is nco a high rank?

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has yet to earn a rank or commission. These individuals hold leadership positions within their units, but they rank lower than commissioned officers.

Base of the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) ranks, a CPL serves as team leader of the smallest Army units. Like SGTs, they are responsible for individual training, personal appearance and cleanliness of Soldiers.

Typically commands a squad of nine to 10 Soldiers. Because SGTs oversee their Soldiers in their daily tasks, they are considered to have the greatest impact on the Soldier - SGTs set the example and the standard for Privates. Recommendation/Promotion requirements for Primary Zone: Board appearance is 34 months time in service/six months time in grade. Promotion is 36 months time in service/eight months time in grade. Requirements for Secondary Zone: board appearance is 16 months time in service/four months time in grade. Promotion is 18 months time in service/six months time in grade.

Also commands a squad of nine to 10 Soldiers. Often have one or more SGTs under their leadership. Responsible for developing, maintaining and utilizing the full range of his Soldiers' potential.

Recommendation/Promotion requirements for Primary Zone: Board appearance is 82 months time in service/eight months time in grade. Promotion is 84 months time in service/10 months time in grade. Requirements for Secondary Zone: board appearance is 46 months time in service/five months time in grade. Promotion is 48 months time in service/seven months time in grade.

Key assistant and adviser to the platoon leader. Generally has 15 years to 18 years of Army experience and puts it to use by making quick, accurate decisions in the best interests of the Soldiers and the country. Six year minimum time in service for promotion.

Primary Zone consideration averages 35+ months. Secondary Zone varies based on the needs of the Army, but usually requires a minimum of 23 months time in grade.

Principal NCO at the battalion level and often higher. Not charged with all the leadership responsibilities of a 1SG, but expected to dispatch leadership and other duties with the same professionalism. Eight year minimum time in service for promotion.

Primary Zone consideration averages 41+ months. Secondary Zone varies based on the needs of the Army, but usually requires a minimum of 30 months time in grade.

Principal NCO and life blood of the company. Provider, disciplinarian and wise counselor. Instructs other SGTs, advises the Commander and helps train all enlisted Soldiers. Assists Officers at the company level - 62 to 190 Soldiers.

SGM experience and abilities are equal to that of the CSM, but the sphere of influence regarding leadership is generally limited to those directly under his charge. Assists Officers at the battalion level - 300 to 1,000 Soldiers. Minimum 10 years time in service for promotion.

Primary Zone consideration historically is 34+ months time in grade. Soldiers competing for SFC, MSG or SGM cannot be within one year of their Retention Control Point. Secondary Zone consideration varies based on the needs of the Army and usually requires a minimum of 24 months time in grade.

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission.[1][2][3] Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks.[4] (Non-officers, which includes most or all enlisted personnel, are of lower rank than any officer.) In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.[5]

The NCO corps usually includes many grades of enlisted, corporal and sergeant; in some countries, warrant officers also carry out the duties of NCOs. The naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer. There are different classes of non-commissioned officers, including junior (lower ranked) non-commissioned officers (JNCO) and senior/staff (higher ranked) non-commissioned officers (SNCO).[6]

The non-commissioned officer corps has been referred to as "the backbone" of the armed services,[7][8] as they are the primary and most visible leaders for most military personnel. Additionally, they are the leaders primarily responsible for executing a military organization's mission and for training military personnel so they are prepared to execute their missions. NCO training and education typically includes leadership and management as well as service-specific and combat training.

Senior NCOs are considered the primary link between enlisted personnel and the commissioned officers in a military organization. Their advice and guidance are considered particularly important for junior officers and in many cases to officers of all senior ranks.

In the Australian Army, lance corporals and corporals are classified as junior NCOs (JNCOs), sergeants and staff sergeants (currently being phased out) are classified as senior NCOs (SNCOs), while warrant officer class two and warrant officer class one are classified as warrant officers (WOs).

