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In the British Army , the Quartermaster (QM) is the officer in a Battalion or Regiment responsible for supply. By longstanding tradition, he or she is always Commissioned from the ranks (and is usually a former Regimental Sergeant Major ) and holds the rank of Captain or Major . Some units also have a Technical Quartermaster, who is in charge of technical stores. The Quartermaster is assisted by the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS) and a staff of Storemen . The QM, RQMS and storemen are drawn from the regiment or Corps in which they work, not from the Royal Logistic Corps , which is responsible for issuing and transporting supplies to them. Units which specialise in supply are known as "supply" units, not "quartermaster" units, and their personnel as "suppliers". Until 1813, the Quartermaster was the senior NCO in a British cavalry troop. In that year, the position was replaced by the new appointment of Troop Sergeant Major , the cavalry adopting commissioned, regimental Quartermasters as described above. In the United States Army , the term is used to describe all supply personnel and units that are part of the Quartermaster Corps . In the United States Navy , the term is used quite differently. The title derives from "master of the quarterdeck", the quarterdeck being the deck where the Helm was situated and navigation was generally performed. The quartermaster was thus in charge of the watch-to-watch navigation and the maintenance, correction, and preparation of nautical charts and navigation publications. He was also responsible for navigational instruments and clocks and the training of ship's lookouts and helmsmen. He would perform these duties under the control of the ship's navigator or other officer if there was no officer navigator. In the modern navy, a quartermaster is a Petty Officer who specializes in navigation. The Rating abbreviation is QM. The US Navy rating dealing with supply and logistics is Storekeeper (SK) which would be equivalent to the Army quartermaster. A Quartermaster within the scout movement is responsible for all the kit in a troop. In the French Navy , a ''Quartier-maître'' has nothing to do with supplies; it is a rank equivalent to an Army '' Caporal ''. SEE ALSO
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