Change of Responsibility Ceremony Script and Order of Events

Who this page is for

A change of responsibility marks the hand-off from one senior noncommissioned officer to another: a command sergeant major, a first sergeant, a Marine sergeant major or an Air Force senior enlisted leader. It is not a change of command. The commander stays; the senior enlisted leader who serves alongside the commander changes.

If you are the narrator or MC, you announce each part of the ceremony, tell guests when to rise and be seated, and introduce the speakers. You do not give personal remarks. If you are the outgoing or incoming NCO, the sections on who speaks when and what to say are for you.

Start with your unit's approved sequence of events, not a template. Army guidance tells unit command sergeants major and their staffs to develop their own sequence of events for a change of responsibility, and at company or troop level that can be delegated to the first sergeant and command team (TC 3-21.5, appendix G). Use this page to understand the moving parts, then match every line to the plan your unit approves.

Army order of events (TC 3-21.5)

The Army's drill and ceremonies training circular, TC 3-21.5 (May 2021), lists a change-of-responsibility sequence of events in appendix G (paragraph G-5). In plain terms, and in the order it gives:

1. Prelude music and formation of troops Before the start

   Troops form about 10 minutes before the ceremony, and guests are warned that the ceremony will begin in 10 minutes.
2. Official party and guests introduced 2 minutes prior

   The official party and distinguished guests are introduced, and guests are asked to silence phones and take their seats.
3. Host CSM and reviewing officer take positions Opening

   The host command sergeant major and the reviewing officer assume their positions.
4. Welcome by the narrator Opening

   The narrator welcomes guests.
5. Invocation If scheduled

   The unit chaplain gives the invocation.
6. Flowers for the spouses If scheduled

   Flowers are presented to the outgoing and incoming NCOs' spouses.
7. Official party and colors take positions Honors

   The official party marches to its positions, and the colors conduct a center march and join the official party.
8. Honors to the Nation Honors

   Units come to attention and present arms for the national anthem.
9. Change of responsibility Centerpiece

   The unit guidon is passed. This is the moment responsibility changes hands.
10. Remarks Speeches

    The commander speaks first, then the outgoing NCO, then the incoming NCO.
11. Army song Closing

    The Army song is played and sung.
12. Conclusion Closing

    The narrator announces the conclusion of the ceremony.

Two details are left to your unit. First, TC 3-21.5 does not say who hands the guidon to whom. In Army unit accounts, the outgoing senior NCO usually passes the guidon or colors to the commander, who passes it to the incoming senior NCO. Second, the circular's list does not include a reading of orders. Many unit scripts add one, so follow your plan. The circular does not describe passing a sword in an Army change of responsibility.

Who speaks, in what order, and what they say

In the Army sequence all remarks come after the guidon has passed. The order is commander, outgoing NCO, incoming NCO. The Marine Corps and Air Force differ (see below).

The commander: Recognizes the outgoing NCO's service, welcomes the incoming NCO and speaks to the formation about the role of the senior enlisted leader. Air Force guidance names these as the core elements of its ceremony: the commander highlights the outgoing leader's accomplishments, welcomes the new one and presents the flag for safekeeping.

The outgoing CSM, 1SG or SgtMaj: Thanks the commander for the partnership, credits the Soldiers, Marines or Airmen and the NCOs by name and with specific examples, thanks family, and closes by expressing confidence in the successor. Keep advice for the successor out of the speech. This is the longer of the two NCO speeches in most ceremonies.

The incoming CSM, 1SG or SgtMaj: Thanks the commander for the trust, honors the predecessor with something specific, makes a short commitment to the formation and families, and closes. A detailed vision brief does not belong here. You have not led this formation yet.

Example: MC script for an Army battalion change of responsibility (fictional)

Marine Corps: relief and appointment of the sergeant major

The Marine Corps drill and ceremonies manual, MCO 5060.20, gives this ceremony its own chapter: "Relief and Appointment of the Sergeant Major" (enclosure 2, chapter 8). The manual says it is held, when practicable, in units of battalion or squadron size and larger. It can be a unit formation, a review or a parade, and it can be combined with a retirement parade if the old sergeant major is retiring.

The symbol is the noncommissioned officer's sword. The chapter states that the old and new sergeants major will only exchange a noncommissioned officer's sword, and that exchanging other items is expressly forbidden.

In the order the chapter gives: the sergeants major move front and center, the old sergeant major carrying the sword. The narrator reads the old sergeant major's orders. The old sergeant major reports to the unit commander, is told "You are relieved," and surrenders the sword to the commander. The narrator reads the new sergeant major's orders. The new sergeant major reports, receives the sword from the commander, and is told "Take your post."

Remarks come afterward. The microphone goes to the unit commander, then the old sergeant major, then the new sergeant major. When an award or retirement is part of the ceremony, the chapter allows an option. The new sergeant major speaks right after the relief and appointment, and the old sergeant major speaks last, after the award or retirement.

Air Force: senior enlisted leader change of responsibility

The Air Force pamphlet AFPAM 36-2692 (2024) covers the senior enlisted leader change of responsibility. It calls the passing of the unit's colors the key to the ceremony, says the colors or guidon pass from the outgoing senior enlisted leader through the commander to the incoming one, and describes itself as a minimum expectation rather than a prescription for how each ceremony is run.

Its recommended script orders the speakers differently from the Army. The presiding officer and the outgoing senior enlisted leader speak before the colors pass. At the pass, the outgoing leader salutes and says "Sir/Ma'am, I relinquish responsibility" and the incoming leader says "Sir/Ma'am, I accept responsibility." The incoming leader then gives remarks, and the ceremony closes with the Air Force Song.

The pamphlet says a ceremony is authorized no lower than squadron level, that ceremonies below wing level receive no official funding, and that it does not apply to the Space Force. Check with your protocol office.

Navy, Coast Guard and Space Force

This page does not cover a Navy command master chief "change of charge", a Coast Guard change of responsibility, or a Space Force senior enlisted leader change of responsibility. We did not find a published ceremony sequence for them in service guidance, and the Air Force pamphlet states it does not apply to the Space Force. Follow your command's plan and protocol office. The speech-writing advice above still applies.

Day-of checklist for the MC

• Get the approved sequence of events and the final protocol list of guests, with name pronunciations.
• Confirm who passes the guidon or colors to whom, and where each person stands. Rehearse it.
• Confirm whether orders are read, and get the exact text.
• Confirm the speaking order and each speaker's time.
• Confirm whether flowers, an award or a retirement are part of the ceremony. They change the sequence.
• Mark every "please rise" and "please be seated" cue in your script.
• Test the microphone and have a printed copy of the script at the podium.
• Know who gives the conclusion and the reception details.

Sources and ceremony guidance

These are the official sources used for this page. Summaries are paraphrased, and the fictional MC script is original. Regulations change, so check the current version with your command.

• TC 3-21.5, Drill and Ceremonies (Department of the Army, 3 May 2021). Appendix G, paragraphs G-2 and G-3 (units develop their own sequence) and G-5 (change-of-responsibility sequence of events).
• MCO 5060.20, Marine Corps Drill and Ceremonies Manual (copy hosted by the U.S. Navy Band). Enclosure 2, chapter 8: relief and appointment of the sergeant major.
• AFPAM 36-2692, Enlisted Induction and Change of Responsibility Ceremonies (Department of the Air Force, 7 March 2024). Paragraph 2.3 and attachment 8: senior enlisted leader change of responsibility.
• "2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team welcomes new Command Sergeant Major," U.S. Army. An Army unit's account of the colors passing from the outgoing command sergeant major through the commander to the incoming one.

Frequently asked questions