What is the difference between a lieutenant, a major, and a sergeant? Sergeant Majors are often the top enlisted people for Colonels and Generals. A staff sergeant is a noncommissioned officer commanding a squad of nine to 10 soldiers, sometimes more. I do know that Lieutenants intend to take charge of a platoon, with a Staff Sergeant or a Sergeant 1st Class being the second in command. As nouns the difference between lieutenant and sergeant is that lieutenant is (military) the lowest commissioned officer rank or ranks in many military forces while sergeant is uk army rank with nato code , senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks. Can a 1st Lieutenant issue commands to a 2nd Lieutenant? A lieutenant is the first of the commissioned ranks. Abridged TL,DR: yes. Lieutenant is a higher rank than a Sergeant. A second lieutenant (O-1) in the Marine Corps is the first of the commissioned officer ranks. Basically both are different ranks in the armed forces. Although a second lieutenant is a commissioned officer and is therefore a superior rank to all enlisted personnel, including senior staff-NCOs, they often lack … (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)(Learn how and when to … Lieutenant is a commissioned officer and sergeant is a subordinate. As you didn't say whether you were British or American I'll list all … a good 2nd lt. lets his NCO's do their job and just tells them what his standards are and what the mission is- they carry it out and make it happen. The only thing I know is the 2nd Lieutenant is a lower rank, and is a golden bar; the 1st Lieutenant is higher and has a silver bar. First Sergeant vs Second Lieutenant. 10 Answers. A lot of senior NCOs and officers hang out at the military.com and goarmy.com forums, so you may get better info there than here. Working on a custom pinup tee for some SF guys over in the ‘Stan. They said to give her a lot of assets, and I don’t think they meant CAS In Commonwealth armies, it is a more senior rank, corresponding roughly to a platoon second-in-command. This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.The specific problem is: Standardization of rank presentation Please help improve this article if you can. It is the second most senior specialist rank. An Army staff sergeant (E6) is the next step up from a regular sergeant (E5). This question and a trillion like it are really starting to piss me off. More senior non-commissioned ranks are often variations on sergeant, for example staff sergeant, first sergeant and sergeant major. TL,DR : An officer is commissioned by the President Of the United States, and is given command over those of lesser rank. Favorite Answer . Second lieutenants work as staff officers or command platoons. Staff sergeants may be appointed as company sergeant major if they are due for promotion to master sergeant. Hope you will get clear after reading the text below.. Relevance. A Sergeant is a non-commissioned officer. Wren M. 1 decade ago. An enlistee takes an oath promising allegiance to the President and Officers appointed over them. Rather than attending a military academy to receive a commission, staff sergeants enlist, then they are promoted from a lower rank. A sergeant will usually be a team/squad leader, a staff sergeant will usually be a squad leader/platoon sergeant and a sergeant first class will be a platoon sergeant. Answer Save. Staff sergeants are addressed as "Staff Sergeant" or "Staff", but never "Sergeant". Second Lieutenant. Just what on earth do the writers think the army is, some form of liberal democracy? The idea that a Sergeant Major has more experience than a Second Lieutenant is reflected in the basic pay chart. OK, rant over, now here are the facts, as usual from the British point of view. Can a 1st Lieutenant work as the second in … A second lieutenant in the U.S. Army is the lowest of the commissioned officer Army ranks.The second lieutenant rank stands above enlisted soldiers and warrant officers, but they're subordinate to first lieutenants and higher-ranked officers such as captains, colonels and generals. In the United States Army, sergeant is a more junior rank corresponding to a four-soldier fireteam leader. A staff sergeant (SSG) in the Singapore Armed Forces ranks above first sergeant and below master sergeant. A Major is the fourth ranking achieved as you move up the commissioned ranks. Of the U.S Army? Besides, officers who command platoons usually have a Sergeant or Staff Sergeant as their top enlisted man rather than a Sergeant Major.