Explaining US Army Warrant Officer rank
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- čas přidán 21. 10. 2017
- This video breaks down the rank of the US Army Warrant Officer and how promotions for warrant officer works.
✅ Check out the video explaining enlisted rank in the US Army here:
• Explaining US Army enl...
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One thing that you didn't mention, or at least I didn't think was articulated clearly if you did mention it. Is that all warrant officers are in a very specific career path/skill set. Pilots are the best example, they fly aircraft, and a specific aircraft most likely their entire careers. Most soldiers the are warrant officers are in positions that require a great deal of detail knowledge. You'll find the majority of them in logistical roles. For example, every battalion and up has a maintenance officer who is a warrant officer and answers to the echelon commander in regards to all things maintenance related in that echelon. Also, in addition to Sir/Ma'am, Mr/Ms, most people will just call a CW2 and up "Chief". Great video, just wanted to add a little detail for anyone that may be interested. If you want any input from the dark side, for an officer video feel free to ask.
Brendan M ya I mostly covered how someone can become a warrant and how they get promoted. Great info though. Thank you. I’ll pin your comment so people can see a little more info than I gave in the video. Thank!!
I bet you won’t hide their coffee cup
Brendan M 🖤🖤\\\\
Brendan M thank you for serving our country.😎
Dr. Hannibal Lester Chief Petty Officers are similar to Sgt Majors. In the Navy there are also Warrant Officers, though these are usually at naval bases and academies, and not onboard ships.
CW5’s are unicorns, don’t ever expect to see one. If you do don’t make any sudden moves or they’re disappear.
Haha, I personally knew eight of them. All Vietnam era pilots that were CW4s in the 90s when the rank was created as Master Warrant Officer 5.
I know about 5 of them. But I was a WO myself so...
I met one on a navy base of all places, hanging with two navy warrants and a marine warrant
Have only seen 2 so far.
True
Most dangerous thing in the world is a Warrant saying "Watch this shit".
Ha ha! I agree!!
No, No , NO - it's a 2nd LT saying, "It has been my experience"...
My 2nd MP Company E-8/1SG was a "black ace". He was a WO-1 helicopter pilot but wrecked 03 US military aircraft(blamed for damage). The DA decided to kick him into the MPs to stay in. Busted to E-6/SSG.
@@davidav8orpflanz561 We had a LT junior grade on the USS Elrod that always used sports analogy during drills. He would mix them too "Guys we are at the bottom of the ninth and a field goal won't do, gotta bang that puck into the net" thats the same LT JG That would come on the comm and say "there is an unknown aircraft approaching, it is 550000 feet out and closing" Everyone was like whats that in miles?
you forgot to add another requirement. must walk around with a coffee cup at all times.
That's not true - I did it once walked without a cup of coffee just to prove it was possible
Pics or it didn't happen. I contend that the coffee cup somehow emits an EM field that somehow exempts Warrants from showing up at morning and evening formation. Without it their presence at those functions would be missed.
Thats funny cause it's true!
Only the Staff Pukes.
Tea.
When I was a mechanic in an engineer company we gave our CW4 a coffee mug as a retirement gift. I never saw that guy without coffee. He was a technical guru, knew everything about the wheel side vehicles as well as the engineer equipment, very humble too. When I switched from Active Duty to National Guard, I received a letter in the mail from the Army National Guard asking me to apply to be an aviation warrant officer, and I was E-4. I couldn't believe they thought I should fly things. Still have the letter in my filing cabinet.
Half the Warrant Officers in the US Army are aviators...aviators get additional flight pay, and flight pay increases as the years go by ($200, $400, $650 per month additional pay)...and 80% of the aviators in the US Army are Warrant Officers, the rest are Commissioned, Officers who DO NOT get to fly their whole careers. So, if people want to be the BEST PILOT in the US Army - be a Warrant Officer!
Commissioned Officers are usually only guaranteed their first assignment out of Flight School to fly aircraft, then get other "administration/staff" non-flying jobs to do. From there it's hit or miss if they'll ever fly again. So, commissioned officer make a little more money per month, but when not flying- warrant officer aviators make as much,and sometimes much more due to FLIGHT PAY incentives and increases.
Warrant Officer differs from Commissioned Officer because the Warrant Officers stay in a particular technical field their entire career, as a tactical or technical expert - like, Aviation, Special Forces A-team executive officer, Music/Army Band Leader, Medical Equipment maintenance and repair manager, vehicle shop/motor pool supervisor, weapon system experts, Criminal Investigation Division (CID) police detectives/investigators, aviation aircraft repair shops and technical supply managers (Ground aviation warrant officers).... There are about 50 or so Warrant Officer specialty jobs in the US Army...
In Aviation they also have further specialized skills in a sub-technical field such as Pilot-in-Command, Instructor/evaluation pilots (Instruments Flight, Night-Vision Goggles, specific mission profiles, etc), aircraft maintenance test pilots, aviation safety pilots, aviation operations and tactics officer, multi-aircraft formation (Air Assault) flight leaders and/or mission commanders. Also, most aviation warrant officers specialize in a particular aircraft (Chinook, Black Hawk, Apache, etc...), and perhaps a particular mission profile. Such as - some warrant officers who fly Medical evacuation helicopters attend a specialized medical evacuation officer's course...
Aviation Warrant Officers (Warrant Officer Branch) are kind of like a pool, which the other Branches that have aircraft to support their particular missions pull warrant officer aviators from / like borrowing: Aviation Branch (Air Assault, heavy lift, etc), US Cavalry, Medical Service Corp Branch (Dust OFF), and Military intelligence Branch (Intel gathering, sneak and peak, and electronic airborne warfare) to support their specific missions with expert. Sometimes Warrant officers get bounced around between branches and mission types (i.e.: Air Assault, Military Intelligence, and Medevac for Black hawk pilots: Air Attack and Air Cavalry for scout helicpter pilots)...
