History Early years of creation {{Listen The Army warrant officer traces lineage to 1896 with the War Department's creation of civilian headquarters clerks and pay clerks. In 1916, an Army
Judge Advocate General review determined that field clerks should be members of the military. Legislation in 1916 authorized those positions as military rather than civilian and created the ranks of Army field clerk (the former rank of headquarters clerk) and Quarter Master Corps field clerk (the former rank of pay clerk). In July 1917, all Field Clerks were considered enlisted and were assigned an enlisted uniform. Their branch insignia was two crossed quill pens (worn on a disk pin on the left side of the standing collar and a firework insignia on the visored cap). On 19 December 1917,
Special Regulation 41 stated that the Army Field Clerk and Quarter Master Corps Field Clerk ranks were authorized the same uniform as an officer. Their rank insignia was now a framework pin of crossed quill pens on either side of the framework "U.S." pins worn on the standing collar of the M1909 tunic. They were not permitted the brown mohair cuff braid band of an Army officer, but were authorized a silver-and-black braid
hat cord for wear with the M1911 Campaign Hat and the officer's "G.I. Eagle" on the M1902 peaked cap. On 9 July 1918, Congress established the rank and grade of warrant officer concurrent with establishing the Army
Mine Planter Service (AMPS) within the
Coast Artillery Corps. Creation of the Mine Planter Service replaced an informal service crewed by civilians, replacing them with military personnel, of whom the vessel's master, mates, chief engineer, and assistant engineers were Army warrant officers. Warrant officer rank was indicated by rings of brown cord worn on the lower sleeve of the uniform jacket: two for 2nd Mate and 2nd Assistant Engineer, three for 1st Mate and Assistant Engineer, and four for Ship's Master and Chief Engineer.
Refinement of grading Since that time, the position of warrant officer in the Army has been refined. On 21 August 1941, under , Congress authorized two grades: warrant officer (junior grade) and chief warrant officer. In 1942, temporary appointments in about 40 occupational areas were made. The insignia for warrant officer (junior grade) was a gold bar wide and long, rounded at the ends with brown enamel on top and a latitudinal center of gold wide. The insignia for chief warrant officer was a gold bar in width and in length with rounded ends, brown enamel on top with a longitudinal center stripe of gold wide. The brown enamel backing of the warrant officer insignia was based on the color of the sleeve insignia of rank for ship's officers of the AMPS. On 18 July 1942, , the Flight Officer Act, was enacted, creating the rank of
flight officer, equivalent to warrant officer (junior grade) and assigned to the
U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). Insignia was the same as for a warrant officer (junior grade), except the backing was in blue enamel rather than brown. Most flight officers were graduates of various USAAF flight-training programs, including power and glider pilots, and navigator and bombardier ratings. Graduates were appointed to the rating of flight officer, but some of each graduating class were commissioned as
second lieutenants. Once reaching operational units and after gaining flying experience, flight officers were later offered direct commissions as lieutenants. Flight sergeants, who were assigned as transport and glider pilots, were appointed as flight officers when the new rank was created. Some of the first eligible flight officers were Americans who had served as sergeant pilots in the
Royal Air Force and who transferred to the USAAF after the U.S. entered the war. In November 1942, the War Department defined the rank order as having warrant officers above all enlisted grades and below all commissioned grades. In March 1944, the first six women were appointed to the warrant officer grades as Band Leaders and administrative specialists. In 1947, legislation was sought to introduce four grades of warrant officers. Proposed rank titles were: chief warrant officer, senior warrant officer, warrant officer first class, and warrant officer. In late 1949, the Warrant Officer Flight Program was created, which trained thousands of warrant officer pilots. The personnel were to be trained by the US Air Force, but controlled by the US Army Transportation Corps. The first helicopter pilot class was 51A (April 1951 to December 1951), which was trained to fly
