Should NCO rank progression and commissioning be tied to educational degrees?

I totally agree. The Army should also go back direct appointment of Warrant Officers (Technicians) from senior NCOs with significant of service and technical skills. Should adapt the Navy and Marine promotion to WO, to retain highly technical qualified personnel. The Army WO (technicians) system now require 8-10 yrs of service (12 with waiver) is insufficient; having to teach intermediaries in great length of time to hopefully fulfill their duties. This is not necessary for SNCO (E7 & above) with 17 years of technical expertise. My brother serve in the for 30+ years, having directly appointed to CW2 from E7 at 17 yrs of service. He served the U.S. Navy extrisically and intrisically rewarded.

should be case by case.

From my personal experience I would strongly disagree. A degree doesn't make you a better soldier or leader. It also does not make a soldier proficient at their Job. What is being over looked is a soldiers knowledge in their chosen career path. Doing away with mentoring and specialized testing was the big mistake. It created NCOs and officers that did not have the Knowledge, related to the MOS, for their rank/position. As an E-4, I was selected by my NCOs, within my MOS, for consideration for E-5. I was then called in to take a written test, on my MOS, to see if I had the required knowledge, again within my MOS, to be promoted. I do not remember what this test was called, hoping someone will. I was then drilled, by my NCOs, in a board, on different problems that could arise and how I would handle it, within my MOS. I passed and was off to PLDC. However, due to a case of Bell's Palsy, I was not given the chance to complete the course. So, no E-5 for me even though I had the knowledge and skills for the rank.

That is where the Problem is. As an Enlisted E-4, I had more knowledge than the S-4/CPT, PBO/1LT and all ranks in-between. However, I'm locked in at E-4 doing their Jobs. Locked in because the Army moved away from a soldier knowing their jobs, an on to needing to know everything except their jobs.

Here is another question, why are we forcing rank progression? The Idea of you have to be of this rank or your out. Just how is this helping with keeping professional soldiers? I knew E-4s that were great at their jobs and didn't want to be promoted. Why would we want to make this individual be promoted to a ran they don't want and if they didn't take it, they were forced out. I had professional soldiers under me in the early 80's they didn't want promotions they loved their jobs. My point man an E-4 loved being a point man and was damn good at it, how many soldiers today can go walking through the bush and find a tripwire or a mine today or find one moving down a road in the dark. My M60 Gunner another E-4 could hit a 200m target, squeezing a single shot off the belt while standing with a M17 gas Mask on. But yet these are the people that the military said get promoted or get out.

Now, you want to draw from the NCO corps to fill out the officer ranks or require said NCOs to get a college degree or maybe face the possibility to be forced out. We are facing a retention problem maybe if we were not forcing folks to do something they don't want to be, we might not have such a big problem. I know I would have loved to stay in, if it wasn't for the fact that I was an E-6 at 20. If you want NCOs to get a degree, give them the time off to do so. I know being an NCO in the Infantry and rising a family there was very little time to do so, What time off I did get I wanted to be with my family and not have my nose stuck in a book while my kids wanted my attention.

My question to that theory about getting rid of the ranks Staff Sergeant (E-6) thru 1st Sergeant/Master Sergeant (E-8) but Keep CSM (E-9) my question is how would you get promoted to CSM (E-9) if there are no more E-6 thru E-8. Also if I understand you correctly you would have to become a 2nd Lt or then what, get kicked out because, you can’t progress from E-6 to E-9 and I don’t see an O-3 Major reverting back to become a CSM (E-9) or I’m I missing something about the Army promotion system. I’m a retire Marine MGySgt (E-9) and I personally believe from 32 years of service your NCO and Staff NCO ranks are the backbone of small unit leadership and the Junior Enlisted are the backbone of the service. In my humble opinion that would be a train wreck and reduce your actual fighters and hurt the career progression of all, especially the Officers Corps.

If it produces Smart, smart soldiers than yes. If produces Stupid, smart soldiers.... NO. Of course, this opens a whole new discussion.

Interesting concept...but what this boils down to is the $. Better retirements for the "O"s verses the "NCO's... Anyway the heading was misleading so I'll attack that first:

Should education be a factor in rank progression? You want a book smart or a street smart individual?
Both have merits on their own, but I'll choose a street smart cop over an ignorant book reader any day. Why?

Proven Practical Hands-on Application That Works.

I've been there as a trainer. I've had book smart rookies with a degree. I've been on calls with the ignorant street stupid idiots... I.E. Domestic in progress, karate trainers home, o dark thirty, man with a club outside the home angry and yelling and drunk of course... as I slam on the brakes and put the asshole in the headlights at 75 feet, I'm out the door with my baton left foot sliding in the dirt to stop, stepping toward the karate instructor drunk, to beat the rat shit out of him if I have to, to stop this assault of his own family members... I'm in my headlights, I'm yelling at the drunk to stop...and and and...?

the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stands up... my collage educated rookie with a degree in criminal justice is still in the patrol unit, writing in his daily log..." August 18th, 1989, 3:37 AM, 10-97 (Arrived on scene), Luna 17, 10-6, (my call sign-busy), addressing suspect in a firm manner and has drawn out his service supplied riot baton while walking towards 10-48, 10--80, (armed and dangerous), suspect". A flat out "No shit" true story... He left out the part in his daily fucking logbook when I yelled at the chickenshit to get the fuck out of the car.