In the New South Wales Police Force, NCOs perform supervisory and coordination roles. The ranks of probationary constable through to leading senior constable are referred to as "constables". All NCOs within the NSW Police are given a warrant of appointment under the Commissioner's hand and seal.

All officers within the Australian Defence Force Cadets are non-commissioned, with ADFC officers appointed by the Director-General of their respective branch.

In Brazil, a non-commissioned officer is called "Graduado" and includes the ranks from corporal to sub-lieutenant (or sub-officer in the Brazilian Air Force), the latter being equivalent to warrant officers.

In the Canadian Forces, the Queen's Regulations and Orders formally defined a non-commissioned officer as "A Canadian Forces member holding the rank of Sergeant or Corporal."[9] In the 1990s, the term "non-commissioned member" (NCM) was introduced to indicate all ranks in the Canadian Forces from recruit to chief warrant officer.[10]

By definition, with the unification of the Canadian Forces into one service, the rank of sergeant included the naval rank of petty officer 2nd class, and corporal includes the naval rank of sailor first class; corporal also includes the appointment of master corporal (naval master sailor).

NCOs are officially divided into two categories: junior non-commissioned officers, consisting of corporals/sailors first class and master corporals/master sailors; and senior non-commissioned officers, consisting of sergeants and petty officers 2nd class. In the Royal Canadian Navy, however, the accepted definition of "NCO" reflects the international use of the term (i.e. all grades of petty officer).

Junior non-commissioned officers mess and billet with privates and seamen; their mess is usually referred to as the junior ranks mess. Conversely, senior non-commissioned officers mess and billet with warrant officers; their mess is normally referred to as the warrant officers and sergeants mess (army and air force establishments) or the chiefs and petty officers mess (naval establishments).

As a group, NCOs rank above privates and below warrant officers. The term "non-commissioned members" includes these ranks.

In the Finnish Defence Force, NCO's (aliupseeristo) includes all ranks from corporal (alikersantti, lit. sub-sergeant) to sergeant major (sotilasmestari, lit. soldier master). Ranks of lance corporal (korpraali) and leading seaman (ylimatruusi) are considered not to be NCO ranks. This ruling applies to all branches of service and also to the troops of the Border Guard.

In France, Belgium and most French-speaking countries, the term sous-officier (meaning: "under officer" or "sub-officer") is a class of ranks between the rank-and-file (hommes du rang) and commissioned officers (officiers). Corporals (caporal and caporal-chef) belong to the rank-and-file. Sous-officiers include two subclasses: "subalternes" (sergents and sergents-chefs) and "supérieurs" (adjudants, adjudants-chefs and majors). "Sous-officiers supérieurs" can perform various functions within a regiment or battalion, including commanding a platoon or section.

In Germany and German-speaking countries like Austria, the term Unteroffizier describes a class of ranks between normal enlisted personnel (Mannschaften or in Austria Chargen) and officers (Offiziere). In this group of ranks there are, in Germany, two other classes: Unteroffiziere mit Portepee (with sword-knot) and Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee (without swordknot), both containing several ranks, which in Austria would be Unteroffiziere (NCOs) and Höhere Unteroffiziere (senior NCOs or literally translated as "higher under officers"). (Unteroffiziere can be literally translated as "under officer", or perhaps more idiomatically as "lower officer" or "sub-officer".)

In the Indian Armed Forces, junior commissioned officers are promoted from non-commissioned officers and are broadly equivalent to warrant officers in Western armies. Senior non-commissioned officers are promoted to JCO rank on the basis of merit and seniority, restricted by the number of vacancies. In between the Commissioned Officer and the NCOs lies the Junior Commissioned Officers. They are treated with great respect as they have a minimum of 28 yrs and over service and are referred to as Sahab by all ranks.

JCOs are entrusted with supervisory roles and the three JCO ranks are Subedar Major, Subedar and Naib Subedar. JCOs are equivalent in status to Group B (Gazetted) of Government of India.