H-19 Chickasaws. The program was temporarily cancelled in 1959 due to military budget cuts, but was reinstated in 1963 to meet the increased demand. In 1954, the Warrant Officer Act, , created separate ranks for each pay grade, W-1 through W-4. On 10 September 1956, AR 670-5 authorized the approved insignia for the new ranks that consisted of a metal frame around a brown enamel bar. In 1973, a reduction in force began and chief warrant officer helicopter pilots were offered promotion to the rank of first lieutenant to retain combat veterans. (Although wear of the new grade of rank insignia was not mandatory until August 1973.) Beginning in 1986, the Army began commissioning "chief warrant officers" (CWOs) upon appointment/promotion to the grade of "chief warrant officer two" (W-2) and above. This brought Army CWOs in-line with those of the "Sea Services" (i.e., Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard) who had always been "commissioned warrant officers." On 8 April 1988, the rank of master warrant officer (MW4) was created in the grade of W-4. Candidates were drawn from chief warrant officer 4s (CW4) who had attended a special course at the warrant officer school at Fort Rucker. The first class graduated on 8 December 1988. The Warrant Officer Management Act of 5 December 1991 created the paygrade of W5 and the separate rank of master warrant officer (CW5), since renamed as chief warrant officer five. On 9 July 2004, the warrant officer branch insignia (also known as the "Eagle Rising" or "Squashed Bug") was discontinued. The warrant officer's branch of assignment will now be worn instead.
Mission and use Army warrant officers are technical experts, combat leaders, trainers, and advisors. They serve in 17 branches and 67 warrant officer specialties, spanning the Active Component (i.e.,
Regular Army), the
Army National Guard, and the
U.S. Army Reserve. Warrant officers command the Army's waterborne and seagoing vessels, most Army bands, and as aircraft commanders of most
Army Aviation aircraft. In addition, they may be found in command of various small units and detached teams. The Army uses warrant officers to serve in specific positions. Army warrant officers are officially addressed as Mr. or Ms./Mrs. and warrant officers of grades CW2-CW5 can also be referred to as "Chief".
Training The body of warrant officers in the Army is composed of two communities: technicians and aviators. Technicians typically must be
sergeants (E-5, NATO: OR-5) or above in a related specialty to qualify to become a warrant officer. A waiver may be granted on a case-by-case basis if the applicant has comparable experience in the government service or the civilian sector. The aviation field is open to all applicants, military or civilian, who meet the stringent medical and aptitude requirements. The aviation warrant officer route does not require a bachelor's degree like other branches; known as the "Street to Seat" program, high school graduates or those actively serving that have a high school diploma may apply if they meet all other requirements. They are able to undergo
Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) and then proceed to aviation training at
Fort Rucker, Alabama, to commit ten years of military service as a U.S. Army aviator. After selection to the warrant officer program, candidates attend WOCS, which is developed and administered by the
Warrant Officer Career College (USAWOCC) at
Fort Rucker. Army candidates on active duty must attend the course at
Fort Rucker. Candidates in the United States
National Guard attend the course either at Fort Rucker or one of the National Guard's Regional Training Institutes. After graduation, all candidates are promoted to warrant officers (WO1). Technicians attend training at their respective branch's
Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC) before moving on to their assignments in the Army.
Aviation-branched warrant officers remain at Fort Novosel to complete flight training and the aviation WOBC.
Special Forces warrant officer candidates from both the active and national guard components attend the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course (SFWOTTC) at the Special Forces Warrant Officer Institute,
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg,
North Carolina. The course includes both WOCS and WOBC, tailored to the experience of the Special Forces Sergeant. Candidates must be a
staff sergeant (E-6, NATO: OR-6) and above, and have served three years on an operational detachment. In 2008, the Army tested limited training of warrant officers at the
United States Army Command and General Staff College at
Fort Leavenworth, a course normally reserved exclusively for
majors. The CGSC Class of 2009 included five warrant officers, and the Class of 2010 included nine warrant officers. Three 2010 graduates continued on to higher-level training at the
School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) in 2011.
