Master Sergeant

A Master Sergeant is typically a high ranking non-commissioned officer in a military force. Only those soldiers who are very experienced or very good reach this rank. Oftentimes a soldier will consider reaching this rank the pinnacle of their career.

SLDF

In the SLDF a Master Sergeant was the highest ranking non-commissioned officer. Their duties and responsibilities were similar to those of a Sergeant Major. Soldiers had to spend at least four years in the SLDF to get to this rank. Master Sergeants usually commanded a company's best platoon. A 'Mech lance could be commanded by an experienced Master Sergeant.

In the Second SLDF, the duties of a Master Sergeant remained the same. The Naval equivalent rank was Master Chief Petty Officer, and was the rank held by the senior NCO aboard a JumpShip or WarShip.

The insignia used by Master Sergeants in the SLDF used the same shape, but the first SLDF insignia was green while the second SLDF insignia was black.

Lyran Commonwealth and Lyran Alliance

This rank isn't used in the LAAF. A Staff Sergeant Major is the senior NCO in a battalion. Most of their responsibilities are administrative instead of combat-related.

LAAF Military Rank Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Staff Sergeant Major

Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery

When Shiro Kurita founded the Draconis Combine, he established the rank system of the DCMS. After the BattleMech was invented, MechWarriors who didn't own their own 'Mechs were instructed to wear the Master Sergeant insignia, but they were addressed as "MechWarrior" instead of "Master Sergeant".

After Theodore Kurita implemented his reforms of the DCMS, the rank of Master Sergeant was replaced by the Japanese term Shujin. Shujin wear a stylized katakana number "5" in lavender on a colored background appropriate to the wearer's branch.

DCMS Officer Ranks by branch of service

DCMS Ranks						DCA Ranks
Rank	MechWarrior	AeroSpace Fighter	Infantry	Armor	Artillery	Rank	Naval Crew Draconis Combine Admiralty	Technical Service
Shujin (Master Sergeant)						Shujin (Master Sergeant)

Armed Forces of the Federated Suns

This rank isn't used by the AFFS. The nearest equivalent rank is Sergeant Major.

Capellan Confederation Armed Forces

In the CCAF, these soldiers are known as yi-si-ben-bing thanks to the reforms enacted by Sun-Tzu Liao as part of his Xin Sheng movement. Though translated as Master Sergeant, the duties and obligations of this rank make it more like the SLDF rank rather than the DCMS Master Sergeant rank.

CCAF Military Ranks

CCAF Rank	Warrior House rank	Insignia
Yi-si-ben-bing (Master Sergeant)	N/A

Free Worlds League

The FWLM identifies the senior NCO of a battalion as a Master Sergeant. Master Sergeants (and their naval counterparts, Senior Chief Petty Officers) wear three gold chevrons on a purple background as their rank insignia.

FWLM Military Rank Insignia

Rank	Insignia
Master Sergeant

The Clans

The Clans do not use this rank.

ComStar/Word of Blake

Due to their past as a pseudo-religous organization, members of the ComGuards and Word of Blake Militia don't use this rank. A senior Acolyte or junior Adept would fulfill the duties of a Master Sergeant.

Free Rasalhague Republic

The Kungsarme doesn't use this rank.

Periphery Powers

Magistracy of Canopus

The Magistracy Armed Forces don't use this rank.

Taurian Defense Force

The Taurian Defense Force doesn't use this rank.

Marian Hegemony

The Hegemony Armed Forces don't use this rank.

Outworlds Alliance

The Alliance Military Corps doesn't use this rank.