JCOs are currently enrolled as jawans and few of them get promoted to officers over a period of time-based on their performance and on their ability to clear promotion examinations. A few JCOs are directly enrolled as religious teachers and in certain technical arms such as the Corps of Engineers. As of 2021, the Indian Army is discussing a proposal to directly enrol Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) in all arms of the service to address the shortage of commissioned officers. According to the proposal, the Indian Army will directly induct JCOs who have cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview. The UPSC will conduct an entrance examination, which would be followed by an SSB interview and a medical examination. Selected candidates would then be trained for one and a half years before joining the units as JCOs. Subsequently, they would be promoted to officers up to the rank of Colonels based on their length of service and qualifications.

In Ireland, the Irish Defence Forces have a professional body of non-commissioned officers from the ranks of Corporal (Cpl) (OR-4) to Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) (OF-9) in the Irish Army and Air Corps.

In the Irish Naval Service the NCO ranks rise from Leading Hand or Leading Rate (OR-4) to Warrant Officer (OR-9). In Irish Naval Service parlance the rate or rating is the service members specialisation. Therefore, L/S refers to Leading Seaman, L/RRT refers to Leading Radio Radar Technician and so on.

Further to the distinctions within the Irish Defence Forces you have Junior and Senior NCOs. Junior NCOs are Corporals and Sergeants, (OR-4 and OR-5), and Senior NCOs are Company Sergeant and Company Quartermaster Sergeants to Regimental Sergeant Majors and Regimental Quartermaster Sergeants (OR-7 to OR-9). In the Irish Naval Service, this is further complicated by having Junior and Senior Ratings. Junior ratings from Ordinary Rate (OR-1) to Leading Rate (OR-4), and Senior Ratings are from Petty Officer (OR-5) to Warrant Officer (OR-9). Therefore, it can occur that a person incorrectly describes themselves as a Senior NCO when in fact they mean a Senior Rating.

In the New Zealand Defence Force, a non-commissioned officer is defined as:

On 1 January 2016, the Norwegian Armed Forces reintroduced non-commissioned officers in all service branches, having had a single rank tier since 1930, except for certain technical and maintenance units from 1945 to 1975. The NCOs are called specialists, and rank from sergeant to sergeant major (NATO ranks OR5–OR9). The Specialist Corps lance corporal and corporal ranks (OR2–OR4) are reserved for enlisted personnel, while the rank of private (OR1) is for conscripts only.

The NCOs are in charge of military training, discipline, practical leadership, role modelling, unit standards and mentoring officers, especially juniors. Officers commanding platoons and above are assigned a chief or master sergeant, which is the unit's highest ranking specialist, although chief and master sergeants are functions and not ranks in themselves.

Norway took a top-down approach to establishing the Specialist Corps. Since August 2015, volunteer commissioned officers have converted into sergeant majors, command sergeants and first sergeants.

In the Singapore Armed Forces, the term "non-commissioned officer" is no longer officially used, being replaced with Specialist for all ranks from 3rd Sergeant to Master Sergeant (Staff and Master Sergeants are known as Senior Specialists). The term used to address Warrant Officers and Specialists combined is "WOSpec". The term "NCO" however is still frequently used unofficially in the army.[citation needed]

In 1983 the NCO corps, since 1972 called the Platoon Officer Corps, was disbanded and its members were given commissions as officers in ranks of second or first lieutenant in Sweden's new one-tier military leadership system. In 2009 a similar system as the NCO corps was re-established, called "specialist officers". Direct recruitment from civilian life is followed by basic and preparatory leadership training, and advanced leadership training during 1.5 year as a specialist cadet at the military academy in Halmstad, a warrant as an OR-6, followed by specialist technical training. Swedish specialist officers have relative ranks that match those of the commissioned officers; an OR-7 takes precedence over a second lieutenant, for instance.

Non-commissioned officer, called in Turkish as astsubay, is the rank belonging to the non-enlisted class below the officer in the military hierarchy. Military persons who are assigned as an assistant to the officer in training, administration and administration and other administrative tasks at the subordinate command levels of the Land, Naval and Air Forces of the Army of the Republic of Turkey, and the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command are called non-commissioned officers.

