The Sergeant is non-commissioned officer directly above the corporal. Their main responsibility is leadership of a squad or a section. They are the second in command of a platoon.
There exists different grades within this rank with some grades more senior than others.
Responsibilities of the different grades.
1. Sergeant.
Sometimes called regular sergeant.
This is the lowest grade of the Sergeant rank thus being in the closest contact with the junior soldiers.
They offer general training, supervisory and caretaking roles of a squad. This makes them resposible for career development and mentorship of soldiers at the basic level. This placed them at a good position to repoyto the superiors on matters concerning challenges, physical wellbeing, preparedness and level of training of the soldiers under them.
2. Staff Sergeant.
This is a middle grade sergeant rank serving directly above the general sergeant and below the sergeant first class.
The staff sergeants carry out the supervisory and administrative roles of a squad or a section. They are in command of more personnel, equipment and military property than the regular sergeants. In fact, a staff sergeant may have one or more regular sergeants under him.
3. Sergeant First Class.
This is the first grade of a sergeant to hold a senior position serving below the master sergeants. They are the second in command of a platoon hence the name Platoon Sergeant. They take on leadership of the platoon in the absence of the platoon leader.
They may have up to 20 years of experience which at times is more than that of their platoon leaders.
The sergeant first class is in charge of 18 to 40 soldiers with up to 4 tanks under their command.
Their duties are mainly tactical in nature thus offering tactical advice and being in charge of the logistics. They also oversee the evacuation of casualties in combat.
4. Master Sergeant.
This is a rank directly above sergeant first class and equal to or slightly below the first sergeant depending on the military organization.
The master sergeants being senior NCOs in brigades, battalions and squadrons, their roles have more specialization and expertise than those of their counterparts. Therefore, they can hold the position of a gunnery sergeant and head the weapons company.
5. First Sergant.
These Sergants serve above sergeant first class directly below the sergeant major. They are mostly equal to or slightly above the master sergeant in their roles. In some countries, this is the highest ranking non-commissioned officer.
The first sergeants takes on the largest leadership role in a company leaving most of the administrative roles to their immediate superior command sergeants. Some of the administrative roles they have may include salary issues, re-enlistment, soldier speciality programs among others.
The company's disciplinary role is placed under the first sergeant and they can place a soldier under arrest.
In is important to note that the major difference between the first sergeant and the master sergeant is that first sergeant takes on most leadership roles while the master sergeant takes on the tactical, technical and staff responsibilities in a company.
6. Sergeant Major.
This is the senior most support staff in a battalion or a brigade. In most cases, this position takes the form of an appointment role rather than a rank. In fact, sometimes it is the warrant officer who occupies this position.
Some of the responsibilities of a sergeant major are of a ceremonial nature like taking care of the unit's colors, monitoring soldiers and acting as their advocate. They also ensure that othe NCOs enforce the policies of the army.
Conclusion.
The sergeant rank is a very vital position in the military as they are the main link between junior and senior officers. They carry out the bulk work of ensuring the smooth running of the company. They hold the crucial basic leadership roles of the NCOs managing both personel and equipment.
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