Then there are additional duties Warrant officers often get tasked with for when not flying - like Aviation Life Support Equipment inspection and maintenance shop manager, Survival Instructor, Weapons Firing Range Safety officer, unit Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Defense program officer, etc...
Names for Warrant officers:
- unofficially: RANK AMONGST WARRANT OFFICERS IS LIKE VERTUE AMONGST WHORES - ain't much!
- Warrant Officers usually don't salute other warrant officers, even though officially they are supposed to if a higher rank - unless it's some kind of formal ceremonial situation.
- Warrant Officers often call each other by the first name, or the last name leaving off the formality of sir/ma'am, Mister/Miss etc...like friends or brother/sisters talking to each other unless it's some kind of official situation (One is in a command position over another, ceremony, etc).
- Besides Enlisted personnel addressing Warrant Officers formally as Sir/Ma'am, Mister,/Miss, or by their entire rank "Chief Warrant Officer Three Smith", that's often shortened to "Chief Smith", or just "Chief". Commissioned Officers also address Warrant Officers the same way, except for the "SIR" part, unless for some crazy situation where a Warrant Officer is in command of them (Warrant Officer the Pilot -in-Command and the Commissioned Officer is his co-pilot maybe?).
- Amongst Warrant Officers, new WO1 (lowest rank) Warrant Officers are often called "Wobbly Ones", because they are just getting on their feet as Warrant Officers ("Weebles wobble but they don't fall down").
Enlisted soldiers sign a contract with the US Government and any authority they have is deligated to them by a commissioned officer appointed over them - hence some are "NON-Commissioned Officers - NCO's.
Commissioned Officers means they get their authority Commissioned to them by the President of the United States of America, to act as his representative, with delegated authority from the President.
Warrant Officers are appointed by Congress and do not initially have any real authority, except that, delegated as is unto aforementioned NCO's get to them, from the Commissioned Officer appointed over them.
But, upon being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer Two, they can take a Commissioning Officer's oath - and then they can exercise all the same authority as the President's representative that a REGULAR commissioned officer has. They can become Commanders of Units (as a rule- the Army band leaders are "commissioned" Warrant Officers and official commanders of their bands), they then can reenlist personnel - administer oaths, and administer Uniformed Code of Military Justice punishments; and anyone lying to a "Commissioned" warrant officer is the same as lying to a regular commissioned officer and punishable as such, etc...
Funny thing is, Commissioned Warrant Officers don't get any more pay than ones not commissioned, and there is no way of knowing by just looking at a CW2 of higher ranking Warrant officer if they are Commissioned/took the Commissioning oath. I've seen where under this situation a CW2 (me actually) became, the Commander of CW3's and CW4's in a aviation company. So, for official things like formations, etc...they would call me "SIR" and salute me as their commander. in reality, outside official times it was still "Dave", "Joe", "Steve"...CW3 and CW4's need very little commanding, and just information flow... Our regular Commissioned Officer (Female) Captain Company commander was pregnant and had to be bed-ridden for awhile, so "Who's a Commissioned Warrant Officer", asked the Battalion commander - and "tag", I was the only one, "it" to filll in!
Warrant Officers also HAVE to get College Degrees to get promoted. If they didn't have them before getting appointed/promoted, they have a time limit to do so while in the rank required...
Because like the higher NCO ranks, CW2 Warrant Officers and above also face promotion boards, or they are taken off active duty if not promoted - not just continue at present rank... That's the chance taken for all the perks of being a Warrnt Officer.
Some say the Warrant officer is the best of being an ENLISTED soldier and a Commissioned OFFICER, both worlds: - it can also be WAY MORE WORK than either too.
Yup. And with Commissioned Officers they usually get to fly until they hit the rank of Major. Then they become desk jockeys.
Thank you for all of the info! I just got selected as a civilian to go to Warrant Officer Flight Training. My WOCS class is next Feb.
@@loganp.9987 how? did you already have experience flying?
I really like your style, dude - easily understandable, unbiased and apolitical. Keep up the good work.
CC videos are good. The US Army is about 60-80% Hollywood stereo types or rumors to most people. Unless you are a veteran or have active duty family you get a lot of detail from this source.
How could you do a basic explanation video politically?
@@carboy101 not my dumbass thinking they meant literal style
(6 things you never want to hear in the military)
1.) A LT saying "well in my experience"
2.) A PVT E-1 saying "I learned this in basic"
3.) A SSG E-6 saying "trust me sir"
4.) A 1SG saying "I retire in 6 months and really dont give a fuck"
5.) A Captain saying "dont worry about it, I got word from higher."
6.) A warrant officer saying "y'all watch this!"
I was E for 9 years with 2 deployments before I became an O. So there are some LT's with experience.
@@danielrn133 I instructed T-School in Fort Eustis, VA. If you think its hard to teach some 19 year old butter bar how to shoot an M-16, trying telling some butter bar that used to be an E-7, whilst he's shooting 19 for the 3 time.
My grandfather was a Warrant Officer for the Army and Army Air Corps in WW2. He did motorpool supervisor, and repair manager for the frontline. Thank you for helping me understand a bit more this man I never met.
My late father was a retired CWO in the USAAF in WW2. He was the only CWO in his B-24 bomb group and highly decorated (2 Purple Hearts included).
After he passed, I met a former member of his group who was a retired Major. He told me the WO was the absolute best rank because it didn't require all the BS of the officer ranks.
