Command sergeant major
Army insignia
Country	United States
Service branch	United States Army
Abbreviation	CSM
Rank group	Non-commissioned officer
NATOrank code	OR-9
Pay grade	E-9
Formation	1967
Next higher rank	Sergeant Major of the Army
Next lower rank	Sergeant major

Acommand sergeant major (CSM) is anon-commissioned rank and position of office in theUnited States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted member of acolor-bearing Army unit (battalion or higher). The CSM is appointed to serve as a spokesman to address the issues of all soldiers, from enlisted to officers, fromwarrant officers and lieutenants to the Army's highest positions. As such, they are the senior enlisted advisor to thecommander. The exact duties vary depending on the unit commander, including observing training and talking with soldiers and their families.

The duties of asergeant major have been defined in the U.S. Army since the days ofvon Steuben (1779). The need for a senior enlisted advisor to a commander was recognized in theVietnam War era (December 1966).^[1]

The command sergeant major, as the most senior sergeant of a color-bearing unit and advisor to the unit commander, began in July 1967, under Army chief of staffGen. Harold K. Johnson^[2] who created the Command Sergeants Major Program.

Command sergeants major were originally thought of as someone who would advocate for enlisted soldiers, focusing on "problems affecting enlisted personnel and their solutions."^[3] After much debate, the Army published a definitive doctrine on the CSM's duties inField Manual 22-600-20, The Duties, Responsibilities, and Authority of NCO’s(1980).^[3]

Current CSM duties are defined inTC 7-22.7, The Noncommissioned Officer Guide and fall into six categories: readiness, training, leadership, communications, operations and program management.^[2]

CSMs are selected for assignment only after training as top enlisted leaders.^[1][4][5]

• CSM insignia timeline
• 
  1966–1968, the only authorized insignia for all sergeants major^[6]
• 
  1968–1979, became command sergeant major

• Sergeant Major of the Army

• Military ranks of the United States Army
• Senior Enlisted Advisor
• Enlisted ranks of the United States Armed Forces

• Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata