In-Betweeners: Origin of the Warrant Officer (US)

[@BattleOrder]

Here is the article listing every billet rating a Warrant Officer in a US Army Armored Brigade Combat Team: www.battleorder.org/post/warrant-officers

[@Marinealver]

Here is a suggestion, why Navy Captains outrank Army Captains. My theory is Captain used to be a title of any commander. However when army units got larger like regiments and divisions they just created a higher rank whereas when ships became larger the billit Captain just took on the larger responsibilities.

[@2326TX]

Half of my unit was Warrant Officers. Either they were pilots or "weapons" maintenance specialist. Not saying we didn't have enlisted 55G's but most that did that job were Warrants.

[@HussarPlays]

I worked with a support staff WO in a Cobra unit once, and he was every bit of a warrant officer. Subject Matter Uber Nerd. Rest was just a bunch of premadonna pilots.

[@soonerfrac4611]

An LT or even a Cpt might outrank a CW2/CW3 but push come to shove the battalion commander is going to side with the Chiefs almost every single time. And a nickname for a CW5 is Chief god, because absolutely nobody short of a 3/4 start is going to tell them no.

[@GrzegorzDurda]

You need an associate degree to be a warrant officer. So 2 years of college gets you into a helicopter.

[@CaeruleusWolf]

The first rule of being a Warrant is to keep an extra patrol cap on your desk so people think you're still in the building.

[@Nebris]

lol

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

Lmao 😂

[@luisbperez368]

Lol you made my day 😂😂😂😂😂

[@SSDConker2]

They have the sharpest skates. Lance Corporals are always in awe of their mastery to the point that CWO-5s are practically unicorns to them.

[@Dea7hWarran7]

@@SSDConker2 CWO5? Who? Never met him.

[@CryptoX-kr3wu]

Warrant Officer is the best kept secret in the US military. NCOs don’t have the rank to mess with you. Officers don’t have the knowledgebase to dispute what you say. You are the "warranted" subject matter expert in your MOS. You occupy your own invisible space in the chain-of-command and no one really understands your role, but they don't have the expertise to question it. So you manage your own time, and are mostly left alone to go about your day and do whatever you want to do.

[@guitarpilots76]

As an aviation Warrant in the army for 8 years I can agree with everything you just posted.

[@SkydivingSquid]

And no one sees you at command PT.

[@NLvideomaster]

Wow that looks like my old job. NOT in the military...

[@knoahbody69]

@@guitarpilots76 I read an Aviation Warrant Officer dropped the dime on the My Lai massacre. He positioned his bird between the Lt who ordered the massacre and the civilians.

[@snakeplissken3063]

And they're the only soldiers allowed to put their hands in their pockets.

[@gregorall9779]

The best thing I enjoyed about being a WO was hearing 04's and 05's saying " leave him alone, we don't know what he does"

[@ubcroel4022]

Which MOS?

[@gregorall9779]

@@ubcroel4022 120A

[@49525Bob]

Similarly my CW4 OIC told an O4 Major to back off and leave me. (a spec 4, not in uniform,) alone while I was working on a down piece of crypto equipment. My OIC didn't want to have to report to DIRNSA why our circuit was offline.

[@raykoonce5474]

@@49525Bob Does a WO5 really exist? Have you seen one? LOL

[@BEBO6647IO]

thats what im doing now.. lol

[@jp1701A]

I was once told by an air force veteran that the reason the AF got rid of its warrants is they didn't like having a group of individuals permitted to go to both the officer's lounge and the enlistedmen's lounge.

[@BattleOrder]

lol that's probably not the exact reason but it's the energy. I believe the official reason is they didn't want to have a separate personnel management system for a different class of airman when they could just make senior NCOs do it

[@rupvictoria3017]

the fact that the Warrant Officer rank wasn’t needed at all in the Air Force according to many Air Force Veterans who were in during the early years of the Cold War

[@BPD1586]

@@rupvictoria3017 Perhaps back then, but it would be good to reinstate warrants now with the pilot shortage and filling positions filled by company grade officers (ie OSI Det Commander, MX section commnders, etc.) which don't require a 4-year degree. Plus it'd help with retention.

[@alankordzikowski7670]

@@BPD1586 completely agree! Abolishing the Warrant Officer ranks and pushing their responsibilities onto the SNCO corps was just one of the many Air Force shortcuts. Running it like a business vs the military. To only have two distinctive routes for someone to advance is wrong. For careers like pilot, with the shortage, primarily your RPA, and rotary winged aircraft. Warrant officers would excel in filling those roles. It would Help to retain pilot, in fact it might even encourage more people to become pilots. Aviation is a huge career goal right now. Seems more than ever people are learning to fly. The AF could go the WW2 route and reinstate the flight officer grade if they only want to keep it to aviators. The Air Force should reinstate those ranks. It would help the branch out as far as organization, and help the members out as far as career growth.