Needless to say I am very proud of his service.
I love you and miss you Dad.
(hug and salute)
XO
I'm not a pissy individual... but if you are a real grandson of a warrant officer... why don't you know the fact that; there're no warrant officers in the united states' air force forces.
I'm smelling B's from you.
And the Air Force got rid of the warrant officer ranks. Between 1959. Air Force abolished warrant officer ranks. Your dad was probably a lower rank than that. I'm sorry to say it--but they ridded the rank a long time ago
@@earnem4175Bruh he was in the USAAF, the predecessor to the USAF. WW2 was prior to the 50s.
Retired CW4 here, spent 14/24 years as just a Warrant, not including my enlisted time. Great video explaining most of the commanalites amongst the Warrant ranks
When I saw my first CW5 I thought that was the OLDEST LT I ever saw. Then he pulled out his ID card and saw CW5 on it.
CW5’s are kinda like Colonels and Generals but saltier than either
actually, all of the CW5's, Col, and Generals I've met have been very nice. It's the butter bars that are the salty ones. I've seen ever rank all the way up to LTG.
Well it so happens that tomorrow a female W5 chief warrant officer is coming to talk to us. She has set aside her own time to talk with us. What questions should I ask her?
WOCS is Warrant Officer Candidate School NOT Warrant Officer "cadet" School
Thats what I was saying when he said it. To funny!!
They actually have a high school to flight school and street to seat program where based on these programs you can join the army and become a warrant officer (provided you pass the entrance test and SIFT test, not to mention get selected and pass basic training, then WOCS). Speaking from experience, currently a CW2 aviator and came in as a street to seater and about to hit 3 yrs in the active army total.
Wow! Much more involved than I thought! Great info!! Thanks.
Thank you so much Christopher for trying to help us out. Blessss God, and blesss you too...
Two of my PT partners were Warrants. One was in Transportation and the other was in Admin. Great guys, always!
Thanks for this video. My uncle was a W-4 during Vietnam and flew UH-1 Hueys. I knew a few things about Warrant Officers, but I appreciate this detailed explanation.
I came into the army as a WO2 because I had a Masters in nursing and 10 years in the career + 3 years JrROTC, so you can become a WO without previous military service.
Dr. Scott Crull, PhD what was your MOS?
WO2 is not an actual rank in the army. You may be referring to a different service but in the army the warrant office ranks are WO1 and CW2-5
That's what I told this dummy. He should do better research before he opens his mouth other than catching flies🦟
Was that in 1902? That’s not how it works anymore.
I am not in military service, but was alweys interested in ranks and way you get higher rank. Thank you on this two videos (enlisted and warrent). I respect people that choose to serve and protect my country, its serius and resposible work and duty.
Thank you for your service Sir. Cheers!
I love your rank explanation videos! Don't ever quit! I can tell you're going to be big someday. Hooah
Thank you so much. I appreciate that man. Ill be working on the commissioned officer video in a week or so. Thanks for checking out my videos. You rock!!
When I was a Warrant - we only had CW-4s, no half captains yet. And we prefer to be called 'Chief' instead of sir or mister. Chief Mac US Army (1977-1985)
old ass nigga
Hooah Chief
Hold your horses Mister Mac. This retired WO never liked being called Chief. I worked too damn hard to be addressed by what is an enlisted title in the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force. Don’t have to call me sir, but Mister works just fine. Don’t assume that all warrant officers like to be called Chief. Besides we don’t want to insult any Chief Petty Officers or Chief Master Sergeants do we ?
thanks for your service. I love your vids. I'm trying to nail down the ranks/rates
Thank you!!
A few corrections. CW2 and up have, since the late 80s, been given commissions as well as warrants. This gives them the ability to administer oaths for enlistment,, investigations, etc. They can also, in a crunch,, command smaller units.
Warrant officers are fairly flexible at the bottom, but CW4s are mostly found at Division and Corps level, wher they may have a few junior warrants assisting them. CW3s and 4s in some specialties serve as platoon leaders instead of lieutenants.CW5s are extremely rare. They have to have 20 years as a warrant officer, regarrdless of how many years they had before that. They tend to be career field managers. and senior liaiison to major commands such as CECOM. A career field manager is the senior advisor in his field, making sure that they are distribute to the brigades and divisions as most needed by the army. They also oversee career development. The greatest thing I found about it was that until the transition between CW3 and CW4, there was very little competition between warrant officers.. They cooperate very well as compared with commissioned officers who oftten turn to backstabbing very early in their careers. They are generally okay with those above or below them, but for those competing for that next promotion slot, they can be really nasty.
Many are in maintenance specialties, but they aslo serve as interrogators and several other intel functions. As Artillery targeting officers, and some other combat arms or combat support specialties.
Chris, your videos are awesome. This video is great!
guysovereign thank you. I appreciate that!!
Very interesting and well done. I was in the Navy and was always a little confused about Army enlisted ranks.
Never met a warrant officer who wasnt cool af. #fortbragg
You actually met a Warrant Officer? Was it hibernating and you stumbled upon it or something? lol
@@flanny020 Yeah he really would be that *cool*
Scott Christianson SPOT ON
Lucky
You are absolutely correct..
Thanks man, appreciate this video
Merry Christmas to you.
Enjoyed the explanation - LIKED and SUBSCRIBED!
Thank You!!!!!
Going to basic next week. Studying army terms! Thank you!
