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History
of the Army
Warrant Officer Corps
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History
of the Warrant Officer Corps.
a.
Inception (1916-1940) The predecessor of
the warrant officer was the Army Field Clerk (formerly Headquarters Clerk)
and the Field Clerk, Quartermaster Corps (formerly Pay Clerk). Both were
authorized by the Act of August, 1916. Although these personnel were
initially considered civilians, the Judge Advocate General eventually
determined that they held military status. The rank and grade of warrant
officer was introduced in the Act of July 1918, which established the Army
Mine Planter Service in the Costal Artillery Corps and directed that
warrant officers serve as masters, mates, chief engineers, and assistant
engineers of each vessel. Three varying levels of pay were authorized.
Some of the original mine planters.
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Additional
Notes: In
World War I, the Coastal Artillery Corps was responsible for
mine defenses in major ports. Vessels ranging in size from small
motorboats to 1,000-ton ocean-going ships were used to lay and
maintain the minefields. Conflict between soldiers and civilian
employees who manned these vessels revealed the need to ensure
that vessels were manned by military personnel.
Officially,
the birth date of the Army Warrant Officer Corps is 7 July
1918, when Congress established the Army Mine Planter Service as
part of the Coastal Artillery. This assured that vessels would
be manned exclusively by Army personnel holding the rank of
warrant officer. The Army opened a school to train their
mariners at Fort Monroe, Virginia, commanded by an officer who
had graduated from the Naval Academy.
The
official color of the warrant officer corps is brown, as warrant
officers in the Mine Planter Service wore simple bands of brown
cloth on their uniform sleeves as their insignia of rank.
Warrant officers served in four positions aboard the vessels:
masters, mates, chief engineers and assistant engineers. Masters
wore four bands. Deck officers also wore an embroidered brown
fouled anchor above the braid, while engineer officers wore an
embroidered brown three-bladed propeller in a similar position.
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The use of warrant
officers was expanded by the Act of 1920, which authorized appointment of
warrant officers in clerical, administrative, and band leading activities.
The Act of 1920 authorized 1,120 warrant officers, provided for
appointments in the Army-at-large rather than in specific branches and
established warrant officer assignments in various headquarters and
tactical units. Perhaps the most significant motive for the expansion was
"a desire to reward enlisted men of long service and also to reward
former commissioned officers of World War I who lacked either the
educational or other eligibility requirements necessary for continuance in
the commissioned status."
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In 1921, warrant officers
were excluded from performance of summary court officer, defense counsel,
officer of the day, and assistant adjutant because enlisted personnel were
prohibited from performing those same duties. During this time, only one pay
grade existed except in the army Mine Planter Service.
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"The Eagle Rising"
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Additional
Notes: The
distinctive insignia for warrant officers was approved on 12 May 1921,
and first worn by warrant officers in the Tank corps. It consists of
an eagle rising with wings displayed, standing on two arrows and
enclosed in a wreath. It was adapted from the great seal of the United
States, with the arrows symbolizing the military arts and sciences.
"An
eagle rising with wings displayed standing on a bundle of two arrows,
all enclosed in a wreath."
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In 1922, warrant officer
strength authorization was reduced from 1,120 to 600, exclusive of the number of
Army Mine Planter Service warrant officers and Army Bandmasters. Consequently,
no warrant officer appointments other than of band leaders and Army Mine Planter
Service personnel were made between 1922 and 1935. Although the authorized
strength level remained at 600, laws subsequent to 1922 authorized the
appointment of additional classes of personnel with certain qualifications to be
carried in excess of authorized strength.
In 1936, competitive
examinations were held to replenish lists of eligibles for Regular Army
appointments because of depletion of the original lists. Appointments against
vacancies were made from the 1936 list until the beginning of World War II.
In 1939, warrant officers
who were qualified as pilots were declared eligible for appointments as air
corps lieutenants in the Regular Army.
In 1940, commissioned
officers of the Finance Department were authorized to entrust monies to warrant
officers as disbursing agents. At this time, warrant officer appointments began
to occur in significant numbers for the first time since 1922, although total
warrant officer strength reflected a decrease until 1942 because of the large
numbers of warrant officers who were being transferred to active duty as
commissioned officers.
b.
Expansion
(1941-1947)
(1) The Act of 1941
created two grades, chief warrant officer and warrant officer junior grade, and
authorized flight pay for warrant officers whose duties involved aerial flight.