[@ChrisDIYerOklahoma]

Retired USAF MSgt here -- the reason we got rid of warrant officers was due to the creation of E-8 and E-9 ranks back in 1959. We also didn't want to give up the "regular" officer billets to WO's. And, of course the USAF "has" to be different. Once you reach E-7 (MSgt) you are already performing duties similar to an O-1, 0-2, and some 0-3's. But, (in my experience) not many O-1 and O-2's make many decisions before running it through their E-7. E-8 and E-9's are usually working with 0-4's and above. IMHO, I still think there is room for WO in the USAF...maybe a special billet for "rated" billets (missile, cyber, special ops, etc). Another rank I wish the USAF should bring back..."buck" sergeant E-4). Once a SrA graduates from ALS, they should be promoted (no pay increase) to buck sergeant.

[@nunyabusiness6699]

You know you’re about to see some awesome shit when a Warrant Officer says “watch this”!

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

When you hear a Marine say watch this! You better prepare for Half Right & a Safety Briefing tomorrow.

[@Dea7hWarran7]

“Hey, watch this guy’s face...”

[@alabamacoastie6924]

That's pretty good!

[@lescobrandon3047]

“Hold my martini!”

[@wolfenstien13]

There's a joke in the Navy where a Cheif said that to an overly cautious Electrician Mate and basically got zapped away and flash burn the entire group.

[@rhinocus]

When I served as a Warrant Officer, Flying Attack AH-1s and AH-64s, the best explanation we had for differentiating between Warrants and Commissioned Officers was, A Commissioned Officer is a mile wide and an inch deep, whereas a Warrant is an inch wide and a mile deep. Meaning a Warrant is a Specialist in their field and a regular officer can be placed in any unit and expected to run it.

[@johnfleming7879]

after Viet Nam, men who were excellent commissioned pilots often had difficulty learning to command combat arms companies, which hurt their career chances

[@darylcav6285]

As a ah-1s crew chief I always thought the warrant officers were the cool guys that got to fly and comm officers were the frat boys that flew but had additional command duties that would keep them flying. In the end the warrants were my favorite

[@chrismaggio7879]

OK... I listened to the entire video because I have never heard an explanation that made sense, and this video was just too full of facts and dates and noise, and basically made it more confusing. YOUR explanation, in four seconds... made sense. Thank you! Crazy part is I am a Vet and I could never get a plausible response while I served as to what these in betweenness were for and how to become one. I knew they ran their own game and antagonized the sensibilities of both E's and Os... thanks!

[@ulrichvonlichtenstein7880]

Warrant officers are magical creatures. A CW5 is a creature of mythical fame and the legend is if you ever managed to capture one, you'll make CSM and General in no time.

[@TheMaleRei]

Don't don't try that on Billy Friendly, CWO5.

[@BEBO6647IO]

no ones ever caught me. cw5 Perez

[@Mandelbrotmat]

somebody in charge once said "Fuck it. Let's give an enlisted guy 90 percent of the power that an officer has, with 10 percent of the responsibilities."

[@jrc8466]

It would be more like "Fuck it. Let's give an enlisted guy 10 percent of the power that an officer has, with 90 percent of the responsibilities." I was in the Army 1969 - 1979 which included the transition to the all volunteer (VOLAR) army in the early 70's. I can assure you that the traditional power and methods that NCO's had prior to VOLAR were reduced greatly while the responsibility remained the same. As an example, in 1971, while stationed in Augsburg, Germany with a Cavalry Troop that was part of the 1st Infantry Division Forward, we were out in the field setting up a bivouac when an E-7 Platoon Sergeant with about 20 years service told an E-3 Private First Class to speed things up. The PFC replied "F*** you, sarge" to which the E-7 took about 3 steps and back handed the PFC across the chops. Guess who got the Article 15? They both did. In the old Army an incident like this would be looked upon as an NCO simply taking corrective action with a subordinate who showed no respect.

[@Mandelbrotmat]

@@jrc8466 I bow to the ancient knowledge of my elders.....though, at this point, I'm just grateful I still have elders.

[@Taurox220]

@@jrc8466 that's not a reduction in power, that's an increase in accountability. Patton lost a star for assaulting enlisted. It isn't an attack on the prestige of a rank to force them to behave with decorum.

[@konstantinosnikolakakis8125]

@@Taurox220 Didn't lose any stars, he apologised and everyone moved past it.

[@ColdWarPrepper]

I've served as a PLT Leader, BN Mess Officer, Special Security Officer, Detachment Commander (remote intercept site), Property Book Officer (suggestion - avoid this one with all sincere vigor) in my case, I would say your numbers are reversed 10% of the power with 90% of the responsibilities

[@rkf2746]

I was in the Marine Corps, 1969-1973. Most of the WO's I was ever around were mustanger's. Once saw a butter-bar Lt try to dress-down an old WO. It didn't end well for the butter-bar.