In the British Armed Forces, NCOs are divided into two categories. Lance corporals (including lance bombardiers) and corporals (including lance sergeants, bombardiers, and lance corporals of horse) are junior NCOs. Sergeants (including corporals of horse), staff sergeants (including colour sergeants and staff corporals), and RAF chief technicians and flight sergeants are senior NCOs.

Warrant officers are often included in the senior NCO category, but actually form a separate class of their own, similar in many ways to NCOs but with a royal warrant. Senior NCOs and WOs have their own messes, which are similar to officers' messes (and are usually known as sergeants' messes), whereas junior NCOs live and eat with the unranked personnel, although they may have a separate corporals' club to give them some separate socialising space.

The Royal Navy does not refer to its petty officers and chief petty officers as NCOs, but calls them senior ratings (or senior rates). Leading ratings and below are junior ratings.

In the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, all ranks of sergeant are termed NCOs, as are corporals in the Army and Marine Corps. The Marine Corps rank of lance corporal (E-3) is not an NCO, but rather a junior enlisted rank directly below corporal. The rank of corporal (E-4) in the Army and Marine Corps is a junior NCO, and is to be shown the same respect as any other NCO. However the rank of Specialist in the US Army, also with an E-4 pay grade, is not authorized to command troops and as such is not considered an NCO. In the Air Force, E-5 (staff sergeant) and E-6 (technical sergeant) are classified under the NCO tier, while E-7 (master sergeant), E-8 (senior master sergeant), and E-9 (chief master sergeant) are considered senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs).[12] In the Navy and Coast Guard, all ranks of petty officer are so designated. Junior NCOs (E-4 through E-6 grade), or simply "NCOs" (E-4 and E-5 only) in Marine Corps usage, function as first-tier supervisors and technical leaders.

NCOs serving in the top three enlisted grades (E-7, E-8, and E-9) are termed senior non-commissioned officers (chief petty officers in the Navy and Coast Guard). Senior NCOs are expected to exercise leadership at a more general level. They lead larger groups of service members, mentor junior officers, and advise senior officers on matters pertaining to their areas of responsibility.

Within the Marine Corps, senior NCOs are referred to as staff noncommissioned officers (SNCOs) and also include the rank of staff sergeant (E-6). SNCOs are those career Marines serving in grades E-6 through E-9 and serve as unit leaders and supervisors, primary assistants and technical advisors to officers, and senior enlisted advisors to commanding officers, commanding generals, and other higher-level commanders. The ranks include staff sergeant, gunnery sergeant (E-7), master sergeant / first sergeant (E-8), and master gunnery sergeant / sergeant major (E-9).

The title of superintendent is used by the Air Force as the title of the non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of a section, flight, squadron, group, staff agency, directorate, or similar organization. These positions are assigned to senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs), as opposed to the titles "NCOIC" and "chief" (which are held by junior NCOs). The titles of commander and director are used for commissioned officers assigned as commanding officer of a unit or the head of a staff agency, directorate, or similar organization, respectively.

A select few senior NCOs in paygrade E-9 serve as "senior enlisted advisors" to senior commanders in each service (e.g., major command, fleet, force, etc.) and in DoD unified commands, e.g., United States Strategic Command, United States European Command, United States Pacific Command, etc., and DoD agencies, e.g. the Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. One senior E-9, selected by the service chief of staff, is the ranking NCO/PO in that service, holds the highest enlisted rank for that service, and is responsible for advising their service secretary and chief of staff.

One E-9 holds a similar position as the SEA to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senior enlisted advisors, service enlisted advisors and the SEA to the Chairman (SEAC) advise senior officer and civilian leaders on all issues affecting operational missions and the readiness, utilization, morale, technical and professional development, and quality of life of the enlisted force.

Warrant officers in the United States Armed Forces are considered specialty officers and fall in between enlisted and commissioned officers. US warrant officers also have their own tier and paygrade. However, when US warrant officers achieve the rank of chief warrant officer (CWO2) or higher, they are commissioned[13] and are considered commissioned US officers just like any other commissioned officer, but are still held in a different paygrade tier.

