Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (Australia)

Most senior warrant officer in the Australian Army

Regimental Sergeant Major of the Australian Army (RSM-A)

Incumbent Kim Felmingham since 1 July 2022
Style	Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (Warrant Officer)
Inaugural holder	Wally Thompson

Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A) is the most senior Warrant Officer in the Australian Army. It is a singular appointment – it is only held by one person at any time. RSM-A holds the unique rank of Warrant Officer (WO) which is senior to Warrant Officer Class One. The special insignia for the RSM-A is the Australian coat of arms with a wreath around it. The twelfth and current Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army is Kim Felmingham.^[1]

Based on the United States Army practice of appointing a Sergeant Major of the Army,^{[citation needed]} the RSM-A is responsible to the Chief of Army (CA).

The appointment is the equivalent of the Warrant Officer of the Navy (WO-N) in the Royal Australian Navy, and the Warrant Officer of the Air Force (WOFF-AF) in the Royal Australian Air Force.

The post was created by the then Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Sir Phillip Bennett.

Appointees

#	Name	Term began	Term ended	Notes
1	Wally Thompson OAM	January 1983	January 1987	^[2]^[3]
2	Kevin (Lofty) Wendt OAM, BEM	January 1987	December 1990	^[4]^[5]
3	Peter Prewett CSC, OAM	January 1991	December 1993	^[4]
4	Arthur Francis CSC, OAM	December 1993	December 1996	^[4]
5	Peter Rosemond CSC, OAM	December 1996	March 2001
6	Brian Boughton CSC, OAM	March 2001	19 December 2003	^[6]^[7]
7	Kevin Woods CSC, OAM	19 December 2003	29 February 2008	^[6]
8	Stephen Ward OAM	29 February 2008	4 October 2011
9	Dave Ashley AM	4 October 2011	9 July 2015
10	Donald Spinks AM	9 July 2015	2 July 2018	^[8]
11	Grant McFarlane AM	2 July 2018	1 July 2022
12	Kim Felmingham NSC OAM	1 July 2022	Incumbent

References

^ "Regimental Sergeant Major — Army". Army Leadership. Australian Army. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
^ "Tribute to Regimental Sergeant Major Wally Thompson, AO". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). New South Wales: Legislative Council. 13 June 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014.
^ "WO1 Wally Thompson, OAM farewelled". Australian Army. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ryan, WO2 Wayne (16 November 2006). "Seven of the Best". Retrieved 29 April 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "?". Army News. 29 October 2009.
^ ^a ^b Garland, Jonathan (27 March 2003). "Next RSM-A Named". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper (1070 ed.). Canberra: Department of Defence. ISSN 0729-5685. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
^ "Australia Day Awards". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper (1090 ed.). Canberra: Department of Defence. 12 February 2004. ISSN 0729-5685. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
^ "Army farewells ninth Regimental Sergeant Major – Army". Defence News and Media. Department of Defence. Retrieved 10 July 2015.

Australian Army

Australian Defence Force

Command

Chief of Army (CA)
Deputy Chief of Army (DCA)
Commander Forces Command (COMD FORCOMD)
Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST)
Commander 1st Division
Commander 2nd Division
Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A)

Structure

Forces Command	1st Brigade 3rd Brigade 6th Brigade 7th Brigade 9th Brigade 17th Sustainment Brigade
2nd Division	4th Brigade 5th Brigade 8th Brigade 11th Brigade 13th Brigade
Special Operations Command	Special Forces Group Special Air Service Regiment 1st Commando Regiment 2nd Commando Regiment Special Operations Engineer Regiment Special Operations Logistics Squadron Australian Defence Force School of Special Operations
Aviation Command	16th Aviation Brigade Oakey Army Aviation Centre Aviation Units

1st Division (Deployable Joint Force Headquarters)
Army Reserve
Army Cadets
Special Forces
Airborne Forces
Brigades
Directorate of Army Research and Analysis

Installations

Russell Offices

Royal Military College, Duntroon

Land Warfare Centre

Holsworthy Barracks

Enoggera/Gallipoli Barracks

Army Aviation Centre

Campbell Barracks

Army Recruit Training Centre

Army Logistic Training Centre

Materiel

Personnel

Culture

Rising Sun
Slouch Hat
Digger
Australian military slang
Anzac spirit
Army newspaper

History

Corps and
Regiments

Infantry

Regular	Royal Australian Regiment
Special Forces	Special Air Service Regiment 1st Commando Regiment 2nd Commando Regiment
Reserve	Royal Queensland Regiment Royal New South Wales Regiment Royal Victoria Regiment Royal South Australia Regiment Royal Western Australia Regiment Royal Tasmania Regiment Sydney University Regiment Melbourne University Regiment Queensland University Regiment Adelaide Universities Regiment Western Australia University Regiment University of New South Wales Regiment
RFSU	North-West Mobile Force Pilbara Regiment Far North Queensland Regiment

