Sergeant First Class

Sergeant First Class (SFC) is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank. A Sergeant First Class is typically assigned as a Platoon Sergeant at the company level or Battalion Operations Noncommissioned Officer in Charge at the battalion level, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit. A Sergeant First Class' primary responsibility is training and mentoring Lieutenants. Sergeant First Class replaced the now defunct rank of Technical Sergeant in 1948.

A Sergeant First Class is addressed as "sergeant" except in certain situations; such as Cannon Artillery units, where a Sergeant First Class serving as Platoon Sergeant is commonly referred to as "Smoke". They may also be culturally referred to as "platoon daddy", though not directly or in a professional setting. If a Sergeant First Class is appointed to fill the role of First Sergeant, he or she is addressed as "First Sergeant".