Beginning in 1967 at Fort Benning, Georgia, the US Army Noncommissioned officer candidate course (NCOCC) was a Vietnam-war era program developed to alleviate shortages of enlisted leaders at squad and platoon level assignments, training enlisted personnel to assume jobs as squad leaders in combat.[14]

Based loosely on the Officer Candidate School (OCS), NCOC was a new concept (at the time) where high performing trainees attending basic infantry combat training were nominated to attend a two-phased course of focused instruction on jungle warfare, and included a hands-on portion of intense training, promotion to sergeant, and then a 12-week assignment leading trainees going through advanced training.[15]

Regular Army soldiers who had received their promotion through traditional methods (and others) used derisive terms for these draftees (typically)[16] who were promoted quicker, such as "Instant NCOs", "Shake 'n' Bake", and "Whip n' Chills".[17][18]

The program proved to be so successful that as the war began to wind down they elected to institutionalize training noncommissioned officers and created the NCO Education System (NCOES), which was based around the NCO candidate course. The NCO candidate course generally ended in 1971–1972.[16]

Within the U.S. Navy there are different ways that a sailor can earn accelerated advancement to the rank of petty officer third class.[19] If a person tests high enough on their entrance exam they are able to select certain jobs that require a significant amount of training, far greater than the amount required for a basic job (12 months vs. 2 weeks). Because these jobs are more technically advanced, the schools have higher attrition rates, demand more responsibility, and require longer initial enlistments, these sailors are able to advance to petty officer third class. Another way for a sailor to earn accelerated advancement is by graduating in the top 10% of their class within their "A" school. For certain ratings, such as Corpsman, this has been discontinued.

There are 13 enlisted Army ranks: private, private second class, private first class, specialist, corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant, sergeant first class, master sergeant, first sergeant, sergeant major, command sergeant major and sergeant major of the Army.

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In general terms, these Army ranks are broken down into three groups -- Junior Enlisted (E-1 through E-4), NCOs (E-4 through E-6) and Senior NCOs (E-7 through E-9).

The term as a military rank seems to come from the 16th century when individuals had the privilege of enlisting or making private contracts to serve as private soldiers in military units. Before then, many soldiers were forced (conscripted) into service by royalty or feudal lords.

Some sources claim that the use of "private" as an official "rank" dates back to the 18th century, when the French Army, under Napoleon, established the permanent rank of Soldat.

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Junior Enlisted in the Army -- privates and specialists -- are promoted automatically based on their time in service and time in pay grade. Privates (E-1) are promoted to private 2nd class after completing six months of service, and PV2s normally are promoted to PFC when they have 12 months' time in service and four months' time in grade. In general, soldiers earn the rank of specialist (E-4) after having served a minimum of two years and attending a specific training class.

Private, the lowest Army rank, normally is held only by new recruits while at Basic Combat Training (BCT), but the rank occasionally is assigned to soldiers after a disciplinary action has been taken. The Army private (E-1) wears no uniform insignia.

Private 2nd class (PV2) is the first promotion most enlisted soldiers can earn after completing BCT. The private's job is to apply the new skills and knowledge learned during basic training and to continue to learn how to follow orders given by higher-ranked supervisors.

Private first classes (PFC) are the basic workforce strength and rank of the U.S. Army. PFC is the point in which junior enlisted soldiers begin the transition from apprentice to journeyman by developing technical and leadership skills.

Specialist (SPC) is considered one of the junior enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army. Ranked above private first class (E-3) and holding the same pay grade as the corporal, the specialist is not considered an NCO.

The specialist's job is focused on technical expertise, and they normally have less personnel leadership responsibilities than corporals. They often are promoted to the E-4 pay grade due to enlisting. Those enlisting with a four-year college degree or who have certain specialized civilian skills or training can enter BCT as a specialist.

