Sergeant first class: Difference between revisions

{{refimprove|date=January 2013}}▼

'''Sergeant First Class''' ('''SFC''') is a [[military rank]] in some militaries and other uniformed organizations around the world, typically that of a senior [[non-commissioned officer]].▼

==United States Army==▼

Sergeant First Class (SFC) is the seventh [[enlisted rank]] (E-7) in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], ranking above [[staff sergeant]] (E-6) and below [[master sergeant]] and [[first sergeant]] (E-8), and is the first [[non-commissioned officer]] rank designated as a senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO). ▼

A sergeant first class is typically assigned as a platoon sergeant at the company level or ''battalion operations non-commissioned officer in charge'' at the battalion level, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit. In a combat arms role, a sergeant first class is typically in charge of from 18 soldiers and four tanks in an armor platoon to 40 soldiers in a rifle platoon. A sergeant first class' primary responsibilities are tactical logistics, tactical casualty evacuations, and serving as the senior tactical adviser to the platoon leader. Sergeant first class replaced the rank of [[technical sergeant]] in 1948. (However, the U.S. Air Force, which separated from the Army in 1947, retained the rank of technical sergeant and the U.S. Marine Corps had the rank of technical sergeant until 1959).▼

A sergeant first class is addressed as "sergeant" except in certain situations, such as field artillery units, in which a sergeant first class serving as platoon sergeant is commonly referred to as "Smoke". If a sergeant first class is appointed to fill the role of [[first sergeant]], he or she is addressed as "First Sergeant". Typically a sergeant first class assigned on a manning document to fill a first sergeant role while being promotable to master sergeant can be [[frocking|frocked]] to first sergeant rank and hold the insignia due its position.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}▼

Sergeant first class is the first enlisted rank in the U.S. Army to be selected by the centralized promotion system. As such, it is considerably more difficult to achieve than the previous ranks. A sergeant first class is the first enlisted rank to be considered a senior non-commissioned officer, and a soldier achieving the rank gains not only prestige, but several benefits due to the position. For example, a sergeant first class cannot be demoted by standard non-judicial punishment. To demote a senior non-commissioned officer requires a court martial, or congressional approval, and normally only for offenses that carry heavy punishments.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}▼

The rank title of sergeant first class (SFC) existed in the Army from 1890 <ref>26-Stat-653</ref> until 1920 when it was eliminated in an army-wide simplification of enlisted ranks which had grown into a system containing 128 different rank insignia. The rank of SFC was used in several technical branches such as the Army Medical Department and in the Ordnance, Signal, and Quartermaster Corps and was equivalent to the field service ranks at the company/battery/troop "staff" NCO level, such as color sergeant, supply sergeant, or radio sergeant. The Army restored the rank of SFC in 1948 when it replaced [[technical sergeant]]. (Perrenot, 2009)<ref>Perrenot,P. ''United States Army Grade Insignia Since 1776'' (2009)</ref>▼