Supreme Commander

"Within the Covenant military regime, the sight of a Sangheili leader striding across the battlefield in a gleaming gold combat harness simultaneously stoked the fires of victory within the hearts of the surrounding forces, and struck fear within the hearts of their enemies."

- Supreme Commander description.

Supreme Commander was a rank used in the Covenant military. Within the original Covenant, the rank was given to Fleetmasters explicitly appointed by the Hierarchs to lead major military expeditions.

The title of Supreme Commander was above the authority of Fleet Master and below the authority of Imperial Admiral.

Description
A Supreme Commander is responsible for a fleet or a contingent of fleets and leads blockades, naval battles, or orbital bombardment operations. Supreme Commanders command large Covenant fleets, such as the Fleet of Particular Justice, which was formerly led by Thel 'Vadamee before he was stripped of his rank due to his failure at Installation 04.

In addition to commanding naval forces, Supreme Commanders have authority over the ground troops attached to their fleet. For example, Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee ordered part of his fleet's special operations contingent to conduct a mission to the agricultural support ship Infinite Succor during the Battle of Installation 04.

Dress
When commanding a fleet, Supreme Commanders traditionally wear all-purple or all-gold armor featuring an ornate helmet, with a purple-colored cloak as part of their ensemble. During ceremonies, the full attire was not expected, however, as Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee chose to wear his standard Zealot armor without a cloak before the High Council.

Supreme Commander Rho 'Barutamee wore gold armor with a gold ornate helmet, draped in a purple cloak while commanding his Fleet of Valiant Prudence.

During the Battle of Installation 04, Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee wore purple armor with a purple ornate helmet, draped in his purple doarmir cloak while commanding the Fleet of Particular Justice. His cloak served a purely sentimental purpose, as it reminded him that he could make grave mistakes if he let his guard down.

While commanding the Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence, Supreme Commander Luro 'Taralumee wore armor that resembled that of most Sangheili Zealots, though it was more ornate, possessing prongs similar to those on 'Vadamee's helmet. He chose not to wear a cloak.

Trivia

 * It is roughly equivalent to the UNSC rank of Fleet Admiral, though with considerably more autonomy.
 * In the Halo 5: Guardians Official Game Guide, the title is constantly referred to as "Supreme Leader".

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Adjunct
 * Halo 2
 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo Legends
 * The Package
 * Halo: Broken Circle
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * ''Terminals
 * Halo: Fleet Battles
 * Halo Mythos