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Warrant Officers and Commissions


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For the Active duty Warrants:

 

I was having a discussion with my friend who is a Captain in the Army about the legal authority that Warrant Officers hold and what route that legal authority is vested from.

 

Long story short I explained that WO1 were appointed via Warrant by the secretary of the Army, while promotion to CW2 garners a regular commission via the President. My O3 pal would'nt accept that CW2-5 hold actual commissions.

 

I just want to make sure my info isn't bad here. We commission at CW2 right?

 

Thanks

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Yeah I looked up the statue and I am 99% sure of the facts. I just want someone else to agree with me lol. Not that it really matters, I'm just tired of my commissioned friends saying Warrant Officers are more akin to enlisted ranks than to the Officer ranks.

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Yeah I looked up the statue and I am 99% sure of the facts. I just want someone else to agree with me lol. Not that it really matters, I'm just tired of my commissioned friends saying Warrant Officers are more akin to enlisted ranks than to the Officer ranks.

Id say for pilots specifically that they would lean towards the enlisted side due to doing the work that is planned. But when commissioned officers try to talk sh*t to me I just remind them that a commission just means youll be sucking for years and your job always has to come first and Im allowed to enjoy myself after work

 

E: but its always in good fun. I wouldnt really talk down to them like that

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Id say for pilots specifically that they would lean towards the enlisted side due to doing the work that is planned. But when commissioned officers try to talk sh*t to me I just remind them that a commission just means youll be sucking for years and your job always has to come first and Im allowed to enjoy myself after work

 

E: but its always in good fun. I wouldnt really talk down to them like that

 

Yeah, not really closer to enlisted at all. Warrants. are. Officers. Again, not that it matters in so far as "who is better" or some such nonsense (since the fact most WOs are prior Enlisted in the first place). Just a highlight that a good amount of regular line Officers (not a majority) have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to Warrant Officers and WO's *legal* authority vested to Officers

 

I don't care whether we are more akin to sloths or braveheart, but I swear, most of my buddies, *cough* *cough* Infantry Officers *Cough* *Cough* have no clue WTF they are talking about LOL.

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I don't care whether we are more akin to sloths or braveheart, but I swear, most of my buddies, *cough* *cough* Infantry Officers *Cough* *Cough* have no clue WTF they are talking about LOL.

You have to remember that the only time most infantry officers will ever see a warrant officer is at the motor pool or a battalion level brief that includes the FA warrant.

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Yeah, not really closer to enlisted at all. Warrants. are. Officers. Again, not that it matters in so far as "who is better" or some such nonsense (since the fact most WOs are prior Enlisted in the first place). Just a highlight that a good amount of regular line Officers (not a majority) have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to Warrant Officers and WO's *legal* authority vested to Officers

 

I don't care whether we are more akin to sloths or braveheart, but I swear, most of my buddies, *cough* *cough* Infantry Officers *Cough* *Cough* have no clue WTF they are talking about LOL.

I know a warrant is a commissioned officer but at the 1-2 level I dont think they take too much part in planning and instead conducting operations. Honestly its kind of a silly argument altogether.. infantry officers are generally just upset that they got the top sought over branch and ended up regretting it

 

Also I know plenty of infantry officers who have never met an aviator in their career. They usually do not speak to them much if at all until ~company command or staff time

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The ARs are all over on this (ie, they allude to it, etc, but are clear as mud). Buuut,

 

DA Pam 600-3 (he should be aware of this as it applies to him too for career timeline and PME progression...):

 

  • Para 1-4: "For this publication, the term "officers" encompasses warrant officers (warrant officers are appointed by commission at the grade of chief warrant officer two (CW2)), company grade officers, and field grade officers. All officers are direct representatives of the President of the United States."

And the coup de grace (unless he thinks the guys that write DA Pams are full of it...). Same DA Pam 600-3, para 3-9a (Warrant Officer Definitions):

  • Warrant officer one/chief warrant officer two. A WO1 is an officer appointed by warrant with the requisite authority pursuant to assignment level and position given by the President of the United States. CW2s and above are commissioned officers with the requisite authority pursuant to assignment level and position as given by the President of the United States. WO1’s and CW2’s primary focus is becoming proficient and working on those systems linked directly to their AOC/MOS. As they become experts on the systems they operate and maintain, their focus migrates to integrating their systems with other branch systems.

 

If you want to blow his mind, the Army now considers CW3s (good luck with that one...I never got special consideration minus one MAC flight out of Kuwait for R&R...) and CW4s are now "Field Grades". Granted CW4s always had that deference--but regulatory is nice. AR 600-20 (Command Policy), Table 1-1 is that ref.

 

Get back in your flight books...

Edited by METT-TC
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