Bryan B. Battaglia is the 2nd Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman is a military position within the United States Department of Defense and is the most senior noncommissioned or petty officer overall in the United States Armed Forces...

, taking the vacant office on October 1st, 2011.

Battaglia serves as the principal military advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...

 Army General Martin Dempsey

Martin Dempsey

General Martin E. Dempsey, USA is the 18th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served 149 days as the 37th Chief of Staff of the Army from April 11, 2011 to September 7, 2011. Prior to that, he served as Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command from...

 and to Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta

Leon Panetta

Leon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...

 on all matters involving the joint and combined total force integration, utilization, health of the force and joint development for enlisted personnel .

“Sergeant Major Bryan Battaglia is the right guy, at the right place, at the right time,” Dempsey said. “We [have] some challenges coming up,” he added, noting that Battaglia had served as senior enlisted leader at U.S. Joint Forces Command.

In addition to his work at Joint Forces Command, Dempsey said, Battaglia is widely known as an advocate for junior Marines.

“He was well known throughout the Marine Corps as always being in the corner of his young Marines,” Dempsey said. “At the end of the day, if we’re to maintain our trust with the force, it’s going to take that kind of reputation. We’ve all got to have a reputation for being in the corner of those young men and women who we ask to leave the safety of their homes, raise their right hand, swear an oath, and then go out and do the nation’s bidding.”

Noting his multiple deployments and extensive operational knowledge, Dempsey welcomed Battaglia’s experience.

“He’s a warrior -- a leader who can walk with kings … but has the common touch,” he said. “He’s also a combat-tested veteran who was the senior enlisted person in al-Anbar Province several times, and of course, that’s maybe where our toughest fighting, certainly in Iraq, and arguably, in this entire war, has taken place,” Dempsey said.

The chairman said Battaglia has been described to him as the kind of man a commanding general needs in his corner – “one who will tell you straight up what you need to know.”

Battaglia said that as Dempsey’s enlisted advisor, he plans to let his actions speak for him.

“Rather than stand before you today and go through a lineage of promises or job descriptions of what I can do, … actions speak louder than words,” he said.

Battaglia thanked the many mentors who helped him along the way and the chairman for giving him an opportunity.

“Thank you, General Dempsey, for your trust and confidence in my abilities to serve this office. … You have my total commitment to the total force,” he said.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. “Joe” Gainey

William Gainey

William J. Gainey was the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . He retired April 25, 2008 with the rank of Command Sergeant Major....

 – who served then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace

Peter Pace

Peter Pace is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first Marine appointed to the United States' highest-ranking military office. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Pace succeeded U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers on...

 as senior enlisted advisor from Oct. 1, 2005, until he retired in April 2008 -- was the first service member to hold the position.

Awards

Battaglia has earned the following awards:

Basic Parachutist Insignia Parachutist Badge (United States) The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy...				Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
	Legion of Merit Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
Bronze Star Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...  w/ 1 award star Award star An award star is a decoration issued to personnel of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in lieu of multiple awards of the same award. An award star is very similar to an oak leaf cluster, which serves the same purpose in the United States Army and United States Air Force...  & valor device Valor device The Valor device is an award of the United States military which is a bronze attachment to certain medals to indicate that it was received for valor...	Purple Heart Purple Heart The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...	Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (United States) The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...	Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...  w/ gold award star Award star An award star is a decoration issued to personnel of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in lieu of multiple awards of the same award. An award star is very similar to an oak leaf cluster, which serves the same purpose in the United States Army and United States Air Force...
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States military. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize the contributions of junior officers and enlisted personnel who were not eligible to receive the higher Commendation Medal or the Meritorious Service...  w/ 2 award stars	Combat Action Ribbon Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or...	Joint Meritorious Unit Award Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...	Navy Unit Commendation Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....  w/ 1 service star Service star A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...	Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal Good Conduct Medal The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...  w/ 9 service stars	National Defense Service Medal National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...  w/ 1 service star	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States military, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy...
Southwest Asia Service Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members who performed duty during the years of the Persian Gulf War...  w/ 2 service stars	Iraq Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry....  w/ 1 service star	Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal is a United States armed forces military award created by George W. Bush on March 12, 2003 by Executive Order 13289. It recognizes those military service members who have deployed overseas in direct service to the War on Terror from September 11,...	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003...
Armed Forces Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created on January 11, 1996 by President Bill Clinton under...	Humanitarian Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States armed forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under...  w/ 1 service star	Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon Sea Service Ribbon A Sea Service Ribbon is an award of the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard and the United States Army which recognizes those service members who have performed military duty while stationed on a vessel at sea....  w/ 8 service stars	Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon Overseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours of duty outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the Overseas Service Ribbons for the U.S. Army,...  w/ 1 service star
Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon Drill Instructor Ribbon A Drill Instructor Ribbon is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which is issued by the Navy, Air Force and United States Marine Corps...	NATO Medal for Service in ex-Yugoslavia NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It is manufactured by Eekelers - Centini, International, of Hemiksem, Belgium...	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) The Naut Tahrir al-Kuwait was instituted by King Fahd ibn Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia for service during the Liberation of Kuwait campaign.- Background :...	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) The Wisam Al-Tahrir was issued by the government of Kuwait for service during the Liberation of Kuwait campaign.-Description:The Kuwait Liberation Medal was approved by the Kuwait Council of Ministers for award in five classes, generally according to the rank of the recipient...

• 8 service stripes.

He also holds expert marksmanship badges in rifle (8) and pistol (2).