Sergeant Major Sergeant Major is a senior non commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world . In Commonwealth countries , Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non - commissioned officer s or warrant officer s . In the United States , there are various degrees of Sergeant Major ( Command Sergeant Major ( CSM ) , Sergeant Major of the Army ( SMA ) ) , but they are all of the same paygrade . Canada . Canadian Forces . In common with many other Commonwealth militaries , Sergeant - Major in the Canadian Forces is not a rank , but the senior non - commissioned appointment in an army unit . The sergeant - major of a unit is normally directly responsible to the Commanding Officer ( CO ) for all matters pertaining to dress , deportment , discipline , conduct , performance , standards and morale of the non - commissioned members ( NCMs ) of that unit . The Regimental Sergeant - Major ( RSM ) is the senior appointment in a battalion - sized unit , including infantry battalions and artillery , armoured , engineer , and signal regiments ; this appointment is normally held by a Chief Warrant Officer ( CWO ) . The same position can also be held by a Master Warrant Officer in anticipation of promotion , or a shortage of available CWOs , etc . In company - sized units , the Company Sergeant - Major ( CSM ) generally holds the rank of Master Warrant Officer ( MWO ) , although in some cases it may be held by a Warrant Officer ( WO ) if the company is smaller , or in a shortage of available MWOs . In artillery batteries , this appointment is known as Battery Sergeant - Major ( BSM ) , while in units with a cavalry heritage ( armoured , combat engineer , and signals " squadrons " ) , the term is Squadron Sergeant - Major ( SSM ) . In company - sized sub - units of battalions or regiments , the CSM ( or equivalent ) normally answers both to his or her Officer Commanding ( OC ) for matters pertaining to the Company in particular , and to the RSM on matters of concern to the RSM . Thus , in a Signal Regiment , the SSM of 1 Squadron ( 1 Sqn ) would be report to the OC of 1 Sqn for all activities within that Sqn ; he or she would also be responsible for drill , dress , etc . matters to the RSM , who is responsible for such matters regiment - wide . CSMs and their equivalents are normally addressed as " Sergeant - Major " or by rank ; by subordinates they are thereafter as " Sir " , " Ma ' am " , or " Warrant " ( WOs ) as appropriate . " CSM " ( " BSM " , " SSM " ) is a title normally reserved for use by the CO . RSMs are never addressed as " Sergeant - Major " ; they are addressed by rank or as " Mr ( Surname ) " or " Ms ( Surname ) " , and thereafter by subordinates as " Sir " or " Ma ' am " . " RSM " is reserved for use by the CO . In some unusual cases , a Chief Petty Officer 1st or 2nd Class may succeed to a Sergeant - Major position , especially in units which are not part of Land Force Command or units with a large number of " purple trades " , such as service battalion s . The forms of address generally remain the same , except that Chief Petty Officers 1st and 2nd Class are never addressed as " Sir " or " Ma ' am " , but as " Chief " . The opera Leo , the Royal Cadet ( 1889 ) by Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann and George Frederick Cameron includes a character " Battalion Sergeant Major " at the Royal Military College of Canada and song " The Royal Cadet - The Battalion Sergeant Major " The Royal Military College of Canada ' senior cadet was a Battalion Sergeant Major from 1878 - 1923 and from 1934 - 42 . Since 1952 , however , the senior cadet is known as a Cadet Wing - Commander ( CWC ) . Royal Canadian Mounted Police . Sergeant Major is a rank in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . While technically it is the 6th level of rank , below Corps Sergeant Major and above Staff Sergeant Major , it , along with the other two , are specialized ranks and not part of the normal progression , which would proceed from Staff Sergeant to Inspector . Singapore . In the Commonwealth tradition , Sergeant Major is not a rank but an appointment held by senior Specialists ( non - commissioned officer - equivalents in the Singapore Armed Forces ) or Warrant Officer s . A Sergeant Major appointment exists in each military unit from company to division / formation . Their main job is to assist the commander in the discipline and welfare of the enlisted men . Being expert at parades and ceremonies , their authority and responsibility extends to officer s on the parade square . South Africa . Like the British Army , Sergeant - Major is not a rank but an appointment held by a Warrant Officer Class 1 ( WO1 ) or Warrant Officer Class 2 ( WO2 ) . Regardless of the appointment , the Warrant Officer is addressed as “ sergeant - major ” . Up to 1 June 2008 , the highest appointment ( Level 1 ) , that was held by a WO1 was the Sergeant - Major of the South African National Defence Force . Other senior Warrant Officer appointments up to 1 June 2008 were The South African Air Force had a similar structure for its Warrant Officers who are also addressed as " sergeant - major " . From 1 June 2008 , the Warrant Ranks ( Army / Navy / Air Force ) are : A Company / Squadron / Battery Sergeant Major should ordinarily be a WO2 . United Kingdom . Sergeant Major is not a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines ; it is used in the title of various appointments held by Warrant Officer s . In particular , the Regimental Sergeant Major ( RSM ) ( WO1 ) is the senior warrant officer in a battalion or regiment . The Company Sergeant Major ( CSM ) ( WO2 ) is the senior warrant officer of a company . Due to differences in nomenclature between Regiments and Corps Sergeants Major ' s titles do vary ; Squadron Sergeant Major ( SSM ) and Battery Sergeant Major ( BSM ) for instance would be found in the Cavalry and Royal Artillery respectively , and in the REME there are the appointments of Artificer Sergeant Major ( ASM ) . Sergeant Major Instructor ( SMI ) is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 1 in the Small Arms School Corps and the Army Physical Training Corps and by some WO1s in the Royal Engineers . It is also an appointment held by some of the civilian adult instructors in the Army Cadet Force . A Mechanist Sergeant - Major is a specialist most often found in the Corps of Royal Engineers or the Royal Army Service Corps , and was the title of one of the major characters in the book and the film based on it , " Ice Cold in Alex " . For the use of " Sergeant Major " as a form of address , see the articles on Regimental and Company Sergeants Major , and that on Staff Sergeant s . United