The Act of August 1941 also provided:
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Additional
Note: Public
Law 230 of 1941, also authorized appointments up to one percent of the
Regular Army enlisted strength.
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(a) That
warrant officers may be assigned duties as prescribed by the Secretary of the
Army.
(b) That when
their duties included those normally performed by a commissioned officer,
warrant officers be vested with the power to perform those duties under
regulations to be prescribed by the President.
(c) That
warrant officers serving as assistant adjutant have the power to administer
oaths for the purposes of administration.
(d) As a
follow-up to the provisions stated in paragraph 8-2a(2), Executive Order 8938,
10 November 1941, stated that "Whenever the duties assigned to warrant
officers of the Army include the command of stations, units, or detachments, the
disbursement and administration of funds, including the certification of
vouchers and payrolls, the issuance of travel orders, bills of lading, and
transportation requests, the receipt for, and accountability for, and
administration of property, the certification and verification of official
papers, or the performance of similar routine administrative duties, they shall
be vested with all the powers usually exercised by commissioned officers in the
performance of such duties."
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Additional
Note: Warrant
officers could now be assigned as prescribed by the Secretary of the
Army.
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(2) In 1942, a competitive
examination was held and temporary appointments were made in approximately 40
occupational areas. For the first time, warrant officers performed functions
other than mine planting, band leading, administration, and supply. These
functional areas were not incorporated into the Military Occupational Specialty
(MOS) structure but were later identified by the number and title of the
examination. Later than same year, major commanders were given the authority to
approve temporary warrant officer appointments.
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Additional
Notes:   Distinguishing
bars of gold and brown were approved as warrant officer insignia of
grade on 11 January 1942. In September 1942, when the warrant grade of
flight officer was adopted, an ultramarine blue and golden-orange bar
was approved as an insignia of grade.
In November
1942, the War Department defined the position of the warrant officer
in the rank order as being above all enlisted ranks and immediately
below all commissioned officers.
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During the remainder of
World War II, warrant officers were appointed by quota in a decentralized
fashion by major commanders. These decentralized appointments were not
competitive in an Army wide sense, although examinations were generally used as
a screening device. The selection process usually consisted of a board
appearance for those who met statutory requirements and screening criteria.
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Additional
Note: Today,
over 1,300 women serve as Warrant Officers in all branches except
Special Forces.
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In January 1944, the
appointment of women as warrant officers was first authorized and the first
women were appointed in March 1944. At the conclusion of World War II, there
were 42 women warrant officers on active duty.
Warrant officer
appointments virtually ceased after World War II because of military down
sizing, dissatisfaction with the decentralized appointment process, and
confusion about the purpose of warrant officers. It had become apparent that the
decentralization of appointments, based onto he premise that each commander best
knew his or her own needs, resulted in inconsistent selection practices and
served to confuse the warrant officer's role and function.
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Additional
Notes: Warrant
Officers were filling 40 different occupational specialties by early
1946 and approximately 60 specialties by 1951.
The
warrant officer strength of the Regular Army stood at 775 on 30 June
1939. When peak personnel strength was reached during World War II, in
May 1945, nearly 57,000 warrant officers (including flight officers of
the Air Force) were on active duty.
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In 1946, the 40 warrant
officer functional areas were incorporated into the same MOS structure as that
used for commissioned officers. At about the same time, the concept of using the
Corps as an incentive rather than a reward was instituted. It was determined
that the rank of warrant officer was to be a capstone rank into which enlisted
personnel could routinely expect to advance in connection with the Enlisted
Career Guidance Program. The use of warrant officer grade as a reward before
World War II and its use as an incentive after World War II both resulted in
warrant officers' duties and responsibilities being largely interchangeable with
those of junior commissioned officers and senior enlisted personnel.
c.
Consolidation (1948-1956)
During 1948 and 1949,
competitive examinations were held to appoint or select for appointment
approximately 6,000 regular Army warrant officers. Appointments were made in 47
MOSs and four special (classified) occupational areas. Selections and
appointments numbered approximately 4,500 from the general Army examinations of
1948 and approximately 1,500 from the unit administrator examinations of 1949.
Approximately half of these 6,000 appointees and selectees were commissioned
officers on extended active duty with Reserve commissions.
In late 1948, a
considerable number of term of enlistment (TOE) duty positions were established
for warrant officers. However, budgetary limitations did not allow the
additional appointments necessary to fully implement this broadened concept of
warrant officer use.
