Command Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Weimer, the command sergeant major of US Army Special Operations Command, presents a green beret to a graduate during a Regimental First Formation at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Aug. 18, 2022. Army photo by K. Kassens. Headshot of Weimer. US Army Special Operations Command photo. Composite by Jenna Biter/Coffee or Die Magazine.
A Green Beret will be the next sergeant major of the Army.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer, the senior enlisted leader of US Army Special Operations Command, or USASOC, will replace Michael Grinston as the Army’s top enlisted soldier in August 2023.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth tweeted that “Grinston is an incredible leader who will leave big shoes to fill.” But she also said that Weimer “is up to the challenge.”
The sergeant major of the Army, or SMA, is the top enlisted soldier, advising the Army secretary and chief of staff. The senior soldier often acts as a spokesperson for enlisted soldiers to Army leadership, on topics ranging from general readiness to uniforms and family policies. The SMA also frequently testifies at congressional hearings and fields questions from the media.
Grinston was named the 16th sergeant major of the Army in 2019. He has made a mark on the position by championing a full revision of physical fitness standards in the Army Combat Fitness Test; updated parenthood policies; and the standardization of expert badges.
According to the Military Times, Army Chief of Staff. Gen. James McConville announced Weimer’s selection to the position on Thursday, Dec. 8, at a professional forum in Alexandria, Virginia.
McConville followed his announcement with a tweet on Friday: “We have the greatest [army] in the world because we have the greatest NCO Corps, and I’m proud to select CSM Michael Weimer to lead that Corps as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Army.”
Weimer has spent nearly his whole career in the special operations world, most recently as command sergeant major of USASOC since August 2021 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the home of special operations.
Before that, Weimer served as the top noncommissioned officer at US Special Operations Command Central at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan.
Weimer enlisted in the Army in 1993 and earned his Green Beret as a Special Forces weapons sergeant three years later. He deployed with 7th Special Forces Group, which relocated from Fort Bragg to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in 2011.
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Jenna Biter is a staff writer at Coffee or Die Magazine. She has a master’s degree in national security and is a Russian language student. When she’s not writing, Jenna can be found reading classics, running, or learning new things, like the constellations in the night sky. Her husband is on active duty in the US military. Know a good story about national security or the military? Email Jenna.
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