[@raymond3855]

All Marine Corps Warrant Officers were prior enlisted RkF

[@paladin50554]

@@chaist94 Most do, except for U.S. Army helicopter pilots.

[@MikeFL2TX]

@@paladin50554 Some of the flight warrants do high school to flight school programs of sort. Some are prior enlisted. Then there are a very select few I've came across that went E3, then commission and made it to 03, then went warrant. A little confused on it, but some have. Also, while in the high school to flight school programs, I believe they are paid in the E5 grade (not completely sure anymore being that some who have rolled out of the program came in as a SGT/E5.

[@goldenhide]

Absolutely true for the Corps. Last I checked when I was considering staying in (2012ish) it was at least 5yrs TIS, and E-5 - E-7 to even apply. Not sure if it was ever put out officially, but there were rumblings that the Corps was going to tighten the requirements up some in the recent past/near future.

[@hudsondonnell444]

The CWO-5 that was the subject matter expert for the motor transport MOS school at Camp Johnson when I was in the Corps was a Major that was frozen at O-4 for having the filthiest mouth in the US military. In order to stay in he had to accept a transition to the Chief Warrant Officers ranks.

[@DragonPilot]

I became an Army WO helicopter pilot in the Vietnam era under the Warrant Officer Candidate program. We were E-5s for pay purposes and received our warrants upon graduation from the program. Aviation warrant officers are the backbone of US Army Aviation serving as line pilots, instructors, aviation maintenance officers, safety officers.

[@importantname]

Not of the royal blood line, but good enough to lead other peasants.

[@HailToTheRayBaby]

Best description I've ever heard. Thank you.

[@KBell119]

Not even close to true in today's army, based on my experience in it at least

[@doc325]

Pretty accurate. Standard commissioned officers do have 4 subtypes, the ROTC hazard, the OCS hard charger, the mustangs, and the warrant officer. Today Warrant Officers generally get more than, or equal to, the respect of a "mustang" (a previously enlisted, who later becomes a commissioned officer through ROTC or OCS), WO's do seem limited in the jobs available as compared to an ROTC butter bar who, when equipped with a compass, becomes the most dangerous thing on the battlefield...to the men serving under them. I will say the "pucker factor" of a warrant officer inspecting some aspect of your unit is actually higher than a "full bird" doing the same. The Warrant officer generally has more been there done that T-shirts than your average enlisted or other commissioned officers, and knows what they're talking about, either through experience, or they're, and this may be a stereotype that is true only via my subjective observations, are the types who have read every manual the military offers, and committed that information to an SSD hard drive located somewhere in their cerebellum. Special note: Any "inspections" by a rank above the "full bird", generally are solely pomp and circumstance, ceremonious, and result in the highest amount of injuries due to people passing out while standing at attention or parade rest for extended periods. This takes place most commonly while waiting for the thing to get started. The General officer will not even pause when a skull bounces off the deck, while thanking their wife, kids, and of course, their dog, for providing them the support to be where they are today. Thank you for your service, Mr Fluffles.

[@1notgilty]

​@@doc325 I had to laugh when you mentioned the General Officer not even pausing when someone passes out from standing at attention or parade rest for extended periods of time. I used to stand at parade rest in the boiling sun with the sweat running down my back and soaking my shirt while some self-important brass droned on about patting themselves and their entire extended family and all of their friends and subordinates for their love and support that led the brass to greatness. SMACK. Another man hits the deck. Here's a helpful tip - If you're ever standing at attention or parade rest for a long time don't lock your knees. Keep them bent and you're less likely to pass out! At ease!

[@mattpeacock5208]

@@doc325 well put. Every time I had to unfugg a problem caused by the bureaucracy in the Marine Corps airwing, I found the CWO in supply. That man could fix the system, and ghost/miracle/skillfully aquire the parts I needed to fix a piece of gear. Never bother anyone above Captain, don't waste your time with the LT, just find the CWO, he'll set you straight. I think I learned that on my first week in the fleet.

[@robsteingruber9488]

I spent almost 31 years in service. The last 16 as a Warrant. I was proud to say I was a Working Warrant. Best job I ever had. The only regret was not going Warrant sooner. Very good lesson in the history. Good job.👍

[@macdelttorres3366]

I learned so much from CW3 Thomas…. I messed up a lot but he always had a good lesson to teach; one of the few warrants to take time and explain things….. I will always remember the time a CSM came in to the office and and wanted me to call at ease(with my back to the door)…. Chief calmly told him that nobody was to call at ease or salute inside the office; CSM started to scream and chief calmly told him to take it up with brigade…..