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Notes: The Career Compensation Act of 1949, provided two new pay
rates for warrant officers. The designations of Warrant Officer Junior
Grade and Chief Warrant Officer were retained; however, the grade of
Chief Warrant Officer was provided with pay rates of W2, W3 and W4. |
In 1950, approximately 900
warrant officer appointments were made using eligibility lists established by
the 1948 and 1949 competitive examinations.
In 1951, major commanders
were once again allowed to confer temporary warrant officer appointments. As a
result, they made approximately 1,400 temporary appointments in 60 MOSs.
In March 1952, budgetary
limitations forced termination of warrant officer appointments.
In August 1953, the Army
force reduction plan following cessation of hostilities in Korea called for the
Warrant Officer corps to be reduced by one-third to meet FY 1954 budget
authorization of approximately 12,400. But because of the inflationary impact of
using the rank as an incentive, there was both a surplus of total warrant
officers as well as a critical shortage of warrant officer positions and
personnel in the missile, electronics, and aviation specialties. A concept
consistent with Army requirements was needed if the Warrant Officer Corps was to
survive.
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Note: The inception of Warrant Officer Flight Program in
1953, lead to the training of thousands who later became helicopter
pilots during the Vietnam War. |
Between 1953 and early
1957, the Department of the Army conducted an analysis of the Warrant Officer
Program to determine the purpose and viability of a Warrant Officer Corps. In
1954, the Warrant Officer Personnel Act eliminated the Mine Planter Service and
established the grades of warrant officer one through chief warrant officer
four.
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Additional
Notes: During
the decade of the 1950s, studies determined there was a "vital
need" for warrant officers and proposed that appointment should
be based upon the needs of the Army and not simply as a reward for
long and faithful service. One study, conducted by the Department of
Defense, recommended that the Corps be completely eliminated and
replaced with the Limited Duty Officer. This concept had been in
practice in the U.S. Navy but was never adopted by the Army.
In
1954, the Warrant Officer Personnel Act launched the beginning of the
modern era in warrant officer history.
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d. Revitalization
(1957-1975)
In January 1957, a
completely new warrant officer concept was announced that:
(1) Affirmed the need for
the warrant officer and the continuation of the Warrant Officer Corps.
(2) Stipulated that
warrant officer status would not be considered as a reward or incentive for
enlisted men or former commissioned officers.
(3) Approved the following
warrant officer definition:
"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 the effective
development and continued utilization of broadly-trained, branch-qualified
commissioned officers."
e. Present Warrant
Officer Program
The present Warrant
Officer Program was announced in DA Circular 611-7 on 12 April 1960. In addition
to stating the 1957 definition of the warrant officer, this publication also
outlined utilization policies, criteria for selection of warrant officer
positions, and instructions for conversion to the current warrant officer MOS
system.
In 1966, a study group
formed at the Department of the Army to develop a formal Warrant Officer Career
Program that would be responsible to future Army requirements while concurrently
offering sufficient career opportunities to attract high quality personnel. The
study group examined all aspects of the Warrant Officer Corps and made a number
of recommendations in areas such as pay, promotion, utilization, and education.
To implement these recommendations, various actions were initiated to provide
more career opportunities for warrant officers.
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Additional
Note: In 1966 the first Warrant Officer Professional Development
Program was published in Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-11.
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During the 6 years
following its initial development, several significant improvements were made
into the Warrant Officer Career Program.
In 1967, below-the-zone
selection for promotion to grades CW3 and CW4 was implemented.
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Additional
Note: The
initiation of early selection for promotion to the grades of CW3 and
CW4 was for a limited number of warrant officers with exceptional
performance records.
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In 1968, the Regular Army
Program was reopened to warrant officer applicants after having been closed for
20 years. Additional changes reduced service eligibility criteria and simplified
application procedures.
Since 1968, the military
education available to warrant officers has been remarkably expanded. Before
then, there was no formal progressive military schooling program for warrant
officers. A tri-level education system was established by the end of 1972 that
provided training at the basic or entry level for warrant officers in 59
occupational specialties, at the intermediate or mid-career level for 53
specialties, and at the advanced level for 27 specialties.
In 1973, the three levels
of training were redesignated from basic, intermediate, and advanced to entry,
advanced and senior, respectively. Simultaneously, after successful testing of
the concept, the Warrant Officer Senior Course (WOSC) was established to provide
all warrant officers with access to the highest level of professional education.
