Oberwachtmeister (OWm) ( ge: for senior master-sentinel; senior watch-master) is in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...

of non-commissioned officers (NCO). Besides Austria and Switzerland today, the rank was also used for example in Germany and Russia.

Austria

''Oberwachtmeister'' is in the

Austrian Bundesheer The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of natio ...

the second lowest NCO-rank (assignment group M BUO 2 / professional NCO; respectively M ZUO 2 / longer-serving volunteer). The ''Oberwachtmeister'' will be normally deployed as leader (Austrian: Kommandant) of a

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

(8 to 13 soldiers). During United Nations missions and in NATO Partnership for Peace the rank ''Oberwachtmeister'' will be designated in English with

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

(SSG) and is equivalent to NATO-Rang code ''OR-6''. ;See also: *

Ranks of the Austrian Bundesheer The Military ranks of Austria (or Ranks of the ) are the military insignia used by the Austrian Armed Forces. Austria is a landlocked country and has no navy. Military ranks Commissioned officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers. ...

Germany

In the German army ground forces the designation of the OR6-Oberfeldwebel rank of

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

and

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

was the «Oberwachtmeister» until 1945. ; See also: *

World War II German Army ranks and insignia In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

Nationale People’s Army

In the GDR

National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...

(NPA) the OR6-rank «Oberwachtmeister» was replaced by the universal rank designation Oberfeldwebel. The equivalent rank of the Volksmarine (en: GDR Navy) was the Obermeister of the Volksmarine. ; See also: *

Ranks of the National People's Army The Ranks of the National People's Army were the military insignia used by the National People's Army, the army of the German Democratic Republic, from 1956 to 1990. Design The design of the rank insignias followed the tradition of the German Ar ...

«Oberwachtmeister» was also a German

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

and

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

rank.

Netherlands

Switzerland

In the

Military of Switzerland The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...

the ''Oberwachtmeister (Obwm, Sergent-chef, Sergente capo)'' is a NCO-rank (NATO-Code: OR-6). The rank is higher than the rank

Wachtmeister (Wm; German for 'master-sentinel' or 'watch-master') is a military rank of non-commissioned officers (NCO) in Austria and Switzerland. The was initially responsible for the guard duty of the army. Later, it became the equivalent NCO-grade of ...

, and lower than Feldweibel. Until the so-called Army reform XXI (with effect from January 1, 2004) the rank was regular assigned to the ''Zugführer-Stellvertreter'' (en: deputy platoon leader). However, the promotion to ''Oberwachtmeister'' might be possible after successfully having finished an additional trainings course. The level of that course succeeds the squad leader level. The ''Oberwachtmeister'' grade is in principle a transition rank to the

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

promotion. In United Nations missions and in NATO Partnership for Peace the rank ''Oberwachtmeister'' will be designated in English with Sergeant First Class (SFC), and is equivalent to NATO-Rang code OR-6. ; See also: ⇒

Military ranks of the Swiss Armed Forces The Military ranks of Switzerland are the military insignia used by the Swiss Armed Forces. The ranks have changed little over the centuries, except for the introduction, in 2004, of a new set of warrant officers. The ranks are worn on shoulder ...

References

* ''Die Streitkräfte der Republik Österreich, 1918-1968'', Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Militärwissenschaftliches Institut, 1968. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oberwachtmeister Military ranks of Austria Austro-Hungarian Army Military ranks of Germany Military ranks of Switzerland