 The United States Army Corps of the Non-Commissioned Officer began in 1775 by blending traditions from the French, British and Prussian armies. This unique blend and the strength of the American soldier helped create what is known as the Backbone of the Army. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, hoping to see history repeat itself, held a meeting at the 197th Non-Commissioned Officer Training Center in Desna, Ukraine. The meeting included U.S. soldiers from the Joint Multinational Training Group Ukraine, a delegation from the NATO Defense Education Enhancement Program, and Canadian and Lithuanian land forces, and aimed to establish a plan for a Non-Commissioned Officer Development Training Course. The three-week course will help build qualified, professionally trained NCO instructors who in turn train and build other Ukrainian soldiers. Sergeant First Class Richard Aller says although NCO development takes time, he is very optimistic for the way forward. There's a lot of motivation from a lot of people at the table, so we have high hopes that we're going to hit the ground running with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and start developing further on what they already have standing. Reporting from Desna, Ukraine, Army Staff Sergeant Jonathan Norris.