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Graduates of Class 21-E stand for the arrival of the official party at a graduation ceremony at the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy on Maxwell-Gunter Annex, Alabama, May 26, 2020. The SNCOA held its first in-person graduation ceremony since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson Manske)

Capitalizing on Non-Commissioned Officers' Advanced Degrees

Published April 16, 2026
By JSOU/USASOC

SOF components are increasingly investing in degrees for noncommissioned officers ([NCOs]; including graduate degrees) that provide rare skills, but there is not currently a process at Army Special Operations Forces or most other service components that aligns one’s skills with position roles. How can the SOF enterprise and SOF service components best make use of these NCOs to leverage their new skills?

Clinch, Erin, "Educational Advantages in Blue: Analyzing the Impact of Enlisted Educational Opportunities on Air Force Retention," AFGC thesis 2025, 50 pgs.
- While Clinch focuses on the broader Air Force rather than just Special Operations, she directly addresses the core problem of how to utilize highly educated enlisted personnel. She finds that because the current enlisted career model lacks structured paths for those with advanced degrees, NCOs who achieve higher education often feel their talents are underutilized. As a result, they frequently separate for civilian jobs or transition into the officer corps. To best make use of these NCOs and retain their expertise, Clinch recommends creating specialized enlisted technical tracks—such as a "Technical Sergeant-Major" (E-9T) or expanding Warrant Officer fields. This would allow NCOs with advanced degrees or exceptional technical expertise to be compensated and utilized for high-level technical problem-solving rather than being forced into standard, management-centric supervisory roles.