Regimental Sergeant Major

The most senior soldier appointment of a British Army battalion, held by a warrant officer class 1.

Overview

The Regimental Sergeant Major, RSM, is an appointment rather than a rank: a Warrant Officer Class 1 who runs the daily discipline, drill, and routine of a battalion. The RSM is the commander right hand for everything involving soldiers as soldiers, from ceremonial parades to the enforcement of standards. The position dates to the seventeenth century, and the modern title settled in the nineteenth. RSMs carry a pace stick, the long adjustable rod used to set drill lengths, symbol of the office. Every Commonwealth army preserves the appointment, and Hollywood has burned the archetype into legend.