Armour

Regular	1st Armoured Regiment 2nd Cavalry Regiment 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment
Reserve	12th/16th Hunter River Lancers 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse 3rd/9th Light Horse 10th Light Horse Regiment

Aviation

1st Aviation Regiment
5th Aviation Regiment
6th Aviation Regiment

Artillery

Engineers

Regular	1st Combat Engineer Regiment 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment 6th Engineer Support Regiment
Special Forces	Special Operations Engineer Regiment
Reserve	5th Engineer Regiment 11th Engineer Regiment 22nd Engineer Regiment

Combat
support

Royal Australian Corps of Signals (1st Signal Regiment, 1st Combat Signal Regiment, 3rd Combat Signal Regiment, 7th Combat Signal Regiment, 7th Signal Regiment, 8th Signal Regiment)
Australian Army Intelligence Corps (1st Intelligence Battalion)

Combat
service
support

Category
Commons

v t e Leadership of the Australian Defence Organisation
(Headquarters: Russell Offices)
Australian Defence Organisation	Governor-General Prime Minister National Security Committee of Cabinet Minister for Defence Minister for Defence Industry Minister for Defence Personnel Secretary of Defence (SECDEF) Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) Senior Positions Senior Personnel
Australian Defence Force	Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS) Deputy Chief of Joint Operations (DCJOPS) Chief of Joint Capabilities (CJC) Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) Chief of Personnel (CP) Chief of Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (CGWEO) Commander Joint Logistics (CJLOG) Surgeon General and Commander Joint Health (CJHLTH) Judge Advocate General (JAG) Commander Australian Defence College Commander Maritime Border Command
Royal Australian Navy	Chief of Navy (CN) Deputy Chief of Navy (DCN) Commander Australian Fleet (COMAUSFLT) Director-General Maritime Operations (DGMAROPS) Commodore Warfare (COMWAR) Warrant Officer of the Navy (WO-N)
Australian Army	Chief of Army (CA) Deputy Chief of Army (DCA) Commander Forces Command (COMD FORCOMD) Commander Aviation Command Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST) Commander of the 1st Division Commander of the 2nd Division Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A)
Royal Australian Air Force	Chief of Air Force (CAF) Deputy Chief of Air Force (DCAF) Air Commander Australia (ACAUST) Defence Space Commander Warrant Officer of the Air Force (WOFF-AF)
Department of Defence	Associate Secretary Deputy Secretary Defence People Chief Finance Officer Deputy Secretary for Estate and Infrastructure Deputy Secretary for Strategic Policy and Intelligence Deputy Secretary for Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Chief Defence Scientist Director Defence Intelligence Organisation Director Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation Director-General Australian Signals Directorate Director-General Australian Submarine Agency
Australian Defence Force Military of Australia

Other ranks of the Australian Defence Force

Australia-United States Rank Code	E-1	E-2	E-3	E-4	E-5	E-6	E-7	E-8	E-9
Royal Australian Navy	RCT	SMN	AB	-	LS	PO	-	CPO	WO	WO-N
Australian Army	REC	PTE	PTE(P)	LCPL	CPL	SGT	SSGT	WO2	WO1	RSM-A
Royal Australian Air Force	RCT	AC/ACW	LAC/LACW	-	CPL	SGT	-	FSGT	WOFF	WOFF-AF

v t e Military Senior enlisted advisor posts
Australia	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of Defence Force Warrant Officer of the Air Force Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army Warrant Officer of the Navy
Canada	Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Chief Warrant Officer of the Canadian Army Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Chief Warrant Officer of the Air Force
Denmark	Sergeant Major of the Army Master chief petty officer of the Navy Chief Master Sergeant of the RDAF Command Sergeant Major of the Home Guard
India	Navy Master Chief Petty Officer IAF Master Warrant Officer
Maldives	Sergeant Major of the MNDF
New Zealand	Warrant Officer of the NZDF Warrant Officer of the Air Force Sergeant Major of the Army Warrant officer of the Navy
Singapore	Sergeant Major of the Army Master Chief Navy Air Force Command Chief
South Africa	Warrant Officer of the South African National Defence Force Master at Arms of the Navy Sergeant Major of the Army Sergeant Major of the Air Force Sergeant Major of the Military Health Service
United Kingdom	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee Warrant Officer to the Royal Navy Corps Regimental Sergeant Major (Royal Marines) Army Sergeant Major Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force
United States	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Sergeant Major of the Army Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Senior Enlisted Advisor for the National Guard Bureau