Posted on Sep 3, 2020
What exactly does an E-8 Master Sergeant in the Army do?
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Hello RallyPoint, hope you are all doing well. Had a bit of a question that I took all over the internet, but haven't gotten much from other sources. We know an E-8 First Sergeant is a company senior enlisted, but what does an E-8 Master Sergeant do? No matter which link or site (Wiki included) that I went to, they didn't reiterate much, just that they were the chief operations NCO at the battalion level. Like what kind of job do they do for a battalion? Or company? What EXACTLY do they do? And how does command decide to billet them over as a First Sergeant? Anyways, hope you guys are all doing well.
MSG Board
Master Sergeant
MSG
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 14
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I served in a variety of positions during my last seven years of active duty. A Master Sergeant (MSG) can be slotted in either a MSG or Sergeant Major (SGM) position. I spent time as an SFODA Operations Sergeant, a Battalion PsyOps NCOIC, the USARSO Protocol NCOIC, the Operations & Plans Division SGM for the DCSPER-1st SOCOM, a Group Plans/Training SGM and the Operations Sergeant (E-9 slot) for the JOTC at Fort Sherman, Panama before retiring. From time to time, I had to fill in as the Base Sergeant Major as well.
Master Sergeants are promoted to the rank with the knowledge that they might have to perform the duties of a Sergeant Major or First Sergeant. We are often the most senior NCO in a unit and as such have to be very proficient/skilled in our craft. Prior to promotion to MSG, I was the Chief Instructor of the Communications-Electronics Committee of the Special Forces School, a MSG/E8 billet.
Most of the billets that I experienced as a MSG didn't require being a "daddy" to many subordinates except when I had to fill in for the company 1SG. Most of the time, I had to work with Majors and above. In short, a Master Sergeant can do many things and often has to depending on the unit's missions.
Hope this helps. FYI, SGT Robert Pryor MSG Leamon Ratterree @SP5 Jim Curry SGT Robert Foti SSG Dennis R. SGT Denny Espinosa
Master Sergeants are promoted to the rank with the knowledge that they might have to perform the duties of a Sergeant Major or First Sergeant. We are often the most senior NCO in a unit and as such have to be very proficient/skilled in our craft. Prior to promotion to MSG, I was the Chief Instructor of the Communications-Electronics Committee of the Special Forces School, a MSG/E8 billet.
Most of the billets that I experienced as a MSG didn't require being a "daddy" to many subordinates except when I had to fill in for the company 1SG. Most of the time, I had to work with Majors and above. In short, a Master Sergeant can do many things and often has to depending on the unit's missions.
Hope this helps. FYI, SGT Robert Pryor MSG Leamon Ratterree @SP5 Jim Curry SGT Robert Foti SSG Dennis R. SGT Denny Espinosa
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It really won’t make sense to you right now since you don’t have any frame of reference to understand it. You won’t understand or even be in a position to understand until you are at least 15 years in the Army. For you right now it’s like explaining the difference between an i7 Intel core and and ARM processor to your friends grandparents.
As to what they do, they are one of the people WAY above you who tell your superiors what to do and when to do it for reasons you don’t yet understand
As to what they do, they are one of the people WAY above you who tell your superiors what to do and when to do it for reasons you don’t yet understand
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Jake Lang
Sorry Sergeant, but your analogy has been wasted on a guy that barely knows how to access his emails and leave messages on forum boards on websites, so you're actually gonna have to still explain the differences to me.
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SFC (Join to see)
Jake Lang a MSG is like the COO of a company who works at a battalion level. They are usually in charge or second in charge of operations. Operations means the orders process. Someone at a higher echelon has a task and the operations decides who will do what part.
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Suspended Profile
You are being harsh for no reason.
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While your interest is a positive attribute, you should be focusing on what an E1 through E4 and maybe Sergeant. The role of an E8 is vast and dynamically different based on one of many positions at many levels, and different MOS’s. Keep the interest, but focus on areas that will help you get your career off the ground. Keep it up.
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