Warrant Officer (United States)

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For other uses of Warrant Officer, see Warrant Officer.

In the United States military, a Warrant Officer is ranked as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks but below the grade of O-1 (NATO: OF-1). Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers, and while the ranks are authorized by Congress, each branch of the military selects, manages, and utilizes warrant officers in slightly different ways. Upon the initial appointment to Warrant Officer 1, a warrant is given by the secretary of the service, and upon promotion to Chief Warrant Officer 2, they are commissioned by the President of the United States, taking the same oath and receiving the same commission and charges as commissioned officers, thus deriving their authority from the same source.

Warrant officers can and do command detachments, units, activities, vessels, aircraft, and armored vehicles as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. However, the Warrant Officer's primary task as a leader is to serve as a technical experts, providing valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field.

1 Air Force
2 Army
- 2.1 Background
- 2.2 Ranks
3 Marine Corps
4 Navy
- 4.1 Background
5 Coast Guard
6 Public Health Service
7 Insignia
8 References
9 External links
10 See also

[edit] Air Force

The United States Air Force no longer employs warrant officers. The USAF inherited warrant officer ranks from the Army at its inception in 1947, but their place in the Air Force structure was never made clear. When Congress authorized the creation of two new senior enlisted ranks in 1958, Air Force officials privately concluded that these two new "super grades" could fill all Air Force needs then performed at the warrant officer level, although this was not publicly acknowledged until years later. The Air Force stopped appointing warrant officers in 1959, the same year the first promotions were made to the new top enlisted grade, Chief Master Sergeant. Most of the existing Air Force warrant officers entered the commissioned officer ranks during the 1960s, but tiny numbers continued to exist for the next 21 years.

The last active duty Air Force warrant officer, CWO-4 James H. Long, retired in 1980 and the last Air Force Reserve warrant officer, CWO-4 Bob Barrow, retired in 1992. Since then, the Air Force warrant officer ranks, while still authorized by law, are not used.

[edit] Army

The Army Warrant Officer is a technical expert, combat leader, trainer, and advisor. The purpose of the Army WO is to serve in specific positions which require greater longevity than the billet duration of commanders and other staff officers. The duration of these WO assignments result in increased technical expertise as well as the leadership and management skills that make them so effective for the Army.

Army Warrant Officers serve as technical and tactical experts and leaders in 45 basic WO Military Occupational Specialties.^[1] They serve in 15 branches of the service,^[2] spanning the Active service, the Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserve. They also serve at every level from section to the upper echelons of the Department of the Army.

[edit] Background

The Army Warrant Officer program began with the Headquarters Clerk in 1896.^[3] Although originally viewed as a civilian, Army Judge Advocate General review designated them as members of the military. Since that time, the position of WO in the Army has been refined as both technical expert and leader.

Most Warrant Officers begin as enlisted, where they gain their initial levels of technical expertise and knowledge of the Army's systems. The exception is the Aviation WO who has no comparable enlisted specialty. After selection to the Warrant Officer program, candidates attend the Army's Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS), which is collocated with the Warrant Officer Career Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Upon graduation, each candidate attends training at their respective branch's Warrant Officer Basic Course where they learn advanced subjects in their technical area before moving on to their assignments in the Army.

Regardless of rank, Army Warrant Officers are officially addressed as either Mr. or Ms., although the informal and technically incorrect "Chief" is widely used.

[edit] Ranks

Warrant Officer 1 (WO1)

Appointed by warrant from the Secretary of the Army, WO1s are technically and tactically focused officers who perform the primary duties of technical leader, trainer, operator, manager, maintainer, sustainer, and advisor.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2)

CW2s become commissioned officers by the President of the United States. They are intermediate-level technical and tactical experts who perform increased duties and responsibilities at the detachment through battalion levels.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3)

CW3s are advanced-level experts who perform the primary duties of a technical and tactical leader. They provide direction, guidance, resources, assistance, and supervision necessary for subordinates to perform their duties. They primarily support operations levels from team or detachment through brigade.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4)

CW4s are Senior-level experts in their chosen field, primarily supporting battalion, brigade, division, corps, and echelons above corps operations. They typically have special mentorship responsibilities for other WOs and provide essential advice to commanders on WO issues.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5)

CW5s are master-level experts that support brigade, division, corps, echelons above corps, and major command operations. They provide leader development, mentorship, advice, and counsel to Warrant Officers and branch officers. CW5s have special Warrant Officer leadership and representation responsibilities within their respective commands.

[edit] Marine Corps

The Marine Corps has warranted officers since 1916 as technical specialists who perform duties that require extensive knowledge, training and experience with particular systems or equipment. Marine warrant officers are selected from the ranks of non-commissioned officers and given additional training in leadership and management. The duties Marine warrant officers typically fulfill are those that would normally call for the authority of a commissioned officer, however, require an additional level of technical proficiency and practical experience that a commissioned officer would not have had the opportunity to achieve.