Good video. Now do one about the Flight Officers in the US Army Air Corps during WWII. (I'm retired USAF and prior service Army.) I gave a speech on them while I was at the USAF SNCO Academy in 2004. It's an interesting little slice of history (kind of like the enlisted pilot program the AF used to have) and brought up some interesting scenarios in command situations in aircraft during that war. Also, AF had Warrants for awhile before they scrapped the program and let the last few retire out. I personally think it was shame. Thanks for posting.
Brilliant explanation.
I was watching his Enlisted video and was looking for his officer video and he had just posted it 5 mins ago 😂
DietDrSprite I’ll be doing one for the commissioned officer soon. Thanks for watching!!
Hello, anyplace you might know of where I can get help with a packet? I just enlisted and have interest in woft, current warrant officer training. Where can I find warrant officers as I have only had the privilage of seargants to mingle with.
Thank you for your service sir!
Thank you! Best explanation of a weird but very cool rank. The music at the end is not needed, though.
My dad attained the (now outdated) rank of WOJG just before going to Korea in 1952. He was with 65th Inf. of 3rd Inf. Div. as a Signal Corps specialist. He retired in 1961 as a CWO3 with an MOS of Artillery (Howitzer) Logistics specialist. He was an instructor in counter-battery ranging at Ft. Sill.
Thanks mate! I’m no veteran or currently serving soldier, but I’m a military “enthusiast” (I guess u could say)... but I never understood what Warrant Officers did. Nice video!
First of all, thanks for your service.
Second, I’ve done research on US Army Special Forces. I’ve read where ODA senior NCO’s will seek promotion to Warrant Officer to stay on the teams. I’m a researcher, not a veteran, so I could be totally wrong. The book Masters of Chaos by Linda Robinson (2004) is the first place I remember reading it. I’ve seen other places, but that’s the source that immediately comes to mind.
Thanks for putting these videos out there!
That is true. Each team has one warrant officer and if he were to leave for what ever reason then someone on that team has to step up to become a warrant officer. Usually one of the mid to higher ranking soldiers on the team.
Amazing job.
Great video sir.
john K thank you!!!
My father was WO2 in the 1960's and I had no idea what that meant. Thank you.
Excellent video. Really gave a lot of great info on the unique rank. FYI... I've never seen a CWO 5!
Defender213 I’ve only seen like 1 or 2
Great job...!!!
The US Army Warrant Officer insignia is very straight forward, strange the US Navy and Marines haven't adopted exactly the same silver bars, while keeping their own colors.
So in the US Army a warrant officer is not a natural progression from the enlisted ranks? That's very interesting. In the U.K. It's a progression rank.
KeithGadget it depends what you score on your GT score I believe
KeithGadget the US is the only military where WOs are a separate category
In the Indian Armed Force, the warrant officer ranks are called JCO's or Junior Commissioned Officers (British Legacy) The warrant officers of the Indian Airforce also falls under the category of JCO's and they progress from enlisted ranks.
The highest ranking JCO of the Indian Army is the Subedar Major or Risaldar major in Cavalry/Armoured Corps.
Within the Indian Armed Force too the Warrant officer is a natural progression from enlisted ranks, except that they are called JCO's or Junior Commissioned Officers. The Warrant officers of the Airforce also falls within the category of JCO's rather than as a seperate category.
In the French Army (and Foreign Legion) warrant officer is the top enlisted rank. It is possible to become an officer in the Legion after starting as an enlisted man, but it is so highly unlikely that you can spend an entire thirty years in the legion and never meet one. On the other hand, Legion warrant officers are in every battalion or regiment. Legion officers are usually among the top graduates of the French Military academy -
Former neighbor was CW4,had about 30 years in the Army,his wife retired as LTC .He was considering retirement Army command he worked for Kept asking him to stay on a little longer,Greased the skids for him to get the necessary boards promoted him to CW5.He had to stay in the Army longer but last time I saw him he said that he would face mandatory retirement as CW5 with 35 years service.BTW he was born in American Samoa,his mother still lives there.
G'day Chris, Thank you for that explanation. That particular rank in the US Army has always confused me. In the ADF, specific to my branch, the Air Force, we had just 2 levels of Warrant Officer, and the manner of addressing them also differs.
The top WO rank in Army is WO1 then Army has a WO2. Progression, I believe, to WO1 from WO2 is time in service and experience.
In the Air Force there was (when I was in) only the rank of Warrant Officer. Then we had 'Warrant Officer of the Air Force’, a single individual who works at Air Staff Level, in our National Capital, and he or she represents the issues and welfare of all NCOs in the Air Force. On each operational base or stand-alone unit there was an added qualification and title of 'Warrant Officer Disciplinary' (WOD).
On each base the WOD was the senior Warrant Officer and was primarily responsible for overall discipline of all Airmen/Airwomen and all NCOs. He was the person in charge of all drill & ceremonial organisation and would take charge of a Parade (formation) where the Officer Commanding is a Group Captain or above. While taking a Parade the WOD had the power to command junior officers and could 'give them guidance' on such things as dress and bearing etc.
The WOD was also the gentleman who sat in judgement for most of the infringements by enlisted and NCO ranks. Serious 'crimes' would be passed through the WOD up to a Senior Officer.
In our services, the term 'Warrant' refers to an actual certificate (document) that originates from either the Governor General, being the Monarch's representative, or the Monarch themselves. Because of this Warrant Officers and Warrant Officer of the Air Force are always addressed as 'Sir'.
In reality a WOD has, generally speaking, a huge amount of power and is often consulted by senior officers because of his wide range of experience. Their knowledge of the ‘Manual of Drill & Ceremonial’ must be comprehensive and, on a personal level from knowing a couple of WODs personally on a social level, I can tell you that most WODs actually make the base or unit run smoothly. Often, I have seen a WOD ‘politely’ dressing down junior officers, me being at a distance, of course, as it is never done in the presence of others.
