Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.

Military usage

In most non-naval military or paramilitary organizations, a Sergeant is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranking above Privates and Corporals, and below Warrant Officers and Commissioned Officers.

There are usually several ranks of Sergeant, each corresponding to greater experience and responsibility for the daily lives of the soldiers of larger units.

The responsibilities of a Sergeant differ from army to army. In the British and most other Commonwealth armies a Sergeant is second-in-command (2IC) of a platoon (30-50 soldiers) or troop (the commander of a platoon typically being a 2nd Lieutenant or Lieutenant). In the US Army a Sergeant and Staff Sergeant are both ranks corresponding to command of a squad (9-11 soldiers), with a Sergeant First Class equating to a British or Commonwealth Staff Sergeant.

In some armies, particularly the German army with its system of mission-based tactics, sergeants have much greater responsibility and use of initiative than in other armies.

Sergeants Major are senior NCO appointments of a company, squadron, battalion, or regiment. In the US army company or troop, the senior NCO rank is Master Sergeant or First Sergeant; in British and most Commonwealth forces, sergeant major is an appointment e.g. company sergeant major (CSM) or Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), whereas the rank is Warrant Officer Class 2 or 1. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have a single Warrant Officer grade. Although even the most senior sergeant major (or equivalent) is lower in rank than any officers, the position of Sergeant Major is in many ways more prestigious than junior officer ranks.

Defence Forces

Sergeant (SGT) is a rank in both the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force. The ranks are equal to each other and the Royal Australian Navy rank of Petty Officer (PO).

However, the RAAF rank of Flight Sergeant (FSGT) outranks the Army rank of Staff Sergeant (SSGT). There is no Navy or RAAF equivalent of SSGT, however the Navy rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) and Army rank of Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) are equivalent to a Flight Sergeant.

In the Australian army the rank of Sergeant is above Corporal but below Warrant Officer Class 2. Although Staff Sergeant is technically between the two ranks, this rank is currently being phased out of the Australian Army. The insignia of a Sergeant in the Australian Army is three chevrons vertically adjacent to each other. Sergeants are non commissioned officers and are usually the seconds-in-command of infantry platoons or armoured sections.