Army Non-Commissioned Officers (E-4 to E-6)

Like nearly all the other branches of the Armed Forces, the United States Army consider all ranks E-4 and above to be NCOs. Corporals (E-4) are referred to as junior NCOs, however, they are given the same respect as any other NCO.

The rank of corporal was established in 1775 with the birth of the Army and the NCO Corps. Along with the rank of sergeant, the corporal is the only rank that never has disappeared from the NCO Corps.

The rank of corporal always has been placed at the base of the NCO ranks. For the most part, corporals have served as the smallest unit leaders in the Army: principally, leaders of teams.

Like the grade of sergeant, corporals are responsible for individual training, personal appearance and cleanliness of their soldiers.

As the command sergeant major is known as the epitome of success in the NCO Corps, the corporal is the beginning of the NCO Corps. As the NCO Corps is known as the backbone of the Army, the corporal is the backbone of the NCO Corps.

Information Courtesy of the U.S. Army

Moving up the Army ranks: Normally, unit commanders may advance PFCs  to corporal once they have met the following qualifications:

Like the junior enlisted ranks, commanders may advance soldiers on an accelerated basis.

Sergeants (SGT) operate in an environment where the sparks fly -- where the axe meets the stone. Although not the lowest level of rank where command is exercised, this level is the first at which enlisted soldiers are referred to as sergeant, and of all the grades of the NCO, this one, very possibly, has the greatest impact on the lower ranking-soldiers. Privates, who are the basic manpower strength and grade of the Army, generally have sergeants as their first NCO leader. It is the grade sergeant that the privates will look to for example.

Like the next grade, the staff sergeant, the sergeant is responsible for the individual training, personal appearance and the cleanliness of their soldiers.

The sergeant also is responsible for insuring that:

The authority of the sergeant is equal to that of any other grade or rank of the NCO. Professionally competent leaders inherently command respect for their authority, and the sergeant must be unquestionably competent in order to carry out the mission correctly, accomplish each task and care for assigned soldiers.

The rank of sergeant is not a position for learning how to become a leader; no apprenticeship here. While certainly the new sergeant will be developing new skills, strengthening old ones and generally getting better, he is a sergeant and is therefore no less a professional than those grades of rank to follow.

Moving up the Army ranks: Unlike the promotion processes for privates, specialists and corporals, promotions to sergeant (SGT) and staff sergeant (SSG) is based on an Army-wide competition. The competition is based on a point system that grants points for firing range scores, performance evaluations, physical fitness, education level, awards and promotion board ranking.

Corporals and specialists must meet the following basic eligibility criteria to compete:

The staff sergeant rank closely parallels that of the sergeant in duties and responsibilities. In fact, the basic duties and responsibility of all the NCO ranks never change, but there are significant differences between this step in the NCO structure and the preceding one.

The major difference between the staff sergeant and the sergeant is not, as often mistakenly believed, authority but rather sphere of influence. The staff sergeant is in daily contact with large numbers of soldiers and generally has more equipment and other property to maintain.

The SSG often has one or more sergeants who work under their direct leadership. The SSG is responsible for the continued successful development of sergeants as well as the soldiers in their section, squad or team.

Moving up the Army ranks: SSG candidates must meet the following basic eligibility criteria to compete:

Although the Army does not make the official distinction in the rank structure, enlisted ranks of sergeant first class and above (E-7 to E-9) generally are referred to as Senior NCOs, and they carry increasing levels of responsibility and demand greater levels of respect and deference.

Although there are only three pay grades, the SNCO ranks actually cover six separate ranks or designations -- sergeant first class (platoon sergeant), master sergeant, first sergeant, sergeant major, command sergeant major and sergeant major of the Army.

Unlike the promotion processes for private through staff sergeant, unit commanders have little to do with the promotion process to the SNCO ranks. These promotions are centralized completely at the Headquarters of the Department of the Army (HQDA).