(Rider: these were the facts about Warrant Officers as I recall them from over 40 years ago when I served in the RAAF. Much might have changed since then.)
Finally, an old story I can now tell as all the protagonists have passed away:
On a Base Parade there was a junior officer who, oddly, was of advanced age. He had become an Australian citizen, originally coming from Germany. For a reason still unknown to this day, and known only to the officer in question, he decided to wear the jacket ribbon (warn on the top half of the tunic, near the buttons) of a decoration he had ‘earned’ while in Germany. The WOD, with his pace stick, marched up to the officer, as they were forming up, and said in a voice that was surely heard by dozens of ranks around them, me included, “Get that %&^#@&* Nazi decoration off my parade ground!” Pointedly, he did not end that sentence with, “Sir”. The officer showing nothing but a red face, correctly marched off the parade ground and, so I was told later, was not seen on base again.
My apologies for such a long post but as it was just the anniversary of D-Day, it got me going down memory lane. Cheers, Chris. BH
thanks for explanation
Well you were fairly close. However, each different branch (ie.. Signal, Intel, Cyber, ect...) utilize differently. I have never been below a Brigade.
Second, to become a WO1, you need to meet the requirements and then be selected. Once selected the Candidate will go to Warrant Officer Candidate Course at Fort Rucker Alabama. Right after that course, the newly promoted WO1 will go to their Warrant Officer Basic Course, which is at there Branch Center of Excellence. Which is also not how you explained the progression to CW2.
Senior CW2 and CW3 will go to the Warrant Officer Advance Course. Senior CW3 and CW4 will go to the WILE. CW4 will also go to the Senior Staff Course. WO1 and CW2 are Company Grade Warrant Officers. CW3 and CW4 are Field Grade Warrant Officers and CW5 are Senior Field Grade Officers. See the new DA-Pam 670-1 dated July 2015.
You are correct about a board for promotion to CW3, CW4 and CW5. The board is paper (electronic). The officer never goes in front of a board. Becoming a CW5 is extremely hard. Also, all officers make up about 20 percent of the Army and of that 20 percent, less than 5 percent are Warrant Officers.
Next on the list of WRONG.... a Warrant Officer is a Commissioned Officer and can hold command. There is at least one command position at 1st WOC. While you are technically correct that it is proper to call a Warrant Officer by "Mister Smith", it is more common for Warrant Officers to be called "Chief", example "Chief Smith".
So, while you were fairly close, you got several different things wrong in your video. But kudos for trying. Wikipedia has a fairly good article on Warrant Officers at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_officer_(United_States) and the official site is at www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/
Lastly, what is my expertise in the above rant. I am a CW4, United States Army Signal Corps.
What about FT. McClellan? Isn't there a WOCS there?
Thanks for clearing that up Chief. My brother is a CW4 and was in command of a unit since the Army Reserve ran out of Captains for awhile.
Do you know much about the Wo1 pilot program? I'm a civilian and want to enlist and fly for my country. How hard is it to get street to seat?
Warrant Officers are able to command but are not commissioned officers. They command because of their warrant, which is their speciality and field, rather than a commision obtained from academy.
Their warrant specifies what authority they have compared to a commisioned officer, who is in general command of their subordinates. a WO in charge of transports for instance can only command and coordinate logistical troops within their operational parameters- an Lt. pretty much has their troops outside of operations
Back before the infamous tranistion to the "Army of Transformation" a Target Acquisition Battery had 6 warrant officer slots, 5 commanding radar sections scattered across the division front and one working in the Division Artillery Headquarters working with the Divarty Counterfire officer (another Warrant officer) coordinating the radar coverage. Originally all of the slots were not distinguished by rank, and warrant officers tended to be assigned a slot by strength. (I was the tactician, running mobile, forward deployed Q-36 sections. There were a couple of maintenance gurus running the more complex and maintenance hungry Q-37s a bit further to the rear, and one with great networking skills working the headquarters slot.) When they started assigning slots by rank, I worked hard to stay out of division headquarters where I was miserable and where my tactical strengths were largely irrelevant.
Cool video,
My Uncle is a CW5 in Army Intel.
Probably the best rank in the U.S.Army. The Personnel Oficer in the unit below us was a W-4, and held a reserve commission of BG.
CID is another MOS where Warrant Officers are regularly found. Met my only CW5 at the Fort Hood Resident Agency. Drank a lot f coffee and wandered the hallways.
Tq for your service and the information. One thing for sure, the MRE is really good.😋
I'm not military, nor have ever been. But, many in my family have served in various branches. My grandson is now in US Army AIT in Virginia to become a helicopter mechanic. I'd just like to suggest that you may want to consider explaining ranks in the other military branches. (Seriously, what the heck is a Yeoman?) Also, perhaps a comparison (chart?) of the various rank names and their equivalents in the various services. Just a suggestion, food for thought. Great job explaining and clarifying the US Army ranks to one who only knows the names of the ranks, but not their responsibilities and requirements. Keep up the good work.
Yeoman is a trade not so much a rank. Think Clerk and you have what a Yeoman is
Yeoman is not a rank per se, more like a category . It is used for typists and clerks who can be anything from your basic Seaman to a Chief Petty Officer. Admirals even have their own flag yeoman to be their secretaries.
. It comes from the British Army, curiously and not the navy. Those fellas outside Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London in black are the Yeomen of the Guard.
Navy has or did have rates not ranks for enlisted. I heard they did away with rates. Say your a Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer 2nd Class your rate would be HM2 than your name. Not PO2 than your name.
