This is a very complicated question, but I’m glad you’re going after it! I remember as a lieutenant seeing standing orders from the battalion commander that he was the final authority on firing a SFC or higher. This effectively meant that the chain of command skipped the battery commander, as any Soldier below SFC would be fired by that SFC, and any SFC or higher automatically falls under the BN CDR. Looking at that battery command slot and talking with them, they felt like glorified property book holders. I know this is just one issue, but how often do both Soldiers and higher headquarters agree that the company grade officers shouldn’t make any important decisions?

So, there are many implied statements that go with this movement to fire, that might lead into why important decisions get withheld from company grade officers. Not saying I agree with it, but just trying to see things the way they are before moving towards the way things should be. By moving to fire an NCO, you are implying leadership made a mistake placing them in that slot, that the Army made a mistake promoting them in the first place, and that there is no effective recourse in your skillset to make this situation improve to an acceptable standard. I’ve had my issues with some senior NCOs and have not successfully fired any. What did work was a soft knock on the BN CSM’s door and talking through the situation. By not blowing it up to the entire chain of command, it let the BN CSM save face, which I’m sure resulted in a strong conversation between the CSM and that NCO. This wasn’t the first thing I tried every time, but having seen things that didn’t really work (like seeking advice from an overworked XO or S3), it would be my first choice going forward.