Final answer:
The strategy to develop a professional NCO corps involves strong recruitment and training, leadership development, and adherence to classic military strategy principles. This includes learning from historic military figures and integrating teachings from Sun Tzu on victory, managing troops, and instilling courage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The strategy that provides the ways, means, and ends to develop a professional, trained, and ready NCO corps to maintain the status of the world's premier fighting force involves comprehensive military training, understanding of tactical dispositions, and strategic planning. Such a strategy is anchored in recognizing the importance of:
- Recruitment and training programs that are inclusive and expansive, similar to those instituted during World War II that included a diverse range of Americans.
- Leadership development, with examples like General Eisenhower who exemplified the rise through ranks due to skills and tactical acumen.
- Adopting principles of military strategy and discipline that ensure readiness and cooperation within the ranks, as discussed by Sun Tzu's teachings on the five essentials for victory.
Effective military leaders also embrace Sun Tzu's principles such as the importance of estimating the enemy's strength, the strategic use of natural formations, and adopting a unified standard of courage. They must manage troops with skill, ensure order and secrecy, and instill an ethos where soldiers are willing to exert their utmost strength.