" you in formation?

Been there done that. Give them a nastier task (clean the latrines) and remind them of their oath to obey the lawful orders of the officers above them.

I see this is a pretty old post. That being said I would have to agree with Gunny Pepper. Knee jerk would be to call Private Snuffy front and center and tune his ass up in front of the formation. I've been a Veteran for about 30 years so I know "wall to wall counseling" is frowned upon in the military now. I will say that it did WORK, though.

I was of the mindset of praise publicly, punish privately. I did so several times. Everyone gets dismissed except the E2, and unless I'm his immediate super, then That person stands to as well for a discussion afterwards.
Bringing the E2 aside to find out what's going on for his or her poor reaction to orders is a first point. (Find the problem, Fix the problem, if possible). Then, if it comes to the point of pure insubordination, discipline will be the answer, with emphasis to the E2 that discipline, in ANY situation while in the service is a must and that lawful orders are to be followed as given, as he or she made an oath to do so during enlistment. Anything else could lead to disciplinary actions being taken. In todays military, sometimes "taking him out back to the woodshed" just Might be a necessary step to get the point across.
I would never have chastised in public unless it was a "guns drawn, bullets flying " situation, and then he might be facing an even worse situation.

I would immediately remind him of his responsibilities to carry out legal orders, what the UCMJ IS and give him one, very brief, second to recant. If not, I would initiate Article 15 procedures - he would be an E1 by close of day. Actions have consequences.

That needs to be ended right then and there. If you don’t then other Soldiers may lose respect for you and try the same thing with you or other leaders. These Soldiers know what they signed up for. If a Soldier disrespects you like that then you need to hold him/her accountable. Everyone has their own leadership style so you can handle it your way but this is what I would do:
1. I would immediately have a one on one counseling session with that Soldier after I assign those Soldiers their tasks and send them on their way. I would have a negative counseling and annotate the incident and let that Soldier know the consequences of his/her actions and that the next time he/she does that, then those consequences will take effect. I would also give them corrective action that takes away some of their time (make sure the corrective action meets the crime).
2. During the counseling I will try to listen to the Soldier and attempt to determine if their is something going on I their life (either personal or professional) that might be putting them in such a bad mood or causing them to have this kind of attitude. I would attempt to help them address the problem and teach them that there are ways to address the problem without reacting in a way that can hurt them or their career.
If they don’t accept the help or if they just don’t care and just want to do what they want then maybe they need to find a new career.

In my opinion the Sgt holds him after formation and starts with PT followed up by KP or extra duty.... say painting the curb with a toothbrush....Having a father who was an Officer I learned a lot before I ever joined, my dads belt wasn’t a wimpy leather belt it was his pistol belt... I cursed my Sgt’s under my breath but never did I talk back to them. Lessoned learned.

Immediately quote the article (92)in the UCMJ that he/she is violating and what can be done to them for this violation (Corrective Training, Article 15 or Courts Martial.) If this is their first time showing out like that, I would go with 2 weeks corrective training (observing others servings extra duty, in the same uniform as them, and have him/her present an essay to the entire platoon on the need for good order and discipline.)
When soldiers come to understand that their superiors know more than they do they generally fall in line and even try to learn more themselves. Going straight to Article would demonstrate weakness and an inability to think outside the box. Taking time from Soldiers hurts more than taking money.

That wouldn't have happened in my day. If it did, the E-2 would have been so damn tired from work details, they wouldn't do it again. Semper Fi.

pull the problem child aside, inform him that this is the us navy, marine corps etc not burger king and we dont have things our own way. Makee sure you have a senior enlisted with you so he cant whine.

pull the problem child aside, have a plagtoon leader with you and inform the person is the united states military, not burger king and we dont get things our own way.

I can only speak from my time error when things were very different, so here goes. First off, the E2 wouldn't have come to you with this problem. They would have had it dealt with long ago. There were ways, back then, that you used to, lets say, persuaded someone to fall in line. Sometimes it took a little more persuasion then others but believe me, they did fall in line.
I understand in today's military, things have gotten soft. You can't reprimand other then vocal or putting them on report, there is no inbetween. I think it's an injustice to the recruits because they will never experience or have the opportunity to first hand feel the discipline that was or is the United States Armed Forces. That in itself is worth it's weight in gold. That is what the military was built on, chain of command and following orders. and understanding the UCMJ , because if you dont follow orders, people die and that's not acceptable.
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Say be quiet Pvt. One more word out of you and you are going to see the company commander and see what he has to say about your smart mouth

how you present your self as an nco determines how those kind of things play out! not one of my men would dare tell me something like that! first off I am old school, I have been known to go behind the barracks and instruct a young one on proper protocol between ncos and those below them! but I also stood up for my troops daily! I would say the team leader and I would have taken that young man out back and team leader would witness me schooling him!

I think there is a touch of an officer and a gentleman in this survey. WE THE PEOPLE exceed even the supreme court

courts martial. immediate and sets the stage for the next pos. to obey the chain of comand

I'd have a calm one-way discussion with him or her about how everyone has to do things they don't like and the importance of working as a team. Perhaps add a clear reminder of the meaning of respect and how it is a two way street. Moreover, if he or she has a problem with it, we can always add other less desirable tasks to his or her plate. End of discussion.

All good responses. I would make him apologize to both you and the in front of the formation (I did that once), write up a counselling report and give it to the Company 1SG. The reason you give it to the Top is, maybe the next time he smarts off at someone, it's someone else and not you, and you might not know it. So thee has to be a record. As you counsel him, if he opens his mouth or shows any attitude at all, he's a prime candidate for an Art 15 (this time around.) The 1SG will assist in handling that - with the commander. Next time, it gets even tougher.

Oh man. I'm a little old school. Ok a lot old school. First I'd start off with a good old school smoking, then I'd find every that young soldier every shit detail I could find. He'd either soldier up or take a bus home. I'm happy to be retired, because there's no way I could or would kiss a young soldiers ass. I remember being smoked and I promise I never made that mistake again. Quit babying these young punks or they'll tell you in combat not me Sergeant. Teach them now.

Oh man. Please know I'm a little old school. Ok a lot old school. First I'd start off with an old school smoking. Then I'd find every shit detail for this young soldier. He'd either soldier up or take a bus home. I'm not a big fan of todays military. I'm happy to be retired, because I couldn't kiss a young soldiers ass. Punish him and punish him hard. I remember being smoked and I promise I didn't make that mistake twice. You don't teach them now, they'll always be shitbags.

Depends on the situation but I would likely act as if I did not hear his/her smart remarks until after I dismissed the formation: And I would ask the E2 to stay back so I could have "a word with him/her"
(This goes without saying, as a male, if this E2 is a female, I would also have another NCO of the same gender accompany me...a little briefing to the associate NCO would be in order, as well.)
I would explain how the service works and advise that their attitude needs to get in alignment with the needs of my branch of service. Then after I "delicately" explained how this behavior (that they displayed) was not acceptable, I would make it CLEAR, in no uncertain terms, that if that EVER happened again, I would file the appropriate paperwork that would follow them through-out their career, or I would ensure their career came to an abrupt end. Then I would give this E2 a chance to respond that they completely understand exactly what I am saying. I would also make it CLEAR that they are never to demean or "sass" me, or any superior, EVER again in public; formation, off duty or otherwise.
The military requires trust and respect and one cannot take place without the other.
Now "get on-board or get out."