Is it required for a Battalion Commander to be present at a soldier's promotion ceremony to SFC?

Normally the Company level commander would hold a formation for multiple promotions in a centralized promotion at the company level... Have the HHD commander schedule the formation making sure the BN CDR and CSM are available to attend.

I got my orders in the mail while on recruiting duty. Ceremony....who cared, had to make mission.

Really, does it matter.

Recommend you follow what your rarer/senior rater requests or your career may end sooner rather than later. Your call but I know what I would do.

I agree with everyone it would be nice to have the BN commander there but it can be the HHD Commander. My question to you is this a reserve unit or a NG unit? I only ask cause I know my BN where it is located the BN commander can't promote all his E6s to E7 cause of distance and he couldn't hold a BN wide promotion either unless he wanted Soldiers to wait once a year to get promoted by him

I asked that my last three promotions be low key, informal and just my company involved. Short and sweet, no frills. Others should be promoted in a battalion sized formation in a more formal atmosphere. They should be publicly recognized unless they expressly request otherwise.

No. Ceremonies aren't even required either. They're just tradition. On the effective date of the orders, that individual IS that new rank. Anything else is just formality..

Is it important for the BC to be there, sure. Are there times when the BC is TDY or what have you? Yes. The Soldier shouldn't take that personally. I typical MO was to give the E7 my availability and if that fit in to what THEY wanted to do with the family etc, then great. If I couldn't be there that's why you have an XO. In many cases though the E7 doesn't necessarily care if the BC is there - they usually want officers or NCOs they were close to, typically an senior mentor, along with family, to do the pinning and ceremony. At the end of the day it really should be up to the individual being promoted. The ceremony is for and about them, not the BC

Tradition and want is what your facing. Not regulatory guidance. Anyone can publish the orders, but the commander has the ability to dictate when and where, as does his commander, and his, and his and.......