Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (Australia)

Regimental Sergeant Major of the Australian Army (RSM-A)
Incumbent
Kim Felmingham
since 1 July 2022
StyleRegimental Sergeant Major of the Army (Warrant Officer)
Inaugural holderWally 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

See also

References

  1. ^ "Regimental Sergeant Major — Army". Army Leadership. Australian Army. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "WO1 Wally Thompson, OAM farewelled". Australian Army. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013.
  4. ^ 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)
  5. ^ "?". Army News. 29 October 2009.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Army farewells ninth Regimental Sergeant Major – Army". Defence News and Media. Department of Defence. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
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