Some sarcastic Black Shoe (below deck) sailors called anyone who was admin rate less than kind or unflattering names. Pharmacist Mate was one of these. Decency prevents me from typing these derogatory names. In the Army an officer once said "a warrant officer is just an E4 with a club card."
Side note to all this. The Chiefs are also known as the Army ninjas. And if you ever see a CW5 you are apart of the few lucky people in the world. In my 8 1/2 years I’ve on CW5 and that was due to being on a mission with a bunch of other chiefs. Lol.
Great video.
I spent 9 years in the Army and I saw a CW5 for the first time just a few weeks ago. I thought they were just a myth!
the MI school house at Huachuca was a CW5, Chief Castleton. I got lucky, i saw one when i was a PV2.
I seen 2 one comming out of the px once and the other in division at kaf when we went for an after action report.
can u eat in the officers mess?
ALAN NEWMAN It was the only chow hall open on base, everyone was eating there.
Again, well done. I didn’t realize that WO’s have to appear before a board. Thanks for teaching me something I should have known...lol
The only Warrant officer promotion that is automatic is from WO1 to CW2 (two years in rank, boarded to get into WOCS and thereafter to get promoted), unless they get into some kind of trouble like getting caught in the Commanding Generals Quarters shagging with his daughter...you know what I mean - "saluting" and rendering honors to her and such in his bed!
Well then again, he might be very happy to welcome a WARRANT OFFICER into the family, and improve the family line exponentially!
Appear before a board is a ambiguous term. US Army Enlisted must appear before and sit a promotion board for promotion to Sergeant (E-5) and Staff Sergeant (E-6). After that, E-7 and above, including Warrant Officers and Officers, the board is a "Centralized Board", meaning your promotion packet goes before a board located at Human Resources Command. You do not personally appear.
Back 30 years ago when I went into basic "Army" during induction, they separated us based on our "asvab" scores. It wasn't announced but with you and your colleagues you could figure out what they were doing. With my group we were subjected to more eye test and more questions whether we wanted to go to warrant officer school, flight school or officer candidate. I had two friends with me that wanted to become helicopter pilots but they were rejected because they didnt have perfect vision, but were accepted in to ocs, I my self chose to go onto my scheduled route thru basic and to my MOS
Tim Taylor that is incorrect. Entered same time frame and never heard of such a thing.
Excellent video CW04 Mike Moritz (retired) 28 years, very difficult and hard to become CW05, the rank in all categories is a pyramid when to get to higher ranks, but it is fair.
Very important distinction: WO1 holds a warrant from the President vs. CWO2/3/4/5 hold a commission from the President just like regular commissioned officers 2nd LT, 1st LT, etc. The Navy only commissions Chief Petty Officers (CPO, E-7) above to CWO2. The Navy does not use WO1. CWO4 (Cryptology), USN, Ret, 73-95.
No, the warrant comes from the service secretary, not the Commander In Chief.
Nehemiah Wilson Newell CWO3 USN(ret) 1940-1962
B: 15December1922
D: 08 April 2007
RIP
*Miss You Gunner*
I saw a Chief Warrant Officer 4 the other week it was pretty cool
Outstanding
1972 in 2/30 IN in Germany, we had 2 warrants(both CW-2) a maintenance warrant and a supply warrant
An E-7 will be promoted to CW-2 coming out of Warrant officer candidate school.
Good video! However pilots can enter the Army as Warrants without any military experience... But good video on the Warrant Officer Cohort! :)
Most of the Warrenton officers I remember were chopper piolets.Our w.o. at Belvoir was attached to our battalion but was with an aviation unit.
Well you were spot on for the most part however I have known a lot of warrant offers that went from sgt to warrent in a combat. That was all before you time I am sure.
We always called out warrant officers chief. They were pretty chilled. Sometimes we call out 1SG Top.
WO-1 14 FEB 1967, and of course, WORWAC class 66-23, then two tours in Nam. At the age of 19...Got out as CW-3, and Senior Army Aviator....
Great video you put out here. However, you left out a few requirements of the CWO rank. Yes, you need a 110 ASAV test score.
As of your video, there have been some changes to make it in the schooling. You now need the minimum rank of E-4 with or without WLC. If you don't have the WLC (form DA 1059 ) your 10-week schooling is now 12 weeks to provide you the WLC. You MUST pass the Leadership section of the course and if not you will be disqualified from the schooling and be sent home. It happened to my friend.
jeff26 You also left out that E-4's is based on waivers. They prefer E-5 with WLC which I have and included up to three NCOER's. Also they prefer a LOR (Letter of Recommendations) from a CW2 up to CW5, preferably within the field you are applying for. States that in TRADOC.
Thanks again from Down Under.
My take from experience is that most Chief Warrant Officers are addressed as "Chief".
The CID types are referred to as "Mr" or "Ma'am", maybe a few other Branches favour this address, as well.
One of the CWO slick pilots, mentioned by LTGEN Hal Moore in his most memorable book, was the father of an American girl I know.
He became a CWO pilot "because the pay was better". If I recall properly, he was PFC to CWO1. He made CWO5 and disliked the O Club intensely.
The UK did have SGT and WO2/1 pilots, but only because of class issues.
The Australian Army introduced SSO pilots in the '90s (Specialist Service Officers), but, they were considered just taxi drivers, despite their own class issues. Good taxi drivers, nevertheless.
CWOs are bit like Australian SSOs, good at their job, but don't put them in front of people; apologies to the exceptions.
We had a Warrant Officer in my Signal Company. No one seemed to know what to do with him. Great guy but he was outside the Chain of Command it seemed and none of the Officers or Senior Enlisted knew how to treat him. Respected him but sort of held him at arms length like a wild animal. Great guy. He was just there fixing all the problems and stuff.