In 1973, the Department of the Army a plan to close the gaps in the warrant
officer military education system by expanding and modifying the existing
advanced courses to accommodate all warrant officer specialties.
Civil schooling
opportunities were also increased during this period. The educational goal for
warrant officers was upgraded from 2-year college equivalency to an associate
degree and warrant officers were authorized entry into fully funded civil school
programs. To promote achieving this goal, cooperative degree programs began to
be established in the colleges and universities near the installations
conducting the warrant officer career courses. In consonance with increased
educational opportunities, duty positions requiring warrant officers with
master's degrees were validated for the first time by the Army Education
Requirements Board.
To forecast and control
their assignment and training opportunities, warrant officers were incorporated
into the HQDA Projected Requisitioning Authority (PRA), a management tool long
used for commissioned officers, but not applied to warrant officers until 1975.
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Additional
Notes: 1975
welcomed the establishment of the Warrant Officer Division at the
Army's Personnel Command, providing a centralized career management
center for all warrant officers (excluding those working in Staff
Judge Advocate and Medical Corps specialties). 1975 also saw the
warrant officer civilian education program (degree completion)
authorized and funded by Department of the Army.
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By the close of 1975, the
Army's capability for professionally developing the Warrant Officer Corps had
been significantly expanded and warrant officers were being offered
developmental opportunities not available to their predecessors.
1-7.
Modernization (1975-1994)
In 1974, Warrant Officer
Division was created at MILPERCEN (Military Personnel Center), now PERSCOM, to
provide centralized career management for all but Judge Advocate General and
Medical Corps warrant officers, who continued to be managed independently by
their own proponencies.
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Additional
Notes: In
1978, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve warrant officers not
on active duty were integrated into the Army's professional
development program. This was necessary to satisfy the recognized need
for qualified, highly trained individuals available to augment the
active warrant officer corps rapidly in time of emergencies.
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In 1984, the Chief of
Staff chartered a Total Warrant Officer Study (TWOS) and the Vice Chief of Staff
directed that all direct appointments cease and that a Warrant Officer Candidate
Course be established at Fort Sill.
Recommendations from the
TWOS study were eventually approved by the Army Chief of Staff and resulted in a
new definition of the warrant officer as:
"An officer appointed
by warrant by the Secretary of the Army based upon a sound level of technical
and tactical competence. The warrant officer is the highly specialized expert
and trainer who, by gaining progressive levels of expertise and leadership,
operates, maintains, administers, and manages the Army's equipment, support
activities, or technical systems for an entire career."
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Additional
Notes: A
whole new era for warrant officers began when the Chief of Staff, Army
chartered the Department of the Army Total Warrant Officer Study Group
in September 1984. This was the first Department of the Army-level
comprehensive study of warrant officer management from preappointment
to retirement. It spanned the Total Army, both active and reserve.
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The culmination of TWOS
was the passage of the Warrant Officer Management Act (WOMA) as part of the FY
1992 and 1993 National Defense Authorization Act and approval of the Warrant
Officer Leader Development Action Plan (WOLDAP) in 1992. On 5 December 1991,
WOMA went into effect. WOMA is a major revision of title 10, USC, and is the
current basis for management of the active duty Warrant Officer Corps. Key
provisions of the law include--
a. A single
promotion system for warrant officers.
b. Tenure
requirements based upon years of warrant officer service.
c. The grade of
CW5.
d. Authorization
for the Secretary of the Army to convene boards to recommend warrant officers
for selective mandatory retirement.
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next two items (paragraph e and f) are incorrectly listed as
provisions of WOMA. They were implemented approximately the same time
as WOMA, but were policy changes resulting from the TWOS, not changes
in law. |
e. Coding of
positions in authorization documents by rank grouping.
f. Automatic
Regular Army (RA) integration at the CW3 level.
WOLDAP was approved by the
Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, on 27 February 1992. WOLDAP is a total Army plan
designed to ensure both active and reserve warrant officers are appointed,
trained, and utilized to a single standard. Key provisions of WOLDAP include:
(1) An
accession goal of 8 years or less time in service for warrant officer
candidates.
(2)
Establishment of a comprehensive warrant
officer education system.
(3)
Conditional appointment to WO1 upon successful completion of warrant officer
candidate school.
(4) Civilian
education goals of an associate degree before eligibility for promotion to CW3
and a bachelors degree before eligibility for promotion to CW4.
(5)
Establishment of the Warrant Officer Career Center (WOCC)
(6) Pinpoint
assignments for CW5s.