There should be, It was a totally asinine statement and showed to me that the SM was not in touch with “his enlisted Marines”. After 30 years in the military, I have a lot of respect for NCOs and especially SNCOs, but I really question this guy.
I agree, and let’s be honest with ourselves. Just like the Colonels and various breeds of General when you get that high up in the ranks it’s mostly political at that point.
The Hands on guys are usually limited to E-6 and occasionally E-7.