Couple corrections, you don’t have to attend WOAC to make CW3 or WOSC to make CW4. It might help get promoted to that rank but actually now you have to be a CW2(P) or CW3 to attend WOAC or a CW3(P) or CW4 to attend WOSC
Would you salute a Warrant officer as an enlisted soldier? Just curious because Drill and Ceremony is hard to wrap my head around, just trying to learn before boot this summer
Kazpyr yes
When I served on a brigade staff we had a handful of Warrants. Our Geospatial guy was a WO1 and our UAW Chief was a CW4 who made rank in about ten years, as he was one of the first in his specialty.
Working in a 2-Star level Direct Reporting Unit (DRU), I don't think we had any. The unit is a dual-hatted Joint and Army command with a bunch of Navy, Air Force, Marine, and even a handful of Coast Guard personnel along with a bunch of Civilians, but Warrants simply don't have openings there that I know of. Subordinate commands include an Aviation Brigade with a bunch of Warrants, along with an Infantry Regiment with the couple of Warrant assignments most have, such as Personnel, Motor Pool, and DFAC.
Great video man! It help me expand on possible MOSs to consider before joining. I have a quick question. In order to become a WO1 do you have to be Active? I will be joining reserves so I was wondering if I have to be Active first before becoming WO1? Thank you
Have a CW2 in my unit, I think he's in my unit at least, only see him like once every 6 months, always refer to him as chief
Also, CW2-CW5 are commissioned whereby a W1 is appointed by warrant by the secretary of in this case, the army. The CW2-5 are commissionedby the POTUS.
Interesting. Monarch commissions officers in Commonwealth Realms (UK, Can, Aus, NZ) but the army issues authority for 'warrant officers'.
Originally warrant officers were created to fill the cap between and enlisted and officer. They needed experienced personnel in a particular field and have the authority over the enlisted but not over officers. That’s where the warrant officers comes in. They were given their “warrants” by the secretary of the select armed forces while the President commissions officers. This was changed when WO5 was created.
When I was an Army musician, our CW4 had all the authority he needed. There was no question who was in charge.
THANK YOU
Christopher awesome explanations for the most part, however it is Warrant Officer Candidate School not Cadet if a Warrant Officer wants to become a Regular Line Officer (RLO) they then go and become a Cadet :) Just small thing but important. Also at CW2 the Warrant Officer becomes commissioned that is the main reason I did not say Commissioned officers in the above, and a Warrant can carry out all the duties that any other commissioned officer can but we are single track where the RLO's are multi track officers. All in all loved the video.
As a GED holder I Scored a 111 GT score and my recruiter said I have the option to become an officer (if I wanted to) I also got approved for 35 whiskey (military intelligence linguist) but I’m still weighing my options on what MOS I want.
I served as a 98G (which is now called 35P- they changed a bunch of MOS's a few years ago). Did you take the DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery) exam? If you like learning foreign languages, take the DLAB, and if you score well on it, you could go to DLI out in Monterey, CA and learn a language on the Army's dime. And once you finish AIT, you get FLPP (foreign language proficiency pay) based on how well you do on subsequent biennual DLPT's (Defense Language Proficiency Tests).
Also, get used to acronyms.
Currently a 35p at DLI it’s intense but awesome . Also 35w are not linguist they are actually fillers for 35m
Eli Murphy I graduate 35F course tomorrow
Quick addition: the reason it goes from “WO” to “CW” is that you receive a warrant at WO1 and a commission at CW2. Hence the addition of “chief” to the rank.
Wrong! No Warrant Officer has a commission. WO1 thru WO5 all have warrants.
Charles Mills Please, do yourself a favour, go to army(dot)mil/ranks. Scroll to the warrant officer section and click on “chief warrant officer 2.” That’s where it states, PER THE US ARMY’S OWN WEBSITE; “Become commissioned officers as provided by the president of the United States.”
@@EvilZombieToe
Thank you. I stand corrected. I remember when there were only four WO grades and the insignia was brown and gold/silver. I also remember when the USAF has WOs.
when i was in (maintenance battalion ) our platoon leader was a cwo2 ? we always called him chief.
I the Australian Army Warrant Officers are the equivalent of Sergeant Majors, in fact after WW2 the ranks of Sergeant Majors was changed to Warrant Officer Second and First class.
mostly correct. my standardization instructor pilot was an irish national, frank o'bourne and my room mate was a canadian national. i made cw2 in seven months because i was a commercial pilot with ratings when i joined. my friends call me chief, and every one else calls me mister. cwo jg wright, retired.
Warrant Officers were some of the coolest guys we had. I was in an intel company so we had 2, a CW2 and CW3. After we got back from Iraq they had all of us in their sections over to one of their houses for a party.
I was one of the last direct appointment warrants officers, two months before it was a requirement to attend the WCS, which from what I have heard from others, is a waste of time and resources for non-pilot specialties. I think it is no accident that it is at Ft Rucker, the HQ of the aviation branch.
For most of my time in service, the warrant officers were not competing with each other for promotions. This meant a lot of cooperation and knowledge sharing which is rare among the traditional commisioned officer ranks (there are fewer slots for each rank you go up, so there is often a bit of back stabbing going on). One thing which is not mentioned is that starting around 1990, when you go from WO1 to CW2 you are also commissioned. This was done to allow Warrant officers to perform other duties. Since my unit was habitually short officers, I doubled as plattoon leader (a lieutenant's slot) for extended periods and even as acting battery commander for six months. I also swore in new recruits and re-enlistments and witness statements in accidents and petty theft reports. When Physicians Assistants were converted from warrant to commissioned status, there was a direct transfer to officer ranks -CW-2 to O-2 (1st LT) CW3 to O3 (CPT), etc.
