Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer, a Special Forces soldier with more than 20 years of experience in Army special operations, has been selected to become the 17th sergeant major of the Army. 

Weimer will succeed Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston this summer. Grinston has served as the Army’s senior enlisted leader since August 2019. 

In confirming the selection, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Dec. 8 on Twitter that Grinston “is an incredible leader who will leave big shoes to fill.” She said Weimer “is up to the challenge.” 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville made the first public announcement of the selection earlier in the day. 

The post of sergeant major of the Army was created in 1966, modeled after a similar post created in the Marine Corps in 1957. The length of service as the senior enlisted member of the Army has varied over the years. The first sergeant major of the Army, William Wooldridge, served for more than two years. The longest-serving sergeant major of the Army was Kenneth Preston, who spent more than seven years in the assignment. Preston went on to work for the Association of the U.S. Army, becoming the nonprofit’s first vice president for NCO and Soldier Programs. 

Weimer enlisted in 1993 and earned his Green Beret in 1996, serving tours in the 7th Special Forces Group and 19 years within the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He became the senior enlisted leader for the command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in August 2021.

Married with two children, Weimer is a Norwich University graduate who served several tours in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Southern Command theaters and was command sergeant major of the special operations joint task force in Afghanistan.