Sergeant Major

Inner Sphere Military Ranks
Enlisted
Recruit Private Corporal Sergeant Master Sergeant
Field Officer
Cadet Lieutenant Captain Major Colonel
General Officer
Lieutenant General Major General General Commanding General
For specific ranks see Military Ranks

The rank of Sergeant Major is frequently the highest enlisted rank a soldier can reach in their time in the military. Usually the Sergeant Major is the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in a battalion, and is responsible for the discipline and conduct of all enlisted personnel in the battalion.

SLDF

The SLDF didn't use the rank of Sergeant Major, instead calling them Master Sergeants. To reach this rank an SLDF soldier had to serve for at least four years.

Lyran Commonwealth and Lyran Alliance

In the LAAF, a Sergeant Major usually supports a company commander. Occasionally they lead 'Mech lances. Most LAAF boot camp instructors hold this rank.

LAAF Military Rank Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Sergeant Major

Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery

In the DCMS and DCA, a Sergeant Major is known by the Japanese title Sho-ko. Their rank insignia is a royal blue katakana 2 on a colored background appropriate to their branch of service. Frequently they are the second in command of a lance or platoon. In the DCMS Support Corps (Technical Service), the equivalent rank is known as Chief Petty Officer. They wear the Sho-ko's rank insignia.

DCMS Officer Ranks by branch of service

DCMS Ranks						DCA Ranks
Rank	MechWarrior	Aerospace fighter	Infantry	Armor	Artillery	Rank	Naval crew Draconis Combine Admiralty	Technical service
Sho-ko (Sergeant Major)						Sho-ko (Sergeant Major)

Armed Forces of the Federated Suns

In the AFFS, the Sergeant Major is the highest rank possible for a soldier to reach without attending a military academy. Typically each battalion of a regiment has a Sergeant Major who acts as the liaison between the officers and enlisted men.

In multiregiment formations (like a Regimental Combat Team) one Sergeant Major is typically given the rank of Command Sergeant Major and is responsible for all the enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers in the unit.

Unlike many Inner Sphere militaries, the AFFS Navy doesn't use a distinct rank for its enlisted and noncommissioned officers. They are instead known by the same rank regardless of their service branch.

AFFS Ranks by Branch of service

Rank	MechWarrior	Aerospace fighter	Infantry	Armor	Naval crew	Technical service	Administrative	Medical	Legal	Logistics/ transportation
Sergeant Major
Command Sergeant Major

Capellan Confederation Armed Forces

In the CCAF, these soldiers are known as Yi-si-ben-bing thanks to the reforms enacted by Sun-Tzu Liao as part of his Xin Sheng movement. Though translated as Master Sergeant, the duties and obligations of this rank make it more akin to the AFFS Sergeant Major or SLDF Master Sergeant rank than the DCMS Master Sergeant rank, which is mostly honorary.

CCAF Military Ranks

CCAF Rank	Warrior House rank	Insignia
Yi-si-ben-bing (Master Sergeant)	N/A

Free Worlds League

In the FWLM, each regiment has a single Sergeant Major. This person is responsible for the conduct and discipline of every enlisted soldier and NCO in the regiment. As it is the highest enlisted rank in the FWLM, soldiers who hold this rank are accorded a great deal of respect by their fellows. This rank is known as Master Chief Petty Officer in the FWLM Navy, with one MCPO per WarShip, JumpShip, and DropShip.

Prior to the Andurien Secession in 3030 and the passage of the Military Reorganization Act of 3046, the Duchy of Andurien's Defenders of Andurien regiments also used the rank of Banner and Master Banner in place of Sergeant Major.

To indicate their rank, FWLM Sergeant Majors and Master Chief Petty Officers use three gold chevrons on a purple background with a black bar and circular tab above it.

FWLM Military Rank Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Sergeant Major

The Clans

The Clans in general do not use enlisted ranks. The nearest equivalent used by most Clans is the Point 1-5 system used by conventional infantry platoons or WarShip crews. A Point 5 could be considered a high-ranking Sergeant, but is probably not equivalent to a Sergeant Major.

Clan Star Adder

Clan Star Adder is unique among the Clans in that they have a position called Adder Keeper, which could be considered a Sergeant Major or Command Sergeant Major. This warrior advises the Star Adder Khan and saKhan about matters related to the non-Bloodnamed warriors of the Star Adder touman. Only warriors who haven't earned a Bloodname are eligible for this position.

ComStar/Word of Blake

This rank isn't used in the Com Guards or Word of Blake Militia. Instead a senior Acolyte or an Adept would be assigned these duties. ComStar Acolytes use a ComStar logo with a gray halo to show their rank, while an Adept's insignia uses a blue halo. Word of Blake Acolytes use a brass medallion; Adepts use a medallion made from silver. Insignia shows theta symbol, indicating JumpShip/WarShip crew. Other service branches replace theta with appropriate Greek letter.

Com Guard/Word of Blake Militia Insignia

Rank	Com Guards Insignia	Word of Blake Militia Insignia
Acolyte
Adept

Free Rasalhague Republic

In the KungsArmé this rank is known by its Swedish name, Fanjunkare. To show their rank, a Fanjunkare wears a blue patch with an orange tau cross on it. The spaces below the arms of the cross are filled with orange rectangles.

KungsArmé Military Rank Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Sergeant Major

Periphery Powers

Magistracy of Canopus

In the Magistracy Armed Forces, the senior NCO of a battalion is known as a Command Sergeant. Their regimental level counterpart is known as a Banner Sergeant. The rank draws its name from the tradition of entrusting a regiment's colors to a highly experienced soldier. The modern MAF Banner Sergeant still performs this duty on formal occasions.

A Command Sergeant wears a single silver diamond to show their rank, while a Banner Sergeant wears two silver diamonds set above each other.

Magistracy Armed Forces Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Command Sergeant
Banner Sergeant

Taurian Defense Force

In the TDF, a battalion's senior NCO is called Battalion Chief Sergeant. A MechWarrior on active duty in the TDF holds this rank, but has no additional command authority. The equivalent in the TDF Navy is Air Chief, who commands a flight of two aerospace fighter lances. The Battalion Chief Sergeant wears a Lance Sergeant's rank insignia, but adds a red dot in the center.

Taurian Defense Force Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Battalion Chief-Sergeant

Marian Hegemony

The Legiones Marianes, with their focus on recreating the Roman Empire, do not use this rank. The nearest rank in their military structure is Miles gregarius. A set of two inverted silver chevrons make up the rank insignia of a miles gregarius.

Marian Legions Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Miles Gregarius

Outworlds Alliance

Sergeant Major isn't one of the eight ranks used by the Alliance Military Corps. The AMC identifies its battalion senior NCO as a Preceptor. Their rank insignia is worn on each lapel, and consists of two green circles next to each other with brown dots in the center of each circle.

Alliance Military Corps Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Preceptor

Notes

• Ranks, when not preceding a name, are not capitalized.

Ex: The major stood and rendered a salute to General DeChavilier.

• Non-English ranks, with the exception of those used by the Federated Suns or Lyrans, are italicized.

• For more information, see BattleTechWiki:Manual of Style

Bibliography

• Field Manual: ComStar
• Field Manual: Draconis Combine
• Field Manual: Free Worlds League
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance
• Field Manual: Periphery
• House Davion (The Federated Suns)
• House Marik (The Free Worlds League)
• The Star League