The battle-hardened Sergeant is the longtime cohort of the Master Chief. No other human knows the Master Chief as well as this capable and brilliant marine. Johnson is that most singular of soldiers; a professional who's never more at home than in the thick of battle, and a loyal fearless warrior who will do anything for his men, and his homeworld.
NOTE: Odd that Johnson is referred to as knowing the Chief better than anyone else, given that one would assume from the novels that this would apply either to some of his trainers or perhaps to Dr. Halsey. It would seem this information, like much of the content of Halo3.com, is aimed squarely at those who may or may not have played the previous games, but have definitely not read the novels.