Fifth Wave NCOs

[DAT]

Non-Commission Officers (NCOs) are an important core of militaries forces. The experience they bring to units are key to smooth operations and mission success, as well as the proper training/seasoning of junior officers.

A question occurred to me, where will infantry unit NCOs come from for future Fifth Wave militaries?

The “same place they come from now” answer doesn’t quite work.

As per the THS entry on Ground Warfare (p.TS100), “… Fifth Wave powers are now replacing humans and bioroids with cybershells controlled by sapient infomorphs.”

Civilians don’t just enter an “NCO academy” and 2-4 years later come out as an NCO. NCOs are developed over years and years of on-the-job experience, starting when they enter the military as privates/seamen/airmen/etc. Many potential NCOs are weeded out over time. Only the ones who have the perseverance, skills, and leadership ability continue to eventually become junior, middle, and senior NCOs. If the privates and specialists are replaced by sapient infomorphs controlling RATS in infantry units, what feeds the pipeline for future junior, middle, and senior NCOs in a Fifth Wave force?

Extensive slinky interactive simulations?

Humans continue (as in Forth Wave) to teleoperate some RATS?

Some units remain all human and or bioroid? (this sounds like the case of special operations forces, and maybe some US Marines per the vignette on p.TS168).

Something else?

What are your thoughts/ideas?
-Dan