Enlisted leaders from all branches of the Republic of Korea and United States Servicemembers may be the most important level of leadership to the development of future leaders, and critical to the defense of our homelands and to the stability of Northeast Asia. United States Forces Korea conducts Backbone University annually to develop a combined force of Senior Enlisted Leaders of the E7 Paygrade to validate their ability to strengthen and reinforce basic Soldier tasks and receive mentoring from Senior Leaders from across the ROK-US Alliance.