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]
| Regimental Sergeant Major of the Australian Army (RSM-A) | |
|---|---|
 | |
Incumbent since 1 July 2022Kim Felmingham | |
| Style | Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (Warrant Officer) |
| Inaugural holder | Wally Thompson |
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
edit| # | 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "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.
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