[@Tony-cf7cp]

Hahaha don't fuck around with the warrent officers they got connections with everyone above you

[@michaelsims949]

I had a CW3 explain it like this. "When the shit hits than fan this is what happens. The officers decide the shit has indeed hit the fan, and they call in the enlisted men who clean the shit off the fan. Then they call us we are fan repair. We don't have to make decisions and we don't have to handle any shit."

[@alexandermiller6317]

I saw a CW5 once. He yelled at me because my soldier (I was an E5) was refueling a gun truck at the fuel point while the engine was running. I explained to him that due to a maintenance deficiency, the truck would die if I shut it down, and it was an emergency and didn't have time to jump it again. He didn't care. But by the time he was done yelling at me, the truck was already refueled though. So I left. Nothing happened afterwards.

[@burtvincent1278]

I have a friend who flew helicopter gunships in Viet Nam. He decided to give up on this military career for the sake of his family and left as a Major. He missed flying and joined a National Guard helicopter unit in the only flying slot available as a WO2. He raised some captains eyebrows during a class A uniform inspection when he stood at attention wearing the only cover he had which bore scrambled eggs on the bill. It became obvious he was the only one in this troop who knew what the Hell he was doing and he ended up with his majors commission reenstated and put in command of the unit. He retired a full Colonel. What a colorful character.

[@babayaga9102]

what do you mean by bore scrambled eggs on the bill? What is a cover in military terms?

[@てじ-j1v]

@@babayaga9102 I believe its a type of gold stitching on the brim

[@babayaga9102]

@@てじ-j1v what's a cover

[@timlevis3630]

I was in the Marines in the 1980's. We had a Warrant Officer Cobra pilot. At that time it was an oddity. He was quite respected amongst the enlisted.

[@jimasher]

…my cousin flew the Cobra in late sixties… let me check out his bad ride. RIP Jerry…

[@josephryan9230]

There were several noteable things to me when I transitioned from an E-6 to a WO-1 in the Army National Guard. When I was first appointed, I remember passing a group of soldiers on break in an outside courtyard, with their hats off. I passed this E-8, who never would have given me the time of day as an E-6, and he gave me this slight nod of the head in respect. Second, I couldn't disappear into the mass of enlisted soldiers like I could as an E-6. I was one of the few warrant officers in my unit, so everyone knew who I was. Third, there are only so many warrant officer positions in a given state. As an enlisted soldier, I could move around to a variety of units. Once I became a warrant officer, there was only one unit in each of the two states I lived in that had a slot for my MOS (career specialty). No one ever tells you that in advance. In spite of that, it was a very good career move and I'm very happy to have done it. This was something I had wanted for a while and it was very fulfilling to have finally made it. Commissioned officers will listen to a warrant officer in a way they would never listen to an enlisted soldier, and that's important after you've had a number of years in service.

[@harcomou8395]

Good story and congrats. However: "Commissioned officers would never listen to enlisted soldiers the way they listen to Warrants". I guess this applies "generally" to E1,E2,E3,E4,E5 and E6. E7 is a little different though and I do not only mean the PSG and PL 2LT-relationship. E8 is also a different story. Especially when he is in a 1SG-slot. E9.... Well... Some CSM won't even listen to O3 Captains as they are mostly around LTCs, COLs, BGs and higher. There are many seasoned officers who listen more to average E9s than to average 1LTs or WO1 or CW2s.

[@josephryan9230]

@@harcomou8395 Good point. I was speaking from my own personal experience. I've also seen the deference given to an infantry battalion CSM by one of the 2LT platoon leaders. I doubt there's any company commander out there who wouldn't take seriously a warning or admonition (respectfully delivered) by a battalion CSM.

[@harcomou8395]

@@josephryan9230 Yes. And also I think this can in some instances include E8 Master Sergeants. By the way: What is your opinion on using one rank for 4 ranks ? You call a Lieutenant Commander and Commander "Commander". You call a Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel "Colonel". You call a 1LT and 2LT "Lieutenant". All fine with me. But AR 670-1 makes you use "Sergeant" for not 2 or 3 but 4 ranks. Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, SFC and Master Sergeant. All just Sergeant. Taking into account how hard it is to make E8 I think they should revise it. What do you think?

[@josephryan9230]

@@harcomou8395 That's an interesting question. I've always felt that "colonel" and "lieutenant colonel" were a little too close to one another, since LTCs are typically addressed as "colonel," rather than "lieutenant colonel." Yeah - the E-5 to E-7 ranks are typically blurred together, with everyone being called "sergeant." So, when someone makes E-8, that seems to continue, unless they make First Sergeant. When my NCOIC went from E-7 to E-8 (master sergeant), I still called him "sergeant." This is not the same with the Marines, who address the full rank. As an E-6, Marines would call me "staff sergeant," while my fellow soldiers would call me "sergeant." I can certainly see the frustration of going through all of the work to make E-8, but still being addressed as "sergeant." Changing it would likely require the Army to have a more rigid delineation between NCO ranks, both in title and role.

