Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank (E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above
Staff Sergeant and below
Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is a non-commissioned officer and abbreviated as TSgt.
Within the enlisted Air Force, promotion to TSgt has historically been the second most difficult rank to achieve (only the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, capped by Federal law, has lower promotion rates) and is the most difficult promotion most career Air Force members achieve. To be considered for a promotion to Technical Sergeant, a Staff Sergeant must have 5 years time in service and 23 months time in grade however, 10-12 years time in service is normally when this grade is reached. Technical Sergeants provide technical mentorship to junior enlisted members in preparation for entry into the senior noncommissioned tier and promotion to the rank of Master Sergeant.
