What is a Sergeant Major?
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A sergeant major is the highest enlisted rank in the army, requiring leadership of a battalion-sized force and acting as the senior non-commissioned officer. The Sergeants Major Course (SMC) provides critical leadership and decision-making training to prepare them for operational and strategic roles. Clarence Zarnes, a retired Sergeant Major, held significant positions, including overseeing recruitment operations and serving as chairman of the sergeants major subcommittee for recruitment and retention.
What is a Sergeant Major?
- 1. What is a Sergeant Major? Sergeant Major is the highest enlisted rank in the Army, and the base rank required for the leadership position of Command Sergeant Major. A Sergeant Major assists Officers in a battalion-sized force of 300 to 1,000 soldiers, and leads soldiers and junior officers placed directly under his command. A Sergeant Major may also serve as the senior non-commissioned officer at a battalion-sized headquarters unit. A Sergeant Major is a Noncommissioned Officer at DoD pay grade E-9, with a starting monthly pay of $4634.70. Sergeants Major Course (SMC) Description The Army’s culminating enlisted Professional Military Education institution is the Sergeants Major Course. This course provides tools to develop critical reasoning, creative thinking and decision-making skills. Soldiers are provided an education that teaches them to enhance their character, self-expression, and strengthen teamwork abilities. The course assists in the development of logical, practical and original reasoning abilities necessary for problem solving. Students analyze problems based on available information, arrive at logical solutions and decisions with reasonable speed, communicate reasoning and decisions orally and in writing, and supervise to ensure proper execution. Intellectual honesty, integrity, and professional values and standards are highly stressed. The SMC contains a total of 1,484.7 instructional hours. Purpose SMC prepares Master Sergeants and Sergeants Major to elevate from a tactical level of thinking to an operational and strategic perspective thus preparing them for leadership positions in organizations executing unified land operations. What Soldiers learn prepares them for leadership positions in joint, interagency, intergovernmental, multinational organizations as well as battalion, brigade, and division through echelons-above-corps staff sergeants major command levels. Last Position Held Recruiting Battalion Sergeant Major | Chairman of Sergeants Major Subcommittee Army National Guard, St. Augustine, FL 2000 – 2009 Recruiting Key Responsibilities: Maintaining the strength of a 10,000 personnel organization; through recruiting, retention and attrition operations. Supervised multiple offices statewide, staffed with approximately 250 full-time professionals consisting of District and Area Managers, Recruiters and support staff consisting of Human Resource, Marketing, Supply, Information Technology and Administrative personnel Analyzed recruiting strategies, forecasted objectives based on historical data and current trends to target specific territories using MS Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint for correspondences, tracking and presentations Interviewed prospective military members that met organizational values and leadership skills Led, planned, directed and implemented strategic recruitment and retention programs Relied on extensive experience and judgment to ensure the timely understanding of current and future workforce needs; and implemented improvements to staffing processes including sourcing and selection, plus advised executive level managers on recruiting and retention operations Provided consultative assistance and education in regards to the interpretation of recruiting procedures and retention practices within the State and Nation Provided career counseling, conducted performance reviews, assessed strengths and provided feedback based on the Soldier’s individual evaluation Chairman Key Responsibilities: As a nominated position, Served as Chairman of the Sergeants Major Subcommittee for the National Recruiting and Retention Advisory Committee for Region III (Consisting of the 10 Southeastern States & Territories, which includes the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico). Served as one of seven board members on the Army National Guard’s National Recruiting and Retention Advisory Committee Served on critical process action teams tackling strategic issues that effected the state, region and nation Served as adjunct instructor at the national Strength Maintenance Training Center at the National Guard Bureau’s Professional Education Center for Recruiting, Retention and Attrition courses Clarence Zarnes, United States Army, (Sergeant Major – Retired)