[@Army4Runner]

@@harcomou8395 Well...RLOs might listen to that 1SG/SGM/CSM when it comes to “Soldier issues” more so than a WO, however, when it comes to operational considerations specific their trade, I’ve never seen an RLO disregard a WO’s counsel. Every NCO I’ve ever interacted with that was a candidate to be recruited into the WO Corps, yet who did not want to do so, always had their reason as “I just love taking care of Soldiers.” Whereas, those that did want to become WOs were far more motivated to refine their craft as a technical experts and are recognized as such by their RLO counterparts.

[@RYAN-eu4jg]

Being a history nerd and veteran I can confidently say your channel is highly underrated. Keep up the amazing work.

[@twocubez7848]

Great video as always. I went to ask our section’s warrant officer if this was all true. I didn’t see him in his office, but his PC was still on his desk. Chief has to be around here somewhere...

[@jtrlatinist2227]

When I served in the army as an infantryman warrant officers were a mystery to me. To me they just seemed like a special rank for pilots.

[@wisemankugelmemicus1701]

Currently serving in the infantry, and that’s what I know about em too

[@ColdWarPrepper]

I was a walking warrant - MI. At Corps level, we had 7 Warrant Officers - 1 German Voice Intercept, 1 Russian Voice Intercept, 2 Morse Code Intercept, 1 Non Morse Intercept, and 2 Analysis and Reporting Techs (352C - one was me)

[@RexNicolaus]

W-O’s in my reserve unit are amongst the most knowledgeable people I’ve came across in my Army career. They’re basically tradesmen of the Army.

[@richhayner1208]

True.

[@Skinwalkerxiv]

Bro thank you for making this. I’d see warrants all over base but had no idea what they did. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to salute them because before I joined I’d never heard of them but had learned they weren’t officers because most of the time they tell you not to salute, and I’ve found they’re the most laid back fuckers in the world.

[@chrismitchell45]

Thanks for this. My grandfather went from Buckner Orphanage, to the CC camps under Roosevelt and then to WWII as a buck private. He retired at Ft. Sill in 1978 as a CW3. He was involved with the development of the artillery radar systems. I believe counter battery but I’m not sure.

[@rickw.1920]

Wow. My father was promoted to WO1 about that time at Ft. Sill. He ran a unit using those artillery radar systems. They used them to help artillery units to track their rounds to the target and to locate enemy artillery units. He told me that if an artillery unit was ready, they could track a slow moving mortar round, locate where it was fired from, and have their artillery target and fire before the mortar round hit the ground. That was in the 70s/80s, I can only imagine how good they are now. They operated semi-independently from the artillery units they supported. Sometimes during field training, they would set up where their radar would best function, but hidden, and the opposing forces were challenged to find them. My father was really good at keeping hidden, according to him. He retired in 1985 as a CW3.

[@Dharmanarchist]

Warrant Officers are like unicorns, I heard about them while I was in the Army but only saw one on a misty morning running away from the PT formation.

[@Komiekilla]

Great video. As a warrant myself, I really enjoyed it. They should show this in WOCS, instead of the older video they do show.

[@WarThunder-zt4xw]

Retired Coast Guard CWO2 here...the CG is an armed service and we also have Warrant ranks. Same devices and similar epaulets as USN.

[@MarkBeckstrom]

CWO3 USCGR (ret)

[@PamelaContiGlass]

Thank you. This clarified a lot. I was a Second Lt. in the Italian Army and just now I realized why in my army we had a very funky rank called "Maresciallo" or "Marshal". They were a sort of "Super NCO" and almost every helicopter pilot I ever met (including the one delivering lasagna to a staff meeting that flew his bird like a mad man and made me lose my lunch) had this rank. Frankly, I always considered them NCOs and in fact they mingled with the rest of the NCO, but Sergeant always kept them at a respectful distance. I'd love to find more info on "Marescialli" in the Italian Army, especially since in other armies, like the french, and in WWI, the rank of Maresciallo was actually the same as a General (i.e. the infamous "Maresciallo Cadorna"). As an aside, as an amery man I have always been confused by the ranks in the Italian Navy. I don't even attempt to understand the US Navy ranks.

[@jameskawaikaupejrcwo3usmcr573]

Good history on Warrant Officers. As a retired Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer -3 after 21 years of service in the Marine Corps as a former Gunny with 13 years then appointed as WO-1 in the Data Communications Maintenance field. (2805). Served in the 1st MarDiv, 3rd MarDiv and 1st MEB in Hawaii. I really enjoyed my tour in the Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis.

[@davidbrennan660]

Warrent Officers in the British Army? = Power of God.

[@jasonirwin4631]

Warrent officers in the us military=power of invisibility

[@vincespeedmk223]

Regimental Sgt Major (whilst standing on the grass): "Get off the grass!"

