Summary

As of October 2011, the Army Warrant Officer Cohort is comprised of about 27,000 warrant officer authorized positions located in the Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve.

• Technical Warrant Officer authorized positions - 17, 336 (64%)

• Aviation Technical Warrant Officer authorized positions - 796 (3%)

• Aviation Warrant Officer authorized positions - 8,882 (33%)

• Percent of the Officer Corps - 20%

• Branches with Warrant Officers assigned - 17

• Number of Warrant Officer Military Occupation Specialties - over 70

• (See also "Where Do Warrant Officers Serve?"

Army Warrant Officers are soldiers, technical experts, officers & leaders that manage and maintain increasingly complex battlefield systems. Warrant Officers enhance the Army's ability to defend our national interests, and to fight and win our nation's wars.

 

Candidates who successfully complete Army Warrant Officer Candidate School are appointed in the grade of Warrant Officer One (WO1). When advanced to Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2), Warrant Officers are commissioned by the President and have the same legal status as their traditional commissioned officer counterparts. However, Warrant Officers remain single-specialty officers whose career track is oriented towards progressing within their career field rather than focusing on increased levels of command and staff duty positions.

 

There are five grades within the Army Warrant Officer Corps. A person is initially appointed as a Warrant Officer (WO1), and progress to Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2) after 2 years. Competitive promotion to Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3), Chief Warrant Officer Four (CW4), and Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) occur at approximately six year intervals for Aviation Warrant Officers and five year intervals for those in technical specialties.

 

Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) general information with duty descriptions, prerequisites, and preferred qualifications can be found on the U. S. Army Recruiting  Command web site at www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/WOgeninfo_mos.html.

 

| Top |

---

 

Credits

 

This history was initially written by then Warrant Officer 1 Syverston, USA, whose primary resource was a student handout from the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career College. The history was edited and put into HTML by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Callahan, USA, Webmaster at the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Center and School. The history has been further edited, expanded is currently maintained by Chief Warrant Officer 5 (Retired) Dave Welsh, National Webmaster & Past National President of USAWOA (1988-1992) and who currently is the President, a Board Member and the Founder of the Warrant Officers Heritage Foundation.

 

Information on the Warrant Officer programs of the other services was derived from the Defense Department Report to Congress on the Warrant Officer Management Act, dated 30 November 1989. CW5 Welsh was a member of the DoD Study Group.

 

We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions to this history by CW4 Don Hess, USA Ret; CW4 Lon Flurer, USA Ret; CW4 Jerry McRee, USA Ret; CW5 Don Howerton, USA Ret; Mr. Dave Johnson, Casemate Museum, Fort Monroe VA; CW5 Ray Bell, USA Ret; CW5 Don Woodruff, USA Ret; CW3 Melanie Ladra, USA; CWO3 James R. Smith, USMC; CW4 Farrell Chiles, USAR; CW4 Pat Hudson, ARNG; CW5 Gary Nisker, ARNGUS;  CW2 Paul J. Carilli, ARNG; CW4 Kenneth 'Pete" Hill, USA Ret; CW5 Bob Huffman, USA Ret; CW5 (Ret) Jerry DiIllard, USA Ret; CW5 Matt Wojdak; CW5 Mike Adair, USA Ret; Ramon Jackson, Patriot Net; CW4 (Ret) Bob Scott and numerous others.

 

| Top |

---

 

This is a living document which is updated as research progresses and events transpire.

Comments and additional historical data may be sent to the Foundation by .

 

---

 

WARRANT The Legacy of Leadership as a Warrant Officer Index

| Dedication | Introduction | 1918 - The Birth of the Army Warrant Officer Corps |

| 1936-1949 | 1950-1974 | 1975-1983 | 1984-1988 | 1989-1991 | 1992-1996]

| 1997-2004 | 2005-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2011 | Summary | Credits |

| Warrant Officer Programs of Other Services |

| Additional Resources | Related Web Sites |

---

| Army Warrant Officer Definitions Over the Years |

| Code of the Army Warrant Officer | Code of Uniformed Services Warrant Officers |

| Foundation Documents | Foundations, Heritage, History & Military Museum Links |

| History of Army Warrant Officers | History of Aviation Warrant Officers |

| History of Black Warrant Officers | History of JAG Warrant Officers |

 | History of Special Forces Warrant Officers | History of Women Warrant Officers ]

| History of Warrant Officer Insignia | History of Army CW5 Insignia |

| In Memoriam to Fallen Warrant Officers from 9/11/2001 to Present |

  | Links of Interest to Warrant Officers | Origin of Eagle Rising Insignia |

| Origin and Current Status of the Warrant Officer Museum Fund |

| Warrant Officer Memorabilia | Warrant Officer Branch Insignia & Colors |

| Warrant Officer & Graphics Downloads | Warrant Officer Programs of Other Services |