Daniel A. Dailey (born January 11, 1969) is a former

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

soldier who served as the 15th

Sergeant Major of the Army The sergeant major of the Army (SMA) is a unique noncommissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is servin ...

from January 30, 2015, to August 9, 2019. Prior to his tenure as the Sergeant Major of the Army, he served as the Command Sergeant Major for the

United States Army Training and Doctrine Command The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine ...

Early life and education

A native of Palmerton, Pennsylvania, Dailey entered the United States Army as an 11B (Infantryman) in 1989. He enlisted at the age of 17 prior to graduating high school. He attended

Basic Training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

and Advanced Individual Training at

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, Georgia. His civilian education includes a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in history from Excelsior University.

Military career

Dailey sworn in as Sergeant Major of the Army

Dailey's military education includes Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course, the Bradley Master Gunner Course, the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer's Course, First Sergeants Course, the Force Management Course, the Keystone Course, the Sergeants Major Academy, and the Command Sergeants Major course. He has served in the

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

, 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions. Dailey is decorated with the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

with Valor for his leadership during the Siege of Sadr City. Later, he was selected as the 4th Infantry Division command sergeant major in 2009. Prior to his selection as the Sergeant Major of the Army, he served as the command sergeant major of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. As Sergeant Major of the Army, Dailey served as the

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...

's personal adviser on all enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life. In August 2019, Dailey stepped down as Sergeant Major of the Army and was succeeded in his post by Command Sergeant Major Michael A. Grinston. Dailey's official retirement date was January 1, 2020.

Personal life

Dailey is a member of the

Order of Saint Maurice The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, an ...

(Centurion) and a member of the Distinguished Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.

Awards and decorations

References

External links

Official Site as Sergeant Major of the ArmyOfficial U.S. Army Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dailey, Daniel A. 1969 births Living people People from Carbon County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Excelsior College alumni Sergeants Major of the Army