[@harcomou8395]

WarrAnt, not WarrEnt. British Warrant Officers II and I = US Army E8 and E9, Master Sergeant / 1SG and Sergeant Major / CSM.

[@hudsondonnell444]

@@vincespeedmk223 he's always right.

[@soonerfrac4611]

A common nickname for a CW5 is Chief God. Outside the flight community, they report directly to 3 & 4 stars typically. And usually only one or two for an entire branch.

[@w.p8960]

In the Marine Corps in the 60’s, I saw one Warrant Officer. I had to ask what the hell the guy with a bursting bomb on one side of collar and a weird bar on the other side was. Sgt said he’s a Gunner stupid, call him Mister. Never saw another.

[@Tsudkyk]

During an inspection of our ship, a senior chief was making a list of “hits” of spaces. Our warrant officer saw the list of hits and found the SC. He asked the senior chief to provide documentation for which code covers these violations, when the senior couldn’t he was escorted off the ship and told not to return. The WO contacted the base to inform them that their inspectors were undereducated for their position and “making decisions based on opinion, in accordance with their own egos.” That guy was a badass.

[@skookapalooza2016]

After having served 14 years on active duty with time spent in the Army & Navy, I've never learned so much about warrant officers as I have in this video. Thank you.

[@LDrumsOhio]

In my career field the majority of the officers are Warrants and actually command most of the units including 100% of the Guard, and Reserve units, and about 70% of Active Army units. I only served under a commissioned company commander at AIT. All of my other units were lead by Chief Warrant Officers 3, 4, and one 5. Also the last WAC enlistee retired was a Warrant Officer in my last unit ; Chief Jeanie Pace.

[@BattleOrder]

Maintenance or intelligence?

[@LDrumsOhio]

@@BattleOrder Band.

[@BattleOrder]

That makes sense

[@LDrumsOhio]

@@BattleOrder Commissioned Officers were limited to the special bands and MACOM Bands prior to 2008. So you'd have about 20 commissioned officers in our entire career field; only at 6 units, and no opportunities for deployments but at the same time they were supposed to be creating doctrine for the rest of the career field, which has about 160 warrant officers. Things have changed where some medium bands have commissioned officers now and no warrants, but 100% of Guard and Reserve still have warrants. It's weird to have a 2LT walk in, and because they outrank the commander the whole unit comes to attention.

[@LDrumsOhio]

@@BattleOrder following up, one of the oldest serving warrants, and last remaining active duty Women's Army Corps members CW5 Jeanie Pace visited one of my old units the other day. 43 years of service and one of the most senior warrants! www.dvidshub.net/news/385617/retired-cw5-pace-visits-1cd-band

[@0diepus]

WO should be used in usaf for aircraft maintenance. experienced maintainers keep getting pulled up for admin jobs as they rank up. with them goes the experience and leadership needed on the flight line.

[@jeepinbanditrider]

The real special power of Warrant Officers is their almost god like ability to appear and disappear like enigmas while also being repsected to the utmost by all ranks. The real master skaters.

[@gunchief0811]

Technical experts, who rate a Salute. Mentors career minded military leaders. Warrant officers.

[@Simon-jj2pu]

Annoys them when serving with U.K. forces who do not salute them as they don’t salute their own

[@erikrick]

To make w5s more recognizable in a joint environment? How many w5s do they think are running around?

[@mikenicolay2483]

"Warrant Officer" rank was the equivalent officer's rank as the "Specialists" were for the enlisted.

[@chrismc410]

So by that logic, they are the dons of the E-4 Mafia

[@RonnWaters]

I was really just a "Spec4 with a Club Card".

[@moegarcia6592]

If you talk to old Iraqi soldiers whom were trained by british and American specialist. Imagine telling you sent a bunch of E4's.explains slot reading in a history book

[@schaferhundschmidt1798]

When there were Sp5, 6, & 7, this may have been true. After they got rid of those ranks, Sp4, later SPC, was more like, " Well, with time in grade, we have to promote you, but we don't think you deserve Corporal."

[@john-wk4gq]

just a pay grade thank you

[@ricklehtonen7523]

Thank you! Created my WO package in 1992. WO’s are a unique cadre of experience, leadership, and knowledge. THE EXPERTS in their field.

[@SAINTJAMESOFFICIAL]

Hey battle order! I hereby request for you to do a video related to the Australian military, no specific requests as you will find an amazing topic to go off regarding Australian forces. fingers crossed!

[@hamentaschen]

10:35 Whoa. That's some skilled flying right there. Backwards. Wow.

