For the first sixty years of the existence of the office of Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA), personnel serving as aides to the CSA wore the same insignia that was worn by aides serving other Generals. But on April 25, 1963, the current design featuring a shield divided diagonally into red and white fields surmounted by the United States Coat of Arms and holding an eagle with inverted wings was approved.
The Chief of Staff is the most senior uniformed officer in the Department of the Army, and along with the Vice Chief forms half of the Department’s Senior Leadership team, augmented by two civilian positions: Secretary and Under Secretary of the Amy. By statute, General Officers appointed as CSA are four-star Generals; the only Army Generals who outrank the CSA are those who have been appointed as Chairmen or Vice Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The current system for the selection, training, and management of enlisted aides can be traced directly to the Chief of Staff of the Army, specifically General Peter Schoomaker. Just three months after assuming the office of CSA in August, 2003, Schoomaker came to the determination that a program specifically designed to help enlisted Soldiers become intimately familiar with the duties of and the expectations placed upon enlisted aides. In March of 2004, Sergeant Major Jamey Ryan was designated the Senior Enlisted Aide Advisor and helped craft an Enlisted Aide Training Course which was originally taught at the Army Center of Excellence, Subsistence. Originally available only to Army aides, the course was opened to Navy enlisted personnel in 2008, and is now taught at the Jointer Culinary center of Excellence.