Political Science

The armed forces of the United States of America are unified military forces of the country. United States Department of Defense and Federal Executive Department are the controlling body of military policies, which is headed by the President (as the over all head of the unified military forces of USA). (Demchak 56)

The U.S. military is considered as one of the largest and strongest militia of the world. The U.S has equipped its military with advance weapons and has the most effective and innovative technology at their disposal. Almost 40 percent of the worlds military expenditure is solely spent on the U.S. military which adds up to  664 billion dollars per year. (Binkin and Kaufmann 25)The U.S. army has played an instrumental factor in the success and proliferation of its country through out the course of history, the military has provided a sense of unity and pride among its nation by being victorious at crucial times such as the Barbary Wars, War of 1812, and World War II. (Brown 12)

The U.S. army has been able to mark its dominance through a very integrated and decisive command structure. The focus of this paper is to explain the command structure of the army, in an ascending order, starting from the bottom of the command structure and to top.  It starts with
Sergeant First Class also known as the Platoon Sergeant,
Sergeant Major,
 Major,
Lieutenant Colonel,
Colonel. (Sarkesian and Williams 67)

We are going to elaborate on the duty and responsibilities of each rank holder individually, to have an explicit understanding of the chain of command of the U.S. army.

Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army (Platoon Sergeant)

The sergeant first class is also called the Platoon Sergeant who has a vital position is the command structure of the army. Several ranks of Sergeants, such as Sergeant, Buck Sergeant, Drill Sergeant, Specialist and Corporal, work under the direct command of the Platoon Sergeant. The Platoon Sergeant is the advisor and assistant of the Platoon leader, who in the absence of the Platoon leader takes over the command of the platoon. (Demchak 32)  It is also possible for the Sergeant First Class to serve as the subordinate to the Platoon Sergeant or as the NCOIC of the section exercising all the attendant responsibilities and duties of the Platoon Sergeant. (Demchak 42) It is the first level where the term senior NCO applies (to platoon sergeant or sergeant first class). The person serving as the Platoon Sergeant or Sergeant First Class has (approximately or more than) 15 to 18 years of military experience it is demanded from that person to utilize their experience to produce decisive decisions for their missions and his soldiers. (Brown 32)

It is demanded of the Platoon Sergeant to exhibit strong leadership traits and to set a precedent for the soldiers to follow and be encouraged by. He is responsible for the training or section of the collective tasks of the platoon. He is responsible for maintenance and planning. He is the epitome of a military leader. (Brown 53)

First Sergeant
The First Sergeant is the holder of the most important position in the chain of command. He is considered as the blood-line of the army for he is the one at whom all the unit operations merge. The following responsibilities come under the command of the First Sergeant he holds formations, instructs the Platoon Sergeant, advises the Commander and all the enlisted members are trained under his assistance. The First Sergeant is taken as an exception and his unit is taken as an exception as well. He portrays the persona of an egotistical man but his intention is only exhibit the pride he carries because of the success of his unit for which he strives. The Commander and the First Sergeant share a unique bond of confidence and respect which is not found on any other level of the army. (Sarkesian and Williams 56, 57)

Command Sergeant Major
The enlisted soldiers who are selected by the Department of the Army after attaining distinction to participate in the Command Sergeant Major program are awarded the position of Command Sergeant Major. This is a very significant appointment in their professional career in the armed force as this is the highest grade of rank for the enlisted solider, it is the source of great honour for them.  (Brown 75)
The responsibility of a Command Sergeant is to implement policies and standards of the performance, training, appearance and conduct of the enlisted personnel. He advises and initiates recommendations to the commander and staff in issues regarding the local NCO support channel. (Sarkesian and Williams 51)

The Command Sergeant Major is looked up to for guidance. Therefore it is imperative for him to exhibit wisdom and tranquility to settle issues in a decisive manner. In the worse of times he is to provide support and zeal for his unit. (Sarkesian and Williams 59)

Lieutenant Colonel
This position is earned after 17 to 22 years of hard work in service. With this promotion the senior field grade years begin as well. Achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel is marking of a successful military career from where an officer can make significant contribution to the army and senior staff officers. Lieutenant Colonel belongs to the chain of senior leaders who in their best ability try to manage the army exercising their years of experience, wisdom, vision and mentorship. They wear a silver oak leaf which is symbol of pride and accomplishment for them. (Binkin and Kaufmann 86, 89)

Colonel
To attain the position of a Colonel is a milestone in itself. The contemporary American Colonels are usually in command of the infantry brigades, USAF groups and USMC regiments. With the assistance of a Command Sergeant Major serving as a senior non-commissioned officer advisor, the Colonel commands a brigade-sized unit which normally consists of 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. Colonels also serve as the chief of staff at divisional level in the U.S. army. (Demchak 78) The Colonel rank insignia is an eagle. To distinguish between a Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel, Colonel are sometimes referred to but not addressed as full-bird colonel. Army War College in Pennsylvania is the place where most of the colonels are trained. (Demchak 46)

These were the some of the major distinctions in rank structure of the U.S. army each promotion with it brings prosperity and honour to the officer. These ranks are earned through sheer dint of hard work and passion to serve ones country.