Warrant
Officer History |
1918 - 1922 1936 - 1941 Modern Era 1975 1984 - 1989 1989 - 1991 1992 - Present
"An officer
appointed by warrant by the Secretary of the Army based on a sound level of technical and
tactical competence. The Warrant Officer is a highly specialized expert and trainer who,
by gaining progressive levels of expertise and leadership administers, manages, operates,
and maintains the Army’s equipment support activities or technical systems for an
entire career." Click
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The military grade of Warrant Officer is one of the oldest in Western
military systems dating back two centuries prior to Columbus, during the fledgling years
of the British Navy. At that time, Nobles assumed of command of the new Navy adopting the
Army ranks of Lieutenant and Captain. These royal blood officers often times had no
knowledge of life on board a ship, let alone how to navigate such a vessel or operate the
guns. They would often rely on the technical expertise and cooperation of a senior sailor
who tended to the technical aspects of running the ship and operating the cannons. These
sailors, some times referred to as ‘Boat Mates’ or ‘Boswans Mates’
became indispensable to less experienced officers and were subsequently rewarded with a
Royal Warrant. This Royal Warrant was a special designation, designed to set them apart
from other sailors, but not violate the strict class system that was so prevalent during
the time.
Based on the British model, the U.S. Navy has had warrant officers among its ranks, in
some form or another, since its conception. The American military heritage of the warrant
officer can be traced back to December 23, 1775 when a seaman by the name of John Berriman
was appointed as a warrant officer to act as purser aboard the American ship Andrea Doria.
The rank was considered one 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. In the U.S.
Navy, warrant officers have traditionally been the technical experts whose skills and
knowledge were an essential part of the proper operation of the ship.
In the U.S. Army, the warrant officer can be traced back to 1896, specifically to the
headquarters clerk. In 1916, congressional action established Marine Corps grades of
Warrant Officer Gunner, Quartermaster Clerk and Pay Clerk, The official birthday of the
Army Warrant Officer Corps is 7 July 1918. During this time warrant officers were not
commissioned officers; but in reality were considered civilians. The Judge Advocate
General later determined that warrant officers held military status.
An act of congress in 1918 established the Army Mine Planter Service as part of the coastal artillery. A total of 40 warrant officers were authorized to serve as masters, mates, chief engineers, and assistant engineers on each mine planting vessel. Although only one rank of warrant officer was authorized by Congress, in effect, three grades were created because of the varying levels of pay authorized for masters, 1st mates, 2nd mates, and corresponding levels of marine engineer personnel. This is also when the official color of the Army Warrant Officer Corps color came to be brown. The color emanated from the brown stands from burlap bags that the Mine Planter Service personnel wore as their insignia of rank.
The National Defense Act of 1920 provided for warrant officers to serve in clerical, administrative, and band leader positions. This act also authorized 1,120 warrant officers to be on active duty. During this time warrant officers were excluded from performing duties from which enlisted personnel were also excluded.In 1936, warrant officers who were qualified pilots were declared
eligible for direct appointment to lieutenants in the Army Air Corps. This action caused a
serious decline in the warrant officer corps. In 1941, Public law 230 authorized
appointments up to one percent of the total Regular Army enlisted strength. This law also
established two pay rates for warrant officers, Warrant Officer Junior Grade (W1) and
Chief Warrant Officer (CW2). One other benefit of Public Law 230 was the authorization of
flight pay for those involved in aerial duties. In November of 1941, an executive order
further extended the Warrant Officer positions and provided the following additions:
1. Warrant Officers can be assigned as prescribed by the Secretary of the Army.
2. When such duties included those normally performed by commissioned officer, the warrant
officer would be vested with all the powers usually exercised by commissioned officers in
the performance of those duties.
In November of 1942, the War Department defined the position of the Warrant Officer in the
rank order as being above all enlisted personnel and immediately below all commissioned
officers. January 1944 saw the authorization of appointment of women as warrant officers
and by the end of WW II, forty-two female warrant officers were serving on active duty.
Warrant Officers were filling 40 different occupational specialties by early 1946 and
approximately 60 specialties by 1951.
In 1948 the Career Composition Act brought about two new pay rates for warrant officers.
The designations of Warrant Officer Junior Grade (WOJG) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)
were retained, the grade of Chief Warrant Officer was provided with pay rates of W2, W3
and W4. The Warrant Officer Personnel Act established warrant officer grades W1 through
W4, and officially eliminated the Mine Planter Service.
Modern Era
It was during the 1950s, that studies determined
there was a vital need for warrant officers, and proposed that appointment to warrant
officer should be based on the needs of the Army and not simply a reward for long and
faithful service. On 21 January 1957, as a result of a Department of the Army study,
a new warrant officer concept was announced and provided the following guidelines:
1. The need for warrant officers
2. The warrant officer category would not be considered a reward or incentive.
3. The first published definition for warrant officers was established in AR
611-112 and defined the warrant officer as follows: "The warrant officer is a highly
skilled technician who is provided to fill those positions above the enlisted level which
are too specialized in scope to permit effective development and continued utilization of
broadly trained, branch qualified commissioned officers."
