Events and publications

Details

Date: Friday May 29th, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where

• Virtual: on Teams (information coming soon)
• In-person: le Grand Fort - 15 Rue Jacques-Cartier Nord Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC J3B 8R8

Registration

• Virtual: NCO Conference – virtual participation
• In-person: NCO Conference – in-person participation - Deadline: May 24th, 2026

Overview

The Non-Commissioned Members Leadership College is pleased to co-host the NCO Conference 2026 with the Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation (DMTC) and the Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP). The conference will be held on May 29, 2026, at Fort Saint-Jean, in the Auditorium, Vanier Building. The event will also be offered in hybrid format; the virtual participation link will be shared closer to the date.

Concept

Armed Forces across NATO and partner nations are entering a renewed phase of mobilization and institutional expansion. Accelerated force generation sustained operational demands, rapid technological transformation, and increasing socio-demographic diversity within the ranks are reshaping military institutions not only in scale, but in structure, culture, and professional practice at every level.

In this context, a central question emerges: What becomes of Non-Commissioned Members’ professional identity when Armed Forces change in scale, tempo, and composition?

This year, the conference brings together senior enlisted leaders, commanders, scholars, and policymakers to examine professionalization under conditions of mobilization and expansion. By fostering dialogue across operational, educational, and strategic domains, the conference seeks to clarify the evolving professional jurisdiction of NCMs, strengthen leadership coherence during institutional growth, align PME with expansion realities, and ensure that the NCM Corps remains the stabilizing backbone of military effectiveness in an era of transformation.

Schedule

The Conference will open with a Keynote Address delivered by Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann, Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer (CAF CWO). His address will frame the strategic significance of professionalization under expansion and situate the NCM Corps within the broader transformation of the CAF. Drawing on his experience at the institutional and operational levels, the CAF CWO will articulate the expectations placed upon senior enlisted leadership in a period of growth, complexity, and cultural change. The keynote will set the tone for the conference by emphasizing the centrality of the human domain and his strategic vision for the future of the NCM Corps.

Panel 1: Junior NCM Leadership

Expansion is felt most immediately at the junior leadership level. Corporals, Master Corporals, and Sergeants absorb the first shock of accelerated recruitment, compressed training cycles, and generational transition. They are responsible for translating intent into daily practice while maintaining discipline, mentorship, and cohesion within rapidly expanding formations. This panel examines how junior NCM leaders sustain credibility and standards under conditions of growth. It explores how early professional socialization must evolve to preserve legitimacy, reinforce ethos, and transmit tacit knowledge when experiential gaps widen and operational tempo increases. Particular attention will be given to the relational foundations and the ways junior leaders stabilize units during periods of structural change.

Panel 2: Women Senior Enlisted Leadership

Mobilization and expansion inevitably transform the human landscape of the force. Diversification is not peripheral to professionalization—it is integral to it. In periods of rapid growth, the meaningful integration of women into senior enlisted leadership is not simply a matter of representation; it directly influences institutional credibility, talent retention, and operational capability. This panel examines the evolving and increasingly strategic role of women in senior enlisted leadership. It explores how women senior enlisted leaders shape authority within command teams, how they navigate and redefine expectations in traditionally male-dominated structures, and how their presence reshapes mentorship patterns, career pathways, and models of professional legitimacy. Particular attention will be given to the ways women leaders contribute to trust-building, conflict mediation, ethical climate, and the reinforcement of standards within expanding and diversifying formations. When effectively promoted, women senior enlisted leadership functions as a force multiplier. It broadens leadership perspectives, strengthens institutional adaptability, deepens mentorship capacity across demographic lines, and enhances cohesion within increasingly heterogeneous units. 

Panel 3: Reimagining PME for 2035

Professional Military Education (PME) cannot remain static while force structures expand, and operational environments grow more complex. Expansion tests not only training capacity but also the conceptual coherence of the NCM professional model across development periods. This panel explores how PME must be reimagined toward 2035 to sustain a scalable, integrated, and intellectually grounded NCM profession. Discussions will focus on aligning competency frameworks with jurisdictional clarity, preserving experiential knowledge under accelerated promotion cycles, strengthening interoperability within multinational environments, and ensuring coherence from DP1 through senior appointments. The objective is to ensure that institutional growth consolidates—rather than dilutes—the professional identity of the NCM Corps, and that PME becomes a stabilizing architecture in an era of transformation.

Details

Date: May 26th, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where
Virtual – on Teams
In-person: le Grand Fort - 15 Rue Jacques-Cartier Nord Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC J3B 8R8

Registration
Virtual: NCOs Conference – virtual participation
In-person: NCOs Conference – in-person participation - Deadline: May 20th, 2025

Overview

Osside Institute is pleased to co-host the NCO Conference 2025 with the Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation (DMTC) and the Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP), on the theme “Advancing the Science of NCOs: Professionalization, Leadership & Future Warfare.”

Unlike officers, who are trained for strategy, planning, and command, non-commissioned officers (NCO) develop expertise through hands-on experience, mentorship, and direct operational leadership. Yet, despite their critical role, NCOs remain understudied, with military research and professional military education largely centered on officer development.

The NCO Conference 2025 will feature three engaging panels dedicated to addressing these gaps through dialogue and collaboration between experts from across the military and academic communities on the themes of strengthening early training, redefining career progression, enhancing interoperability, and adapting to the technological and strategic demands of future warfare.

Schedule

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Registration and Welcome Address

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | The Case for a Science of NCOs
This session will set the foundation for the day’s discussions by examining why NCOs remain understudied, and how the absence of a defined professional model affects their institutional role.

Major-General Dennis O’Reilly, Commandant, Canadian Defence Academy (CDA), Canadian Armed Forces

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. | Panel 1: Defining the NCO Profession
This panel will explore the evolving role of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), examining gaps between expectations, training, and responsibilities, with a focus on the challenges of modern military operations.

Presentation by: Dr. Alan C. Okros, Professor Emeritus, Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Panel 2: The NCOs as Leaders
This panel will analyze the role of NCOs in command teams, their leadership dynamics without formal authority, and the need for updated professional military education to better reflect modern warfare and leadership expectations.

Presentation by: Dr. Rasmus M. Andresen, Ph.D. Fellow, Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Panel 3: The Future NCOs
This panel will explore how the role of NCOs will evolve with technological advancements and new forms of warfare, and how military institutions must adapt to ensure NCOs remain vital in future conflicts.

Presentation by: Dr. Valerija Bernik, Head of the Non-Commissioned Officer College, Republic of Slovenia

4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks and Thanks

Lieutenant-General Stephen Kelsey, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS), Canadian Armed Forces

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