Australia In the
Australian Army and
Cadets, the rank of staff sergeant is being phased out from about 2015. It was usually held by the
company quartermaster sergeant or the holders of other administrative roles. Staff sergeants are always addressed as "Staff Sergeant" or "Staff", never as "Sergeant", as it degrades their rank. "Chief" is another nickname though this is only used for the company chief clerk (in some instances the chief clerk role can be filled by another non-commissioned rank (but not warrant officer) and still be referred to as "Chief"). A staff sergeant ranks above
sergeant and below
warrant officer class 2.
Canada In the pre-Unification
Canadian Army, the rank of staff sergeant existed until 1968 when the
Unification of the
Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and
Royal Canadian Air Force into the
Canadian Armed Forces occurred. Post-unification, the Canadian Armed Forces replaced the rank with that of
Warrant Officer. The rank is used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other police services throughout Canada.
Norway In the Norwegian Defence Forces, the tasks and responsibilities of the staff sergeant () are not clear; quite recently, in January 2016, Norway replaced their old rank system, and implemented a new, which is more adapted to other NATO members. In 1975, all of the Norwegian military branches abolished the system of using non-commissioned officers. Now, however, Norway is reintroducing the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps, allowing people to become officers without graduating from a military academy or having a university degree.
Philippines The rank of
staff sergeant is used by the
Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is a non-commissioned officer rank currently used by
Philippine Army,
Philippine Air Force, and the
Philippine Marine Corps (under the
Philippine Navy). It is a rank positioned above
sergeant and below the
technical sergeant.
Singapore Singapore Armed Forces A
staff sergeant (
SSG) in the
Singapore Armed Forces ranks above
first sergeant and below
master sergeant. It is the second most senior
specialist rank. Staff sergeants are addressed as "Staff Sergeant" or "Staff", but never "Sergeant". Staff sergeants may be appointed as
company sergeant major if they are due for promotion to master sergeant. They are usually addressed as "CSM" in camp, although in the past they were referred to as "Encik", which is now used to address only warrant officers. The rank insignia consists of two chevrons pointing up and three chevrons pointing down, with the Singapore coat of arms in the middle.
Home team In the
Singapore Prison Service, the rank of staff sergeant (SSGT) is above the rank of sergeant, and is below the rank of Chief Warder (1). The rank insignia of SSGT is one Singapore coat of arms and three pointed-down chevrons below it. In the
Singapore Police Force, the rank of staff sergeant is currently being phased out with the newly overhauled "unified police rank structure" which allows a direct-entry sergeant to be eligible for emplacement to the rank of Inspector without a degree. In the past, the rank of staff sergeant is above the rank of sergeant, and below the rank of senior staff sergeant; with the new rank structure being introduced, the rank and insignia of staff sergeant is being phased out, and being replaced with three grades of sergeant, namely, sergeant (1), sergeant (2), and sergeant (3), before being promoted directly to senior staff sergeant. However, all three grades of sergeants don the same three-chevrons insignia.
Uniformed youth organisations In the
National Cadet Corps, staff sergeants are
cadets who have passed the 3-days 2-nights Senior Specialists Leaders Course successfully. The rank of staff sergeant is above first sergeant and below master sergeant. Staff sergeants wear a rank insignia of two pointed-up chevrons, one
Singapore coat of arms and three pointed-down chevrons, with the letters 'NCC' located below the insignia to differentiate NCC
cadets from SAF personnel. In the
National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) and the
National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC), the rank of staff sergeant is above sergeant, and below Station Inspector and Warrant Officer respectively. The rank of staff sergeant generally is awarded to cadets when they are in Secondary Four, before they pass out. NPCC and NCDCC staff sergeants wear a rank insignia of one Singapore coat of arms and three pointed-down chevrons. The letters 'NPCC' and 'NCDCC' are located below the insignia so as to differentiate NPCC and NCDCC cadets from
Singapore Police Force and
Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel respectively. In the
St John Brigade (SJB), the rank of staff sergeant (SSG) is above sergeant, and below senior staff sergeant. Staff sergeants in SJB wear a rank insignia of one St John coat of arms and three pointed-down chevrons.
United Kingdom In the
British Army,
staff sergeant (
SSgt or formerly
S/Sgt) ranks above
sergeant and below
warrant officer class 2. The rank is given a NATO code of OR-7. The insignia is the monarch's crown above three downward pointing chevrons. Staff sergeants can also hold other appointments, such as
company quartermaster sergeant, and are usually known by that appointment if held. The equivalent rank in
infantry regiments is
colour sergeant, and holders are known by that title no matter what their appointment. In the
Household Cavalry the equivalent rank is
staff corporal. British staff sergeants are never referred to or addressed as "Sergeant", which would be reducing their rank, but are referred to and addressed as "Staff Sergeant" or "Staff" ("Staff Jones", for instance) or by their appointment or its abbreviation. Quartermaster sergeants are often addressed as "Q". In most cavalry regiments, staff sergeants are addressed as "Sergeant Major", which is assumed to derive from the original rank of
troop sergeant major, or as "Sir" by subordinates.
Flight sergeant and
chief technician are the
Royal Air Force equivalents.
Chief petty officer is the equivalent in the
Royal Navy and colour sergeant in the
Royal Marines.