So you can see why being book smart is a totally ignorant concept of higher education being used as a factor in promotions.. Shit or get off the pot. Secondary educational systems right now in America are geared way too far to the left, progressive, liberal and them book smart fucknuggits will get you killed until they become street-smart or they put you in prison not defending your actions (Arizona Inmate Derick C. from Minnesota, his Chief testifying on the stand that that neck knee maneuver wasn't part of the approved training curriculum)... The chief told a flat out bullshit lie to save his fucking ass and got away with it.

Why E-6? If you can see from a man or woman's performance, (there are no other sexes contrary to what is being taught in the secondary educational system). Why not E5? E4? E3? You want retention of the finest? Why not try something that WILL RETAIN the street smart individuals who couldn't make the time to formerly indoctrinate themselves in the feel good-unicorn-rainbow-fairy-tree-huggin- coalition-fan clubs that permeate the secondary educational American school systems?

And... IMHO, too many Chiefs and not enough Indians will not make a military a grade effective organization.

Make the enlisted, who get a new type of "FIELD GRADE COMMISSION to OFFICER STATUS" and permit them to continue to perform the tasks they accel at, then send them to places like West Point or the Air Force Academy, for the all service military tactics education or Air Base ground Defense schools, when or if they want to go, and give them a unique identifier on the uniform... A diamond around the rank insignia or even a circled wreath around the rank insignia...that shows their teammates they accel at whatever job position they are.

Because that is what being a soldier, airman, marine or seaman is about isn't it? Team.... work?

I will have to strongly disagree with the CSM. Maybe it's that mentality of our Senior NCOs that have eroded the NCO Corps. Going backwards to the old Hierarchy of the OLD European method is just setting us up for failure. It's thinking like this that has taken away any NCO position of power. Being used and treated no better then an overpaid specialist. With having the privilege of working/training many branches at the Combat Advisor School. The Navy has it right with how the E-6 is promoted and transitions to E-7/Chief, is highly ceremonial with much respect and has authority and responsibility of that rank. The Marines do it with SSG and higher. Army, not so much, as a SFC is mostly treated as a Private with being mostly accountable by Command when shit goes sideways. Then the SFC or 1SG are held to account.
I do agree with bringing back the Specialist ranks, mainly focused on our support units. I was in when they ended it and now those SPC-5's, SPC-6, were now hard stripe NCO's. Which it should be in combat arms as those SGTs and SSGs are now holding a position of authority. Maybe they should do away with the SGM and CSM ranks past BDE level. What positions of authority do they hold in the S and G shops? Butterbars and 1LTs can do that job effectively.
Now in the wake of things, The Army has made it so that to get promoted a Soldier has to have college ed. Which is wrong to place SSGs, SFC and MSG/1SG on that as combat arms MOSs are at a disadvantage from support MOSs. As combat arms are mostly in the field compared to support units. An easy fix would be to allow SSGs have an allotted time off to get that associate degree. For SFCs to have the time like CPTs who go to college after they complete their checked off progression as a Company Commander to get that Masters Degree.
PLDC, BNCOC, ANCOC are another check the block schools made mandatory by officers. The stuff they taught I already knew as a SGT SSG and SFC in my MOS. PLDC is the same for Combat Arms. Again, the vast majority combat arms Soldiers know the subjects taught in all three levels. Another hurdle to jump over in making higher NCO rank while Officers get promoted at completing a timetable. 18 months the butterbar is promoted to 1LT. At 3 years the 1LT is promoted to CPT. Many probably didn't know this as Big Army was hurting for CPTs back in 2007, gave Officers $20K, $30K bonuses to sign for another 3 to 4 years. Which some I worked with took the bonus as we were in country at the time. Bonus would be tax free, Combat Zone.
Another degrading moment. In the Scout Observers in the OH-58 had an Officer as Pilot and an NCO as 2nd set of eyes and co-pilot. it was changed to the chopper had to have 2 officers doing away with the NCO. WHY? The old mentality that the NCOs are competent enough to have such a position. Only Officers are.

For numerous reasons, I wouldn't change the current NCO structure. In combat arms platoons the staff sergeant squad leaders and platoon sergeant provide the vital experience and the eyes/ears to the platoon leader to run the platoon. Some NCOs don't want to become officers so what would their career path be? OCS is now a path for the ambitious NCO to become an officer. I don't see any advantage to this elimination of sergeants above E6 as the twenty-plus E6s in a company would compete for the five lieutenant slots along with the West Point and ROTC officers.

What is the E5 rank called now?