Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC) is the most senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) position overall in the United States Armed Forces. The SEAC is appointed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as a spokesperson to address the issues of enlisted personnel to the highest positions in the Department of Defense. As such, the SEAC is the primary enlisted advisor to the chairman, and serves at the pleasure of the secretary of defense. The SEAC's exact duties vary, depending on the chairman, though the SEAC generally devotes much of their time traveling throughout the Department of Defense, to observe training and communicating to service members and their families. The SEAC's normal term of assignment runs concurrently with the chairman, but an incumbent may be reappointed to serve longer. The first member to hold this post was William Gainey. The current SEAC is Troy E. Black, USMC who assumed the duties on 3 November 2023.
Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
Senior Enlisted Advisor left collar brass insignia (Army only)
Image: William Joseph Gainey
Image: Sgt Maj Bryan Battaglia, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.
A sergeant of the Coldstream Guards addressing through the ranks during the rehearsal for the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Sergeant, Royal Artillery, on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, firing the one o'clock gun
A First Sergeant with the 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera) gets his soldiers ready for a uniform inspection