Sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non - commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world . In Commonwealth countries , the various degrees of sergeant major are appointments held by warrant officers . In the United States , there are also various degrees of sergeant major ( command sergeant major , sergeant major of the army , sergeant major of Marine Corps ) , but they are all of the same pay grade . History . In 16th century Spain , the " sargento mayor " ( " sergeant major " ) 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 , sergeant majors 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 sergeant majors ( although obviously on a smaller scale ) . The older position became known as " sergeant major general " to distinguish it . Over time , the term " 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 . Commonwealth of Nations forces . A sergeant major is an appointment , not a rank . It is normally held by the senior warrant officer of an army or marine unit . These appointments are made at several levels , for example : the senior warrant officer of a company , battery or squadron ; the senior warrant officer of a battalion or regiment . The title normally consists of the unit title ( e . g . ' company ' ) followed by ' sergeant major ' , and abbreviated by the initials ( e . g . CSM ) . A sergeant major of a regiment or battalion is known as a regimental sergeant major , rather than a " regiment sergeant major " or " battalion sergeant major " . In the Australian Defence Force , in addition to CSMs and RSMs , the most senior warrant officer of the army carries the appointment ( and special insignia ) of Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army ( RSM - A ) . The sergeant - major of a unit is normally directly responsible to the commanding officer for all matters pertaining to dress , deportment , discipline , conduct , performance , standards and morale of the non - commissioned members ( NCMs ) of that unit . Sergeant majors are normally addressed as " sir " or " ma ' am " by subordinates , and by Mr or Ms ( surname ) by superiors , with the term ' RSM ' / ' CSM ' / etc reserved for the sergeant major ' s commanding officer . In the British Armed Forces , the plural is " sergeant majors " and not " sergeants major " as it is in the United States . Canada . Canadian Army . The appointment of sergeant major is given to the senior non - commissioned member within sub - units , units and some formations of the Canadian Army . The regimental sergeant - major is the senior sergeant major 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 . The same position can also be held by a master warrant officer in anticipation of promotion , or a shortage of available chief warrant officers . In company - sized units , the company sergeant - major generally holds the rank of master warrant officer , although in some cases it may be held by a warrant officer if the company is smaller , or in a shortage of available master warrant officers . In artillery batteries , this appointment is known as battery sergeant - major , while in units with a cavalry heritage ( armoured , combat engineer , and signals " squadrons " ) , the term is squadron sergeant - major . In company - sized sub - units of battalions or regiments , the company sergeant - major ( or equivalent ) normally answers both to his or her officer commanding for matters pertaining to the company in particular , and to the regimental sergeant - major on matters of concern to the regimental sergeant - major . Company sergeant - majors and their equivalents are normally addressed as " Sergeant - Major " or by rank ; by subordinates they are referred to as " Sir " , " Ma ' am " , or " Warrant " ( for warrant officers ) as appropriate . " CSM " ( " BSM " , " SSM " ) is a title normally reserved for use by the commanding officer . Regimental sergeant - majors 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 commanding officer . In some unusual cases , a chief petty officer 1st class or chief petty officer 2nd class in the Royal Canadian Navy may succeed to a sergeant - major ' s position , especially in 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 senior cadet of the Royal Military College of Canada 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 . 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 . 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 . Their authority and responsibility at parades and ceremonies extends over even commissioned officer s while on the parade square . In the Singapore Armed Forces , two kinds of sergeant major exist , a regimental sergeant major and a company sergeant major . An regimental sergeant major maybe placed in charge of a battalion , brigade , division or service level . A regimental sergeant major could also be appointed as RSM for a vocation , i . e . infantry vocation / formation sergeant major . This appointed usually be held by a senior warrant officer or a master warrant officer , although at times a 1st warrant officer may be appointed . A company sergeant major may be a 1WO , 2WO and 3WO . Sometimes , a master sergeant or a staff sergeant may be appointed . Military Experts of rank ME 3 could also be sergeant majors , in - charge of logistical units or naval units . This practice is