In the United States Armed Forces, the ranks of warrant officer (grade W‑1) and commissioned chief warrant officer (grades CW-2 to CW‑5)—NATO: WO1–CWO5—are rated as officers above all non-commissioned officers, candidates, cadets, and midshipmen, but subordinate to the lowest commissioned officer grade of O‑1 (NATO: OF‑1). This application differs from the Commonwealth of Nations and other militaries, where warrant officers are the most senior of the other ranks (NATO: OR‑8 and OR‑9), equivalent to the U.S. Armed Forces senior enlisted grades of E‑8 and E‑9 (NATO: OR-8 and OR-9).
Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers. While the ranks are authorized by Congress, each branch of the uniformed services selects, manages, and uses warrant officers in slightly different ways. For appointment to the rank of warrant officer-one (W‑1), since 2005, by executive order a warrant of authority is approved by the department secretary (Secretary of Defense or Secretary of Homeland Security) for each respective service, using delegated presidential authority. By statute, appointment to the grade of W-1 can also come via commission by the service secretary, the department secretary, or the president, but this is effectively an extinct practice. For the chief warrant officer ranks (CW‑2 to CW‑5), these warrant officers are commissioned, since 2005, by their department Secretary using delegated presidential authority. Both warrant officers and chief warrant officers take the same oath of office as other commissioned officers (O‑1 to O‑10).
Warrant officers can and do command detachments, units, 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 expert.
Rank insignia
Army History Early years of creation
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 1949, , the Career Compensation Act, created four pay grades, W-1 through W-4, for all the armed services. The two warrant ranks were unchanged, but warrant officer (junior grade) was pay grade W-1, while the chief warrant officer started at W-2 and could advance to W-3 and W-4. 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. The insignia for warrant officer 1 (Grade W-1) and chief warrant officer 2 (Grade W-2) was a gold metal frame with one or two horizontal metal bands across it. Chief warrant officer 3 and chief warrant officer 4 had a silver frame with one or two horizontal bands across it.
Due to the demand for helicopter pilots in Vietnam, the number of warrant officer pilots grew from about 2,960 in 1966 to more than 12,000 by 1970. 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.
On 10 June 1970, the Army adopted a redesigned warrant officer insignia that was easier to identify. It was a silver bar with one to four black enamel squares on it (one per level of rank). "In July 1972, Army Warrant Officers began wearing the newly designed silver rank insignia, with black squares ..." (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.
Army warrant officer rank insignia 1941–1947 Chief warrant officer Warrant officer junior grade Flight officer 1947–1956 Chief warrant officer Warrant officer junior grade 1956–1972 Chief warrant officer 4 Chief warrant officer 3 Chief warrant officer 2 Warrant officer 1 1972–1987 Chief warrant officer 4 Chief warrant officer 3 Chief warrant officer 2 Warrant officer 1 1987–1991 Master warrant officer 4 Chief warrant officer 4 Chief warrant officer 3 Chief warrant officer 2 Warrant officer 1 1991–2004 Chief warrant officer 5 Chief warrant officer 4 Chief warrant officer 3 Chief warrant officer 2 Warrant officer 1 2004–present Chief warrant officer 5 Chief warrant officer 4 Chief warrant officer 3 Chief warrant officer 2 Warrant officer 1
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. + U.S. Army branches with warrant officer billets Adjutant General's Corps Air Defense Artillery Aviation Chemical Corps Cyber Corps Corps of Engineers Field Artillery Judge Advocate General's Corps Military Intelligence Corps Medical Service Corps Military Police Corps Ordnance Corps Quartermaster Corps Signal Corps Special Forces Transportation Corps Veterinary Corps
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.