States . United States Army . In the U . S . Army , Sergeant Major refers to both a military rank and a specific administrative position . The rank refers to the highest enlisted rank , just above First Sergeant , with a pay grade of E - 9 , NATO rank OR - 9 . The leadership position , Command Sergeant Major , is the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer and carries with it certain ceremonial functions such as caring for the unit ' s colors ( flag ) . Additionally , they serve as monitors of , and advocates for , the enlisted men in the command . This position mostly exists in units of battalion size and larger . Because the Command Sergeant Major represents all of the enlisted soldiers in the command , he or she does not wear the collar insignia of his or her career specialty ( e . g . , infantry , quartermaster , intelligence , " inter alia " ) , but instead wears the Command Sergeant Major ( formerly " branch immaterial " ) collar insignia . The insignia is a gold - color rendering of the coat of arms of the United States ; like the branch of service insignia of all U . S . Army enlisted soldiers , it is placed upon a gold - colored metal disk , one inch in diameter . An alternative usage of Command Sergeant Major is the senior NCO of a headquarters unit at battalion level or above ; the soldier filling this position should carry the rank of Sergeant Major , but personnel shortages may , from time to time , force this sergeant major position to be held by a senior First Sergeant or Master Sergeant , both E - 8 . A SGM or CSM is referred to , and addressed , as " Sergeant Major " . The Sergeant Major of the Army is a separate and unique position . United States Marine Corps . In the United States Marine Corps , Sergeant Major is the ninth and highest enlisted rank , just above First Sergeant , and equal in grade to Master Gunnery Sergeant , although the two have different responsibilities . Sergeant Major is both a rank and a military billet . Marine Corps Sergeants Major serve as the senior enlisted Marine in the Corps ' units of battalion , squadron or higher echelon , as the unit commander ' s senior enlisted advisor and to handle matters of discipline and morale among the enlisted Marines . Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is a separate and unique position . History . In the 16th century , the sergeant major or Sargento Mayor was a general officer . He commanded an army ' s infantry , and ranked about third in the army ' s command structure ; he also acted as a sort of chief of staff to the army ' s commander . In the 17th century , sergeants major appeared in individual regiment s . These were field officer s , third in command of their regiments ( after their colonel s and lieutenant colonel s ) , with a role similar to the older , army - level sergeants major ( although obviously on a smaller scale ) . The older position became known as sergeant major general to distinguish it . Over time , the " sergeant " was dropped from both titles , giving rise to the modern ranks of major and major general . The full title of sergeant major fell out of use until the latter part of the 18th century , when it began to be applied to the senior non - commissioned officer of an infantry battalion or cavalry regiment . It is about this time that the U . S . and British histories of the title diverge , with the American Revolutionary War . United States . The first official U . S . use of the term was in 1776 , when a sergeant major was appointed to the headquarters of each infantry battalion of the Continental Army . The rank was in use by both the Union Army and the Confederate Army during the American Civil War . At that time , it was the highest enlisted rank , being just above Quartermaster Sergeant . The same rank insignia was used by both armies . Both armies varied the color of the stripes by assigning red for artillery , yellow for cavalry , and blue for infantry . Some Confederate militia units varied these colors even further and had other colors including black stripes for various units . In 1920 , with the standardization of the army ' s enlisted pay grades , it ceased to be a title of rank or grade . However , it survived as the job title of the senior NCO of a battalion , and was re - introduced as a rank in 1958 when Congress authorized the E - 8 and E - 9 pay grades . The appointment of Sergeant Major of the Army was created on July 4 , 1966 . Command Sergeant Major got separate insignia in 1968 . The U . S . Marine Corps ' first sergeant major was Archibald Sommers , appointed on January 1 , 1801 . This was originally a solitary post , similar to the modern Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps , but by 1899 there were five Sergeants Major . The title was abolished in 1946 , but re - introduced as a rank in 1954 . The post of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was established in 1957 , as the senior enlisted advisor to the Commandant of the Marine Corps . United Kingdom . The British use of the term was formalised in 1797 , when the sergeant major was added to the battalion or regimental staff . When chevrons were introduced as badges of rank , he wore four , later under a crown . In 1813 , cavalry regiments introduced the Troop Sergeant Major to replace the Quartermaster as the senior NCO of a troop ; this required the existing position to be explicitly redesignated the Regimental Sergeant Major . Later , the rise of the squadron as the principal sub - regimental unit saw the corresponding introduction of the Squadron Sergeant Major ( SSM ) . The infantry , however , hung on to the undifferentiated , one - per - battalion sergeant major until the eve of the First World War , when the introduction of the Company Sergeant Major forced them to adopt the RSM title as well . ( As an infantry regiment could be , and usually was , made up of a number of battalions , one would logically expect the new title to be " Battalion Sergeant Major " rather than " Regimental Sergeant Major " . Perhaps the infantry felt this would imply a lower status than their cavalry equivalents . ) In 1881 , the cavalry RSM and infantry Sergeant Major were among a number of senior non - commissioned positions that were confirmed with warrants , making them warrant officer s . This was extended and rationalised in 1915 , with the introduction of the new ranks of Warrant Officer Class I ( WOI ) and Warrant Officer Class II ( WOII ) . RSM became an appointment of the former , CSM and SSM of the latter . The Royal Marines continued to use a single rank of Sergeant Major , equating to Warrant Officer Class I , until after the Second World War , when they adopted the Army system .