There is no minimum time-in-grade (TIG) requirement for promotion to the Army SNCO ranks, but candidates must meet the following minimum time-in-service (TIS) requirements to be eligible for promotion:

The SFC is the first level at which the term senior NCO properly applies. The platoon sergeant or sergeant first class generally has 15 to 18 years or more of military experience and is expected to bring that experience to bear in quick, accurate decisions that are in the best interest of the mission and the soldier.

Depending on experience and billet assignments, the SFC's role may be that of platoon sergeant or NCOIC (NCO in Charge) of the section.

Platoon sergeant is a duty position, not a rank. The platoon sergeant is the primary assistant and adviser to the platoon leader, with the responsibility of training and caring for soldiers. The platoon sergeant takes charge of the platoon in the absence of the platoon leader. Platoon sergeants teach collective and individual tasks to soldiers in their squads, crews or equivalent small units.

The position title of platoon sergeant is considered key in the command structure of the Army. The platoon sergeant generally has several staff sergeants who work under his direct leadership.

During the Vietnam era, the platoon sergeant was referred to affectionately as the "Plat-Daddy," and although the term has since faded, the role remains that of the "Father of the Platoon."

Information Courtesy of U.S. Army

The master sergeant is the principal NCO at the battalion level, and often higher. They are not charged with all the leadership responsibilities of a first sergeant, but are expected to dispatch leadership and other duties with the same professionalism.

When you are talking about the first sergeant, you are talking about the lifeblood of the Army. When 1SGs are exceptional, their units are exceptional, regardless of any other single personality involved. Perhaps their rank insignia should be the keystone rather than the traditional one depicted here. It is the first sergeant at whom almost all unit operations merge. The first sergeant holds formations, instructs platoon sergeants, advises the commander and assists in training of all enlisted members.

The 1SG may swagger and appear, at times, somewhat of an exhibitionist, but he is not egotistical. The first sergeant is proud of the unit and understandably wants others to be aware of his unit's success.

The title of address for this grade is not sergeant but first sergeant. There is a unique relationship of confidence and respect that exists between the first sergeant and the commander not found at another level within the Army.

In the German Army, the first sergeant is referred to as the "Mother of the Company." The first sergeant is the provider, the disciplinarian, the wise counselor, the tough and unbending foe, the confidant, the sounding board, everything that we need in a leader during our personal success or failure. The Mother of the Company...

Information Courtesy of U.S. Army

The sergeant major is the key enlisted member of staff elements at levels higher than battalion. The sergeant major's experience and ability are equal to that of the command sergeant major, but the sphere of influence regarding leadership is limited generally to those directly under his charge.

Enlisted soldiers who attain the distinction of being selected by the Department of the Army for participation in the command sergeants major program are the epitome of success in their chosen field. There is no higher grade of rank, except sergeant major of the Army, for enlisted soldiers, and there is no greater honor.

The command sergeant major carries out policies and standards of the performance, training, appearance and conduct of enlisted personnel. The command sergeant major advises and initiates recommendations to the commander and staff in matters pertaining to the local NCO support channel.

Perhaps slightly wiser and more experienced than the first sergeant, the CSM is expected to function completely without supervision. Like the old sage of times past, the command sergeant major's counsel is expected to be calm, settled and unequivocally accurate, but with an energy and enthusiasm that never wanes, even in the worst of times.

Assignable to any billet in the Army, the CSM is all those things, and more, of each of the preceding grades of rank.

Information Courtesy of U.S. Army

The sergeant major of the Army (SMA) is a rank held by only one enlisted soldier at a time. The holder of this rank is the most senior enlisted member in the Army. The SMA's primary function is to address the issues of enlisted soldiers at the Army's highest levels. The SMA is the senior enlisted adviser to the Army Chief of Staff and is selected based on their outstanding leadership, extensive experience and ability to communicate up and down the Army chain of command. The SMA is giving the highest level of honor and respect of any other enlisted soldier.

Each SMA's duties are determined by the current chief of staff. As a rule, though, the SMA serves as the Army hierarchy's eyes and ears, keeping the chief of staff abreast on virtually any subject that affects enlisted soldiers and their families.

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