United States US Army Staff sergeant (
SSG) is the
E-6 rank in the
United States Army, just above
sergeant (E-5) and below
sergeant first class (E-7), and is a
non-commissioned officer (NCO). Unlike the Marine Corps, US Army staff sergeants are not considered senior NCOs (senior NCOs of the Army begin with sergeant first class, equivalent to the Marines' gunnery sergeant). Staff sergeants are generally placed in charge of
squads, but can also act as
platoon sergeants in the absence of a sergeant first class. In support units, staff sergeants ordinarily hold headquarters positions because of the number of slots available for them in these units. Staff sergeants are typically assigned as a squad leader or company operations non-commissioned officer in charge at the company level, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit. Staff sergeants are referred to as "Sergeant" except in certain training environments and schools. The
NATO code is OR-6. In the early days of
World War II flying sergeants with the rank of staff sergeant were qualified enlisted pilots before the rank of
flight officer was introduced in September 1942. The rank of staff sergeant in the US Army, along with
technical sergeant (renamed sergeant first class in 1948) and
master sergeant, was created by Congress after the First World War. In 1920 the Army combined several company/battery/troop level "staff" NCO ranks, including color sergeant, supply sergeant, radio sergeant, eleven grades of sergeant first class, three grades of sergeant, two grades of master gunner, and assistant band leader into the new rank of staff sergeant. Staff sergeant, as did the ranks it combined/replaced, then ranked above sergeant but below technical sergeant/first sergeant (which, at the time, were both in the same pay grade). At that time, sergeants served as squad or section leaders,
platoon guides, and assistants to platoon commanders (the position of platoon sergeant, nor a separate rank for the position, did not yet exist), and included several formerly separate ranks such as mess sergeant, company supply sergeant, and stable sergeant, etc. In 1940, staff sergeant became the rank title of rifle platoon sergeants and in 1942 rifle squad leaders became staff sergeants, with platoon sergeants then being promoted to technical sergeants.
US Marine Corps Staff sergeant (
SSgt) is
E-6 rank (NATO code OR-6) in the
United States Marine Corps (USMC), ranking above
sergeant and below
gunnery sergeant. This grade is normally achieved after 6 years in service. The rank of staff sergeant in the USMC was created in 1923 to coincide with the US Army's ranks. Until the end of World War II, the insignia of
platoon sergeant was three chevrons and a rocker (worn by "line" NCO grades), with staff sergeant having a horizontal stripe or "tie" (worn by "staff" NCO grades) instead of a rocker below the chevrons. After the separate rank of platoon sergeant was eliminated, the staff sergeant rank switched over to the rocker insignia and staff sergeants held the platoon sergeant's billet.
US Air Force Staff Sergeant (SSgt) is an E-5 (NATO code OR-5) in the
United States Air Force (USAF), ranking above
Senior Airman and below
Technical Sergeant. It takes a 32-48 months, completion of the Airman Leadership School and a 5-skill level to be promoted to staff sergeant. The rank of staff sergeant came over from the Army Air Forces to the Air Force's new ranks in 1948. The staff sergeant is a junior NCO and a journeyman technician with supervisory responsibility.
Civil Air Patrol The
Civil Air Patrol (CAP), a
non-profit corporation Congressionally chartered to operate as the
civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, has a quasi-military structure which includes the rank of staff sergeant. The grade of staff sergeant is below
technical sergeant and is the lowest NCO grade. Current or prior military service members who held a pay grade of E-4 or higher (enlisted only on Active Duty or service in the Reserves or National Guard) are eligible to serve as NCOs in Civil Air Patrol.
Gallery (military rank) File:British Army OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Antigua and Barbuda Regiment) File:BDF OR-7 (2021).svg|Staff sergeant(
Barbados Regiment) File:Botswana-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Botswana Ground Force) File:04.RBrLF-SSG.svg|(
Royal Brunei Land Force) File:04.Gambian Army-SSG.svg|Staff sergeant(
Gambian National Army) File:Ghana-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Ghana Army) File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Staff Sergeant insignia.svg|Staff sergeant(
Guyana Army) File:Jamaica-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Jamaican Army) File:Kenya-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Kenya Army) File:Lesotho Defence Force OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Lesotho Army) File:Army-USA-OR-06.svg|Staff sergeant(
Liberian Ground Forces) File:Malaysia-army-OR-7.svg|(
Malaysian Army) File:Maldives-Army-OR-6.svg|(
Maldives National Defence Force) File:04.Malta Army-SSG.svg|Staff sergeant(
Army of Malta) File:04-Namibia Army-SSG.svg|Staff sergeant(
Namibian Army) File:New Zealand-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
New Zealand Army) File:Nigerian Army OR-7.png|Staff sergeant(
Nigerian Army) File:Norway-Army-OR-7 service.svg|(
Norwegian Army) File:03-Rwanda Army-SSG.svg|Staff sergeant(
Rwandan Land Forces) File:Seychelles Army OR-07 (2018).svg|Staff sergeant(
Seychelles Infantry Unit) File:Army-SGP-OR-6a.svg|Staff sergeant(
Singapore Army) File:SAA-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
South African Army) File:04. SLA-SSG.svg|Staff sergeant(
Sri Lanka Army) File:Tonga-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Tongan Land Component) File:Uganda-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Ugandan Land Forces) File:UA shoulder mark 07.svg|(
Ukrainian Ground Forces) File:British Army OR-7 (service dress).svg|Staff sergeant(
British Army) File:Army-USA-OR-06 (Army greens).svg|Staff sergeant(
United States Army) File:Zambia-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Zambian Army) File:Zimbabwe-Army-OR-7.svg|Staff sergeant(
Zimbabwe National Army) == Police rank ==