A
Staff Sergeant (
SSG) is a Non-Commissioned Officer (
NCO) in the
U.S. Army or
Marine Corps (and in other militaries) who is one rank above that of a
Sergeant (
E5). A Staff Sergeant is responsible for a relatively large number of
enlisted servicemembers. Staff Sergeants can often be found as
drill sergeants,
recruiters,
instructors and
squad leaders.
SSG's have often been in the service for a considerably longer time than standard Sergeants, and have more responsibilities. In fact, a Staff Sergeant usually has several Sergeants working under his direct leadership.
A SSG insignia is characterized by 3 of the standard triangular stripes (chevrons) and a sort of half circle (rocker) at the bottom.
There are also SSGs in the Air Force, but are a pay grade lower, E5. Their insignia is a circled star embedded on 3 chevrons and a close-fitting rocker underneath.
See also: E6, E5, Rank and Pay Grades of the US Military