Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer, pictured, will change outgoing Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston in August because the service’s subsequent senior enlisted chief, Gen. James McConville, the Army’s chief of employees, introduced Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (U.S. Army)
The Army has chosen a Inexperienced Beret with an extended historical past in particular operations for the service’s subsequent senior enlisted chief, Gen. James McConville, the Army’s chief of employees, introduced Friday.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer will change outgoing Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston in August, McConville wrote in a social media put up. Grinston, the sixteenth sergeant main of the Army, is about to retire shortly after handing the reins to Weimer because the Army’s prime enlisted soldier and key adviser on all enlisted issues to the Army chief of employees and secretary.
“We have now the best [army] on the planet as a result of we have now the best [noncommissioned officer corps], and I’m proud to pick … Weimer to steer that corps because the seventeenth sergeant main of the Army,” McConville wrote.
Weimer now serves because the senior enlisted chief for the Army Particular Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. He took that job final yr after serving in different prime enlisted roles within the particular operations area lately.
Earlier than arriving at USASOC, Weimer served as the highest enlisted chief for U.S. Particular Operations Command Central primarily based at MacDill Air Drive Base, Fla. Earlier than that, he was the highest enlisted chief for the Particular Operations Joint Job Drive Afghanistan, in response to his Army biography.
Weimer enlisted within the Army in 1993, accomplished the Special Forces Choice and Evaluation course in 1994 and earned his Inexperienced Beret in 1996 upon commencement from the Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course, in response to his biography. He served excursions with seventh Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Drive Base, Fla., and a few 19 years with USASOC at Fort Bragg, together with as its operations sergeant main, in response to the Army.
Weimer has “served quite a few excursions within the U.S. Central [Command] and U.S. Southern Command areas of duty” amongst different assignments throughout the globe, his biography reads.
He has twice been awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” gadget for fight valor. His different awards embrace two Purple Coronary heart medals, a Joint Commendation Medal with “V” gadget, an Army Commendation Medal with “V” gadget, and a Protection Superior Service Medal with fight “C” gadget, in response to his biography. He has earned the Fight Infantryman Badge and the Navy Free Fall and Jumpmaster badges.
In his new position, Weimer will function the face and voice of the Army’s enlisted pressure at a time when the service is transitioning its focus from its lengthy fight roles within the Center East and Afghanistan towards a future the place the first considerations of leaders are the potential for main, standard wars with energy rivals corresponding to China and Russia.
Grinston’s retirement subsequent yr will cap an about 36-year Army profession. He has served because the Army’s prime enlisted soldier since 2019.
He has centered a lot of his tenure on bettering high quality of life for enlisted troopers, together with not too long ago main efforts to enhance situations in barracks plagued with mould. It was after his personal inspection in the summertime of Fort Bragg’s Smoke Bomb Hill barracks that service leaders agreed to quickly shutter the Seventies-era barracks and transfer troopers elsewhere on put up or into off-post housing.