[@T.R.R.Jolkien]

When I was 19 and in the army, I walked past an older gentleman leaving the office I was going into. We always practiced walking past officers and addressing them but this guy had stars across his shoulders and I froze! I just said hi or something as he passed and he stopped me. He was super polite but he said let’s try this again. I went back and walked past him again, saluted and said ‘good morning, general.’ He saluted and said ‘now that’s the correct way.’ I always appreciated his patience with me. 😎

[@stevecarlson9557]

Very interesting. I was a CW-2 when I got out in 1970. Flew helicopters. I'd never heard of the rank prior to going in the army. Interesting video. Thanks.

[@Delatta1961]

Well done.. CW4 (Ret.) Dana Latta UH-60 A/L/M SP/IE

[@BattleOrder]

Thanks mate

[@deansley174]

Dork.

[@24Mossberg]

Very good job! I was on active duty in the Army from 1967 to 1987. I served in the Military Police Corp and more specifically, as a CID Agent. I retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Three and shortly before retirement I was offered Commissioning. So, CW3, USA, Regular Army. Side note, I was also an Executive Officer in a Basic Training Unit for a short time, go figure.

[@jadebecker9407]

Thanks for sharing this. My brother is a CWO-5 in the army.

[@Existntlangst]

I retired as a technical US Army CW3. Best damn job I ever had.

[@theregiment7595]

Awesome video man, really glad to see you covering some lesser-known ranks. The graphics really helped too. Keep up the good work.

[@altonwilliams7117]

I met an old retired warrant officer. He worked on nukes and was stationed in New Mexico during WW2.

[@m2gjam139]

I served thirty years in the United States Army almost twenty in the Ranger Regiment I retired in 2010 . We did a lot of training and riding in choppers they are very brave people. I 95% interacted with pilot's some of the finest people in the military.. Men & Women

[@ditzydoo4378]

Quick note: The "Bursting Bomb" originally was the insignia of the Grenadier of old European armies'. The symbol (Shell and Flame) was formally adopted by the U.S. Army for the Corp of Ordnance in 1812 and has remained ever since. I served in the Ordnance Corp, U.S. Army for 22 years.

[@billmattheis8481]

The Army currently has a significant marine warrant program that u forgot. This program was very large during WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and all subsequent conflicts. These are part of the Transportation Corps as are many maintenance warrants. These people have critical skills - - don't leave them out.

[@tommallon4052]

I was a Huey crew chief in the Guard. It was common to have a Warrant as the aircraft commander and an Commissioned as his co-pilot.

[@alancook2752]

My Dad was one of the last WO in the airforce. He retired as a CWO-W4

[@karlschulte9231]

I was a cw2 in CAP - USAF S&R Aux. Sr. Not cadet. Kept it in AF where I was SGT. Had CAP Sqdn on our large base and CAP was great for dependant kids to be cadets. We ( seniors) did seach and rescue spt to nearby Navy flight school. Was Sqdn Coomo Officer. W could use O Club on weekends ( Sr officers). Fast fwd and I became WO in Army and retd CW4. We do the deep specialty things that reg officers need for support but have to be more generalized. CW2through 5 are now commissioned ( after this video) and can command special units related to their area.

[@b.santos8804]

Excellent video and good explanation of the differences between warrant officers and commissioned officers. The warrant ranks always seemed mysterious to me, but seeing their historical origins as basically "master craftsmen" who were respected and valued for their knowledge and experience, but not generally required to be in leadership positions, was very enlightening.

[@captaindusty4884]

Hi battle order, can you do a video comparing modern US and British/Commonwealth military ranks? Doesn't matter which branch but curious to hear the differences

[@NotHPotter]

Pretty thorough video on a mythical creature. Nice!

[@lancesmith3585]

Do you think that the U.S. Space Force will break from Airforce tradition and add Warrant Officers due to the more technical field of Space?

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

Technically the Air Force still has Warrant Officer's even though they did away with them . There represented by a Black Square ⬛ with Silver Stripes. Missions Officer , Flight Operations Officer, Mission Officer , Technical Operations Officer, Space Operations Officer, So it wouldn't surprise me if the Space Force went the same route or used Warrant Officer grades.

[@blackstone777]

Potato potato

[@AJ-jj9fc]

I wouldn’t hold my breathe since they are only moving a small number of career fields to fall under Space Force. I asked this question before LtGen Rice before he retired, and the AF’s only concern was pilots and that they didn’t want to explore that option.

[@SteamboatWilley]

SPACE BOSUN! 😆

[@robclark3095]

Being in aviation in the US Army, I was around warrant officers often. Nearly all were helicopter pilots. The only non-pilot warrant officer I was around was our unit supply chief. Once when I was picking up my dress uniform at the dry cleaners on base, I ran into a CW5. At that time, he said he'd been in the Army nearly 40 years.

[@НиколайИванов-в8ы1я]

I’ve got an interesting one for you - railroad armed forces, including combat engineers and armoured trains. P.S. for examples ZhDV of Russia.

