Army Sergeant Major

For the United States Army equivalent, see Sergeant Major of the Army.

Army Sergeant Major
Incumbent Paul Carney since 3 August 2021
British Army
Style	Army Sergeant Major
Member of	Army Board
Reports to	Chief of the General Staff
Appointer	Chief of the General Staff
Formation	February 2015 (2015-02)
First holder	Glenn Haughton
Website	Official Twitter

The Army Sergeant Major is the most senior member of the other ranks of the British Army.^[1]

Although all appointment holders have been former warrant officers who were commissioned as captains before their appointment,^[2][3] the Army Sergeant Major wears the uniform and insignia of a warrant officer class 1. The appointment was created as part of the changes to the British Army's top ranks around February 2015. The ASM sits on the Executive Committee of the Army Board and works with the Secretary of State for Defence, top civil servants and other high-ranking members to shape British Army policy.^[1][4][5] The first appointment was made in March 2015.^[6]

The Army Sergeant Major's rank badge is the royal coat of arms within a wreath.

Appointees

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Regiment/Corps	Ref.
1		Haughton, GlennGlenn Haughton OBE (born 1972)	1 March 2015	31 October 2018	3 years, 244 days	Grenadier Guards	[7][8][9]
2		Paton, GavinGavin Paton (born 1979)	8 November 2018	3 August 2021	2 years, 268 days	The Rifles	[10][11]
3		Carney, PaulPaul Carney (born 1979)	3 August 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 111 days	Royal Engineers	[12]

See also

• Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force – Royal Air Force equivalent
• Corps Regimental Sergeant Major – Royal Marines equivalent
• Warrant Officer of the Naval Service – Royal Navy equivalent

References

1. "Soldiers take seat at top table". Soldier Magazine. British Army. February 2015. p. 13.
2. "No. 61742". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 October 2016. p. 3.
3. "No. 60765". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 January 2014. p. 1689.
4. Jones, Bruce (1 February 2015). "CGS outlines new British Army senior posts amid culling of generals". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.
5. Inglis, Will (16 April 2015). "Army Promises To Listen To Lower Ranks". Forces TV. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
6. "Trustees". The Soldiers Charity. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
7. "Senior military officers support London Pride". Defence in the media blog. MOD. 27 June 2015.
8. "New Army Sergeant Major Glenn Haughton". British Army official website. 20 August 2015.
9. "WO1 Glenn Haughton OBE has been appointed as the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (SEAC)". UK MOD. UK MOD. 5 November 2018.
10. British Army [@BritishArmy] (8 November 2018). "Chief of the General Staff General Mark Carleton-Smith has confirmed the appointment of WO1 Gavin Paton as the next @ArmySgtMajor, replacing WO1 Glenn Haughton @SEAC_Defence, "Big shoes to fill, but WO1 Paton is the man for the job"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
11. "Soldier Magazine December 2018". Soldier Magazine. Soldier Magazine. 30 November 2018.
12. "Ground View". Soldier Magazine. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.