Minor is the lowest attainable title in the Covenant military's unified rank scheme. The Minor rate can be held by all species' serving in the Covenant military.
Roles and responsibilities
Minors serve as the lowest tier rank for any given species in the Covenant's military, and typically perform the majority of basic tasks. Minors form the core component of most small-unit level organisations such as lances and files and will generally have very little command responsibility - with their immediate superiors consisting of a Major.
By species
Sangheili
The Sangheili typically distinguished their minors via the use of a bright blue armour colouration, and a basic style of harness (most usually the Gheocin and Od'wagra-patterns). Sangheili, as the leading military caste in the Covenant for the majority of the empire's history, placed the most responsibility in the hands of their Minors when compared to Minors of other species. As such, Sangheili Minors who demonstrate leadership potential may be tasked with leading small strike lances of Unggoy or Kig-Yar, while those who showcase more bravery and skill in combat are instead placed in a combat lance under the command of a Sangheili officer.
Befitting their status, Sangheili Minors were generally lightly-equipped with only basic Plasma weaponry including rifles, repeaters, pistols and grenades. Some may also wield energy swords.
Jiralhanae
The Jiralhanae adopted many of the same military customs as the Sangheili upon their acceptance in the Covenant's military. Like the Sangheili, Jiralhanae Minors consisted of the least experienced Jiralhanae in the Covenant, and were generally expected to compete with one another for gear and postings. Following the Changing of the Guard, Jiralhanae forces were outfitted with new power armour and weaponry manufactured by the Sacred Promissory and as such, the Minors adopted a new power armor design with the same characteristic blue of their Sangheili forebears. Prior to this, Jiralhanae Minors were often deployed with little or no armor at all, save for only a small helmet.
Jiralhanae Minors operated a similar spectrum of weaponry to their Sangheili cousins, with the addition of their own native weapons including Spikers, Maulers and Brute Shots.