Ranks () The Army warrant officer administers, manages, and operates Army systems and equipment of Army operations. The following are specific characteristics and responsibilities of the separate, successive warrant officer grades: • A warrant officer one (WO1): Appointed by warrant with the requisite authority pursuant to assignment level and position given by the Secretary of the Army. CW2s and above are commissioned officers with the requisite authority pursuant to assignment level and position as given by the President of the United States. WO1's and CW2's primary focus is working on the enlisted rank's
military occupational specialty (MOS). Warrant officers are classified by warrant officer military occupational specialty, or WOMOS. • Chief warrant officer three (CW3): perform the primary duties of trainer, operator, manager, maintainer, integrator, and advisor. They also perform any other branch-related duties assigned to them. Chief warrant officer four also perform the duties of the CW3. • Chief warrant officer five (CW5): perform the primary duties and serve at
brigade and higher levels. They also serve as Command Chief Warrant Officers (CCWO) for large commands at the brigade level and higher. On March 14, 2014, the Chief of Staff of the Army established the
Chief Warrant Officer of the Army position. In November 2004 the U.S. Army Reserve had already created a Command Chief Warrant Officer position. Chief warrant officer six was approved by the Army Chief of Staff in 1970 with the anticipation of Congress approving two new grades, W-5 and W-6. However, Congress did not authorize W-5 until 1991 and has still not approved W-6. The original W-5 insignia consisted of a single silver bar superimposed with four equally spaced silver squares with each square bordered in black. In 2004, this insignia was changed to a single silver bar surmounted by a single, narrow, vertical, black stripe, in harmony with the Navy and Marine Corps. The proposed CW6 insignia had two narrow, vertical, parallel, black stripes. On 22 May 1917, due to commissioned officer shortages, all but three of the appointees were commissioned as temporary second lieutenants. In 1918, the grade of pay clerk was added. In June 1926, Congress created the commissioned warrant grades of chief marine gunner, chief quartermaster clerk, and chief pay clerk. Requirements for promotion to chief warrant officers were six years of service as a warrant officer and an examination to qualify. During
World War II, Congress abolished the titles of marine gunner, chief marine gunner, quartermaster clerk, chief quartermaster clerk, pay clerk, and chief pay clerk. Instead, they would be designated warrant officers or commissioned warrant officers. In 1943, all Marine warrant officer ranks were aligned with the other services. They were warrant officers and commissioned warrant officers. In 1949, the grade of WO (paygrade W-1) was created for warrant officers and CWO-2, CWO-3, and CWO-4 (paygrades W-2, W-3, and W-4) were created for commissioned warrant officers. In 1954, the title "chief warrant officer" replaced "commissioned warrant officer" for those in grades CWO-2, CWO-3 and CWO-4. On 1 February 1992, the grade of CWO-5 (paygrade W-5) was created, and those who are appointed serve on the highest unit echelon levels. An appointment to W-5 has been written to be limited to only 5 percent of the warrant officers of that armed force on active duty.—and recruiting officers are only selected from the active-duty component. The regular Warrant Officer Selection Program requires a minimum of eight years of enlistment upon date of appointment (not commissioned), proof and/or demonstration of their 'exceedingly technical proficiency' within their MOS field, and achieved the rank and pay grade of sergeant (E-5) or above. The recruiting officer selection requires a minimum time in service requirement of 8 years, a minimum grade of staff sergeant (E-6), and hold the MOS 8412, Career Recruiter, as well as have served a successful recruiting tour as an 8412. Staff sergeants will be appointed to the rank of WO, while gunnery sergeants (or higher) may be commissioned as CWO2, based on the needs of the Marine Corps each year. However, an
infantry weapons officer currently requires a minimum of 8 years time in service, holds at minimum the grade of gunnery sergeant (E-7) with at least one year time in grade, and is assigned to infantry staff noncommissioned officer MOSs 0321, 0363, 0369, or 0372. Gunners are commissioned as a chief warrant officer-2 directly from their enlisted grade, and wear the bursting bomb on their left collar. When Marines are selected for the program, they are given additional leadership and management training during the Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC), conducted at
The Basic School in
Quantico, Virginia. == Navy ==