An enlisted Marine can apply for the Warrant Officer program after serving at least eight years of enlisted service, and reaching the grade of E-5 (Sergeant) for the administrative warrant officer program and E-7 (Gunnery Sergeant) for the weapons warrant officer program. If the Marine NCO is selected, he or she is given additional training in leadership and management.

While Marine warrant officers may often be informally referred to as "gunner", this title is actually reserved for a special category of chief warrant officer known as the "Marine Gunner," or "Infantry Weapons Officer." These Marines serve as the senior weapons specialists in an infantry unit, advising the commanding officer and his staff on the proper use and deployment of the current Marine infantry weapon systems. The title "Gunner" is almost always used in lieu of a rank (i.e., "Gunner Smith" as opposed to "Chief Warrant Officer Smith"), and the rank insignia worn on the right collar or shoulder is replaced with a "bursting bomb", similar to the insignia inside the rank chevrons of a Master Gunnery Sergeant.

[edit] Navy

In the Navy, Warrant Officers have traditionally been the technical experts whose skills and knowledge were an essential part of the proper operation of the ship.^[4] Navy CWOs serve in 30 specialties covering 5 categories. Navy Chief Warrant Officers are technical officer specialists who perform duties that require expertise and commissioned officer authority to direct technical operations in a given occupational area. They perform duties that are technically oriented, that is, requiring skills directly related to previous enlisted service and specialized training, while not significantly affecting their ability to perform those duties through advancement to other duty positions and responsibilities--allowing the Navy to capitalize on their experience.^[5] Sailors must have been a senior non-commissioned officer (E-7 through E-9) to gain the commission.

[edit] Background

Based on the British model, the Navy has had warrant officers among its ranks, in some form or another, since December 23, 1775, when John Berriman received a warrant to act as purser aboard the brig USS Andrea Doria. That warrant was considered a patent of trust and honor but was not considered a commission to command. Since this first appointment, Navy and Coast Guard Warrant Officers have held positions as surgeons, master mates, boatswains, carpenters, and chaplains.^[4]

In 1975, the Navy stopped utilizing the grade of Warrant Officer (W-1). All CWOs in the Navy are now CWO-2 through CWO-5 and managed by billets appropriate for each rank.

As of 2006 the Navy started a test program called the "Flying Chief Warrant Officer Program" for pilots and flight officers. Enlisted sailors in the grades E-5 through E-7 who have an associate's degree and are not currently serving in the diver, master-at-arms, nuclear, SEAL or SWCC communities are eligible to apply. Upon being commissioned as CWO2s, selectees will undergo warrant officer indoctrination and then flight school for 18 to 30 months; after completion of flight school, will be placed in one of four types of squadrons: anti-submarine, combat support, patrol or reconnaissance and operate P-3s and H-60s. The program will be evaluated for four years.^{[citation needed]}

Chief Warrant Officers should not be confused with Limited Duty Officers.

[edit] Coast Guard

The warrant officers in the Coast Guard are similar to those in the Navy, but may be found in command of smaller stations and some boats. They wear insignia essentially like that of their Navy equivalents, but add the USCG shield above the specialty mark, as Coast Guard commissioned officers do with their rank insignia. Like the Navy, one must have been a senior non-commissioned officer (E-7 through E-9) to gain the commission. While the Coast Guard has been authorized use of the W-5 grade, to date, it has not done so. Except during periods when so directed by the President (such as declared war), the Coast Guard does not fall under the Department of Defense, but rather the Department of Homeland Security.

[edit] Public Health Service

The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is planning to add warrant officers in grades W-1 through W-4 in 2006. Addition of a W-5 would require action by Congress, and is not anticipated at this time. Initial specialties will include associate's degree nurses, laboratory technicians, and paramedics. Rank insignia will be identical to that of Navy warrant officers, with the USPHS badge replacing the specialty insignia.

[edit] Insignia

Abbreviation	Pay grade and Rank	Air Force (discontinued 1959)	Navy	Coast Guard
WO1 (USA) WO-1 (USN/USMC/USAF/USCG)	W-1 - Warrant Officer 1		Discontinued 1975
CW2 (USA) CWO-2 (USN/USMC/USAF/USCG)	W-2 - Chief Warrant Officer 2
CW3 (USA) CWO-3 (USN/USMC/USAF/USCG)	W-3 - Chief Warrant Officer 3
CW4 (USA) CWO-4 (USN/USMC/USAF/USCG)	W-4 - Chief Warrant Officer 4
CW5 (USA) CWO-5 (USN/USMC/USAF/USCG)	W-5 - Chief Warrant Officer 5	N/A	Established 2002	N/A