Special Operations Commander

Special Operations Commander of the Covenant is a high Covenant Sangheili position that commands all Special Operations forces.

Description
The title of Special Operations Commander is the highest office attainable by a Sangheili in the Covenant Special Operations division. They hold considerable amount of political and military authority in the Covenant Army; a Special Operations Commander is placed in command of all the personnel and material of a special operation and has a unique honor of speaking directly to the High Prophets and relaying their messages to the High Council.

It is speculated that only one individual can hold this rank at a time, similar to the Human rank of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. From what is gathered from the name, holders of this rank are believed to be in command of all the Special Operations Forces within the Covenant, but often lead attacks themselves. This is assuming, however, that the title is meant to refer to one's authority and not one's origin (example: Julius Caesar of Rome). This trend of personal leadership may be due to Sangheili nature, mainly their high sense of honor. It appears that the Special Operations Commander is clad in armor similar to standard Ultras, although not exactly identical.

The only known Special Operations Commander, Rtas 'Vadumee led dozens of Special Operations Sangheili and Special Operations Unggoy in the Battle of the Gas Mine and also the Battle of the Quarantine Zone. Since no Special Operation troops are seen in Halo 3, it is unlikely that the Loyalists appointed a Jiralhanae to such a high position.