also mirrored in the National Cadet Corps with the master sergeant or staff sergeant being appointed as unit sergeant major . Also , some schools with more than one unit , i . e . having a land as well as a sea unit might appointed an RSM from either unit . Sri Lanka . In Sri Lanka , the rank of sergeant major exists in the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Police Service . In the army a warrant officer 2nd class is known as a sergeant major while a warrant officer 1st class is a regimental sergeant major . In the police the most senior non - gazetted officer rank is police sergeant major . South Africa . As described above , sergeant - major is not a rank but an appointment held by a warrant officer class 1 or warrant officer class 2 . Regardless of the appointment , the warrant officer is addressed as “ sergeant - major ” . The rank was established in the Union Defence Forces in 1913 , in a single class . The rank badge was a crown , senior appointments being indicated by a wreath around the badge . The rank was divided into two classes in 1921 . The national coat of arms was assigned as the badge of the 1st class , and the crown was assigned to the 2nd class . In both classes , senior appointments were indicated by a wreath around the badge . From 1957 to 2002 , all warrant officers 1st class wore the wreathed coat of arms , and the warrant officer 2nd class wore the plain coat of arms . Since 2002 , all warrant officers have worn the new national coat of arms , the classes and appointments being indicated by the shape of the surrounding frame , and the addition of stars and crossed swords above the arms . Up until 1 June 2008 , the highest appointment ( Level 1 ) , that was held by a warrant officer class 1 was the Sergeant - Major of the South African National Defence Force . Other senior warrant officer appointments up until 1 June 2008 were The South African Air Force had a similar structure for its warrant officers who are also addressed as " sergeant - major " . Starting 1 June 2008 , the warrant ranks ( Army / Navy / Air Force ) are : A company / squadron / battery sergeant major should ordinarily be a WO2 . United Kingdom . In the British Army and Royal Marines , company / battery / squadron sergeant major is an appointment for a WO2 and regimental sergeant major is a WO1 appointment . Due to differences in nomenclature between Regiments and Corps sergeant majors ' titles do vary ; Squadron sergeant major and battery sergeant major for instance would be found in the cavalry and Royal Artillery respectively , and in the REME there are the appointments of artificer sergeant major . Sergeant major instructor 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 machinist 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 sergeant major s , and that on staff sergeant s . The posts of regimental and squadron corporal major are the Household Cavalry ' s equivalent of sergeant majors , as the Household Cavalry traditionally does not have ranks named sergeant . The Rifles use the spelling " serjeant major " . History . The first British use of the term was around 1680 and was applied to the senior sergeant in the colonel ' s company of an infantry regiment , but it wasn ' t formalised until 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 . 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 . Israel Defense Forces . The רב - סמל מתקדם ( " Rav samal mitkadem " , " sergeant major " ) and the רב - סמל בכיר ( " Rav samal bakhír " , " command sergeant major " ) are both non - commissioned officers ( נגדים ) ranks in the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) . Because the IDF is an integrated force , they have a unique rank structure . IDF ranks are the same in all services ( army , navy , air force , etc . ) . The ranks are derived from those of the paramilitary Haganah developed in the British Mandate of Palestine period to protect the Yishuv . This origin is reflected in the slightly - compacted IDF rank structure . United States . 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 . United States Army . In the U . S . Army , sergeant major refers to both a military rank and a specific leadership position . It is the highest enlisted rank , just above first sergeant and master 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 , command sergeants major serve as monitors of , and advocates for , the enlisted soldiers 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 . A SGM or CSM is referred to , and addressed , as " Sergeant Major " . The Sergeant Major of the Army is a separate and unique position , but is still addressed as " Sergeant Major " . History . 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 farther 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 ( P . L . 85 - 422 , 72 Stat . 122 ) . In that law ( as amended ) the authorized daily average number of enlisted members on active duty in an armed force in pay grade E – 9 in a fiscal year may not be more than 1 . 25 percent , respectively , of the number of enlisted members of that armed force , subject to certain exceptions . The appointment of Sergeant Major of the Army was created on July 4 , 1966 . Command sergeants major got separate insignia in 1968 . The U . S . Marine Corps ' s 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 .