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 is a rate used in the Covenant military, and later in Jul 'Mdama's reformed Covenant. The rank has only been known to be issued to Sangheili Fleet Masters commanding large fleets and armadas.

For most of the Covenant's history, this rank was held by the Sangheili race until the Great Schism, when the Jiralhanae assumed most of the Covenant's higher ranks.

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.

During the Great Schism, it is possible that the Jiralhanae took these positions from the Sangheili, as the majority of the Sangheili's other posts were taken over. However, no Jiralhanae Supreme Commanders have been mentioned.

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 sometimes wear purple or gold armor featuring an ornate helmet; at least two Supreme Commanders, Thel 'Vadamee and Rho 'Barutamee, chose to wear a purple-colored cloak as part of their ensemble. It is likely that this non-standard armor serves a ceremonial purpose.

However, when Thel 'Vadamee appeared before the Covenant High Council, he sported golden armor. This may signify that the cloak is only used when commanding fleets, or that he chose not to wear his cloak before the Council as a sign of modesty. 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.

Trivia
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 4
 * Terminals
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Initiation
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Broken Circle
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * ''Terminals
 * Halo: Fleet Battles
 * Halo 5: Guardians