There are some other unwritten things I have observed ooer the years (at least in the National Guard). Warrant officers often have careers which parallel their commanders. My commanding officer when I made CW 2, was later the commander of one of the battalions I supported, was later the Division Artillery Commander, whom I would have advised if my unit had not deployed to Iraq, and became the Division Commander the month after I retired. The same applies often to the senior NCOs, so at the top level, you have people in all the key NCO, Warrant, and Commissioned slots who have worked together off and on for decades.
As far as I know, Master Warrant slots are very rare, mostly heading training programs for Warrant Officers, Career managers for the Warrant Officers in their slots, and advisers to the major commands responsible for advising on new equipment and upgrade requirements for existing equipment.
Knowing then, what I know now. This is career path I would have taken. Back in the 80’s you could apply for WOCS as an E5 with a certain amount of time in grade or if they are on promotable status.
I know that this is a bit on the old side, but is CWO5 a relatively recent, last 20 - 30 years, addition? I am fairly certain that during USAF basic training in the '70's we were told that CWO4 was the limit and that the Army was the last hold over for CWO ranks. Thanks.
Wish you had covered WO command responsibilities, if they have any comparable to the O ranks.
The only time I saw A CW5 was at Fort Eustis while I was in AIT, beleive it or not it was 2 in one spot lol. My only question even though I served my time in aviation I never fully understood rank and power structure for warrant officers. Like our threes and fours of course reported to my company commander however I'm pretty sure they more or less outrank a captain any day. Can anyone clarify this?
Very interesting. WOs in the British Army are called Sir/ Ma'am by the enlisted and Mr/ Mrs... by officers. They don't get saluted since they aren't commissioned.
I am a couple of years late in seeing this video, but thought I might shed a bit more light on the unicorns. I'm a retired CW5 with 35 years in the Army and NG.
The primary reason that Navy personnel virtually never see CW5 is that no one lives that long. In order to become a Warrant in the Navy, you must have attained the rank of E7. (as of a few years ago when I retired anyway) Theirs is much more aligned with the UK model. In other words, they take very select, very high performing senior enlisted and track them as warrant officers. Many of them already have 10-15 years of service before becoming a WO, therefore it is very rare for a Navy guy to get past CW3. In working with the Navy, whether on land or sea, I got those same comments all of the time, as in, "Holy crap, is that a W5? I've never seen one of those, "
In the US Army, outside of Aviation, this is also the most common path to promotion to WO, although not to the same extent as in the Navy. Aviation is completely different, in that a very high percentage of Aviation WO's have fewer than 6 years of military service before going to flight school. This means it is very likely that an individual will reach CW4 before he/she retires. Additionally, by law, only 5% of the total WO corps is allowed to be CW5, therefore there are a lot of worthy, deserving, CW4's that do not get selected for CW5 and must retire. (yes there are exceptions to this).
You mentioned the CW3/4/5 promotion boards. To clarify; their RECORDS go before a promotion board. The individual officer does not attend a board, unlike what happens when an E4 goes before the E5 board, in person, Class A's, and gets drilled by the senior enlisted leadership.
Regarding address. Navy WO's are ALL Chief, whether they are W1/2/3 etc. For them it is a term of respect, which they have certainly earned through their years of service and promotion as an enlisted sailor. US Army technical warrants are most likely to be referred to as Chief, for much the same reason. The percentage of Army Aviators who prefer the address of Chief is quite low. I myself hated it, and as one such commenter stated, I don't have feathers in my cap. We mostly prefer sir, ma'am, or a first name basis. Army Aviators tend to be far more relaxed in this regard, much like our haircuts and mustaches!
I wasn't intending to rant, but since I'm on a roll. The difference for a high schooler considering US Army Aviation as a Warrant Officer vs a Commissioned Officer should include some serious self reflection. Unfortunately, attending the military academy does not guarantee a slot as an aviator. Same thing for the other schools that the military uses for their 2LT's. Therefore, if you desire to be a pilot, apply for flight school as a Warrant Officer. If you desire to be a military officer and would like to be a pilot, but happy to go in to any of the other fields, try to get into one of the schools. A four year degree from ANY of those schools is an amazing addition to your resume later in life, the caveat is that you may not be selected to become an aviator. In addition to that, the vast majority of commissioned aviators do not fly even close to the same amount as the warrant officers. Each has their own pros and cons, and each should be carefully considered. If you're not a high schooler, it is unlikely that you can become a commissioned Army Aviator. There are paths to get there, it's just unlikely, therefore WO flight school is the better solution.
Weirdest thing in my Army career regarding WO’s, is back in my AIT days I saw a group of like 5 CW-5’s outside the DFAC in formation on the way back from lunch chow.
Your right, to become a Warrant Officer you must Attend the Warrant Officer CANDIDATE Course. Prior to 1989, soldiers were sent to their branch specific installations to attend WOCC for eight weeks of training in their Primary Phase, then Junior Phase, and then their Senior Phase. The few weeks left before graduation you are still considered a Senior, but are no longer in the Candidate Chain of Command. Class 6-84 Ordnance Center and School.
Don't forget that you have to get a Letter of Recommendation from a Warrant Officer, usually CW2 and CW3. Then CW5 will do the LOR.
CW3 to CW5
My father-in-law retired as a Chief Warrant officer. I do not remember at what level. I do know during the Korean war he was assigned to battalion HQ and answered directly to a General. Not Mc. He was a good and honorable man. More to me as a dad than a father-in-law. I miss him dearly.