The Air Force discontinued its warrant officer program following the passage of legislation (Military Pay Act of 1958) which created the grades of E8 and E9. After careful review of the duties performed by their warrant officers, Air Force leaders decided to restructure the warrant officer authorizations into the senior enlisted grades (E7/E8/E9). In the eyes of the Air Force leadership, loss of the warrant officers cut out an additional management layer and a separate personnel management system, and additionally created increased promotion opportunity for the senior enlisted force.
In 1966 DA conducted a review of warrant officer career progression and the first Warrant Officer Professional Development Program was published in DA PAM 600-11. In 1972, a tri-level education system had been established and provided formal training at the basic or entry level for warrant officers in fifty nine occupational specialties. The educational system further provided intermediate level formal training in fifty-three specialties and formal training for twenty-seven specialties at the advanced level. In 1973, the three levels were redesignated as entry, advanced, and senior level respectively. Because these courses were so successful the Warrant Officer Senior Course was established to provide warrant officers with access to the highest level of professional education.
A decision in 1973 by the Chief of Staff, Army authorized aviation training for women. The first female warrant officer candidate entered this training program in FY 94 and the first completed the training and was appointed as a warrant officer in FY 95.1975 welcomed the establishment of the Warrant
Officer Division at PERSCOM, providing a centralized career management center for all Army
warrant officers (excluding the JAG and Medical Corps). 1975 also saw the warrant officer
civilian education or degree completion program authorized and established by DA.
1984 - 1989
An entire new era for warrant officers began with the Chief of
Staff, Army chartered the HQDA Total Warrant Officer Study in 1984. This study was known
as the Total Warrant Officer Study or TWOS. This was the first Department of the Army
level comprehensive study of warrant officer management across the total Army.
As of 1 October 1984, the Vice Chief of Staff, Army directed that all direct
appointments cease and that a Warrant Officer Entry Course be established at Fort Sill,
Oklahoma. In June 1985, General Wickham, CSA, revamped the definition of the warrant
officer to its present definition.
The Army and the U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association submitted a proposed Warrant Officer Management Act to the Congress. Congressman Charles Bennett of Florida submitted the WOMA package to the House. Upon review, the Senate Armed Services Committee Report on the FY 1990/1991 Defense Authorization Bill referred the package to the Department of Defense (DoD) to evaluate the proposal for consideration in the 1991 bill. The Army, as the original initiator of the proposal, was requested by DoD to chair a special ad hoc committee to research and prepare the requested report for the Congress. The committee initiated deliberations on 22 September 1989. Committee participants included representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Force Management) and from the personnel departments of each of the military services, the Reserve components, and the Coast Guard. The Committee's report was was issued on 30 November 1989. The Assistant Secretary of Defense (FM&P) forwarded the DoD Report to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Service Committees on 9 March 1990.
The WOMA proposal was considered by the Congress and it was
incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1992. Six different key
provisions were enacted based on the Warrant Officer Management Act as signed by the
President in December of 1991, these were as follows:
WOMA provisions went into effect on 1 February 1992.
On 27 February 1992, the Warrant Officer Leader Development Plan (WOLDAP) was approved by
the Chief of Staff of the Army. It is a total Army plan designed to ensure that active and
reserve component warrant officers are appointed, trained, and utilized to a single
standard.
On 1 October 1992, the pin-on-point for appointment of Army Warrant Officer Candidates
(WOC) was established as the graduation date from Warrant Officer Candidate School. Prior
to that date, Army WOC were not appointed until completion of the then Warrant Officer
Technical and Tactical Certification Course (WOTTCC) for their military occupation
specialty (MOS). Since WOTTCC for various MOS were of various lengths, the length of time
spent as a WOC varied greatly.
In November 1992 the first female warrant officer was promoted to CW5. Donna Foli, a
Military Personnel Technician, then serving in the Active Guard Reserve program as Chief,
Technical Warrant Officer Recruiting for the Army Reserve at the U.S. Army Recruiting
Command still is on active duty and is currently assigned to the Officer Directorate of
the U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Center in St. Louis, MO.
In 1993 the Chief of Staff, Army directed the consolidation of Warrant Officer Candidate
schooling at the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career Center (WOCC), Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Class 345-95 was the last Reserve Component (RC) class conducted for Army National Guard
and Army Reserve candidates at the Army Reserve Readiness Training Center at Fort McCoy,
Wisconsin. This class graduated on 30 September 1994 and the guidons of the Warrant
Officer Candidate Company were furled for the last time. Since that time the WOCC is
responsible for conducting a six-week version of WOCS for active Army and all aviation
candidates, and a four-week version for RC candidates in the technical warrant officer
specialties.
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