Technical Sergeant

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Technical Sergeant is the name of one current and one past United States military enlisted rank.

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[edit] United States Air Force

Technical Sergeant insignia, U.S. Air Force
Technical Sergeant insignia, U.S. Air Force

Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank (E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is a non-commissioned officer and abbreviated as TSgt.

Within the enlisted Air Force, promotion to TSgt has historically been the second most difficult rank to achieve (only the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, capped by Federal law, has lower promotion rates) and is the most difficult promotion most career Air Force members achieve. To be considered for a promotion to Technical Sergeant, a Staff Sergeant must have 5 years time in service and 18 months time in grade, however, 10-12 years time in service is normally when this grade is reached. Technical Sergeants provide technical mentorship to junior enlisted members in preparation for entry into the senior noncommissioned tier and promotion to the rank of Master Sergeant.

[edit] United States Army

Technical Sergeant insignia, U.S. Army
Technical Sergeant insignia, U.S. Army

Technical Sergeant was also a rank in the United States Army until 1948. During World War II it was abbreviated as TSgt. or T/Sgt. The rank after was Master Sergeant, while the rank before was Staff Sergeant. The grade was considered to be grade 2 at the time, but would be equivalent to paygrade E-6 by the current scale. By the old scale, the higher the enlisted rank, the lower the grade number. The highest grade was grade 1, while the lowest grade was grade 7[1]. It was replaced by Sergeant First Class in 1948.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Saving Private Ryan: U.S. Army Enlisted Ranks