[@ColdWarPrepper]

My equivalent in the Russian Armed Forces - WO was a Michman (мичман)

[@danconnors8961]

great job!! As a CWO5(ret) in the Navy reserve, this was interesting and well put together.

[@thebigballistician]

Complete WW1 ranks would be amazing if you can do that! Also love the video.

[@SAINTJAMESOFFICIAL]

Oooo yes!

[@thebigballistician]

im talking all major sides of ww1. Britain, France, America Germany, Austria

[@KaisharsAestheticCorner]

@@thebigballistician you're forgetting a big one, the biggest one I should say. Serbia

[@costakeith9048]

I don't think you realize what you're asking for, lol. Speaking of the US army, which I'm the most familiar with, they were still using the old 19th century system from the Civil War, there really wasn't a dividing line between job and rank for many enlisted positions, yes there were privates, corporals, and various types of sergeants, but there was much more to it than that, here's a sampling of the ranks: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia_of_World_War_I I know it's not a comprehensive list because I know for a fact that paymaster was also a rank, but it's at least a taste of what the system looked like. However, that's just for the enlisted ranks, the officer ranks were much closer to the modern system.

[@78asasou]

My boss was CW4 in Berlin 1963...He joined the Army at 16 in 1936...was an E6 in 42, he was given 1st Lt, brevet commisson by 45 he was Colonel at age 25. He was then demoted to warrent officer. When I served with him he was the ranking Warrent in the US Army. Late in 63 he retired with the Rank and Pay of a Brig Gen. This is a true story.

[@dtm6190]

When talking to Air Force Officers they are always surprised to find out that Chuck Yeager was actually a Flight Officer (aka Warrant Officer) during WW2.

[@benbenjan811]

He was started as private, become warrant officer and was eventually commissioned as 2nd lieutenant.

[@marianotorrespico2975]

Very good work, pithy, concise, and to the point. Thanks.

[@kevinburger1008]

You missed two big things: 1) the Marine Gunner as a Chief Warrant Officer is an infantry officer and a member of every Marine Corps line infantry battalion. They even have special and more stringent requirements. So saying they CWOs are not in line units really only applies to the army. 2) Chief Warrant Officers ARE commissioned officers. Only WO-1s are appointed.

[@Army4Runner]

The Army does have WOs in line units. There are MI and maintenance WOs in BCTs at the battalion and company level. Additionally, there are SF Warrants at the team level. However, the Army does NOT have the “Gunner” WO that the USMC does.

[@hudsondonnell444]

The Marine Unicorn or is it a Pegasus?

[@JeepWrangler1957]

Go back to the early 70's I only saw 1 WO in my whole 4 year hitch. Now all branches have them except the AF. I always wonder why there are no WO-1's in any branch? I suppose all the Ring Knockers hate WO's as much as they hate Mustangs, ROTC's or OCS officers.

[@Uhlankadett]

Also WO's in the USMC are/can be troop leaders and CWO5 can command a Battalion as a CWO3 can command a Company and several of the LAR Platoons I was in were commanded by CWO2's and CWO3's and the H&S Company XO was a CWO3 circa the late 90's. Also in closed communities like USMC EOD... all officers are WO's that just pin on equivalent Commissioned ranks when they are selected for Command Billets.

[@jameskawaikaupejrcwo3usmcr573]

Right on the money. Semper Fi Marine!

[@ksgould1992]

Thanks for this excellent historical summary. I was one of two HUMINT warrants (351M/CW2) in an infantry brigade combat team (3/101) from 2003 to 2007. I worked in the Military Intelligence Company assigned to the Special Troops Battalion. Now the STB is retitled as a Brigade Engineer Battalion, but the MICO still falls under it. My junior counterpart worked in the brigade S-2. We also had a Fires Battalion (3/320th) in the BCT, but the two artillery warrants (131A) in the BCT worked in the brigade S-3. As of January 1st, 2021, according to the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Recruiting page, the Army warrants still have to wait till CW2 for their Presidential commission. There was some chatter back around 2006 for the WO1s to be commissioned, but I guess that recommendation never got approved.

[@ColdWarPrepper]

Yep, 352C here (SIGINT)

[@89128]

When the US entered WW2, the 8th Air Force received seasoned airmen from the British Eagle Squadrons. Of course, the US commissioned officers looked down their noses at these 'low lifes' when they arrived. Many of the Eagles were aces, but the powers that be only awarded them junior status as flight officers. When the first squadrons of 8th Air Force fighter command went up against seasoned Luftwaffe pilots, the results weren't pretty. Many American CO's disregarded the advice from the flight officers. These officers could only watch as pilot after pilot went down for disregarding solid advice. Finally high command commissioned and promoted many of the Eagles into leadership positions. The results weren't long in coming. Under their leadership and training they whipped the squadrons into fighters.

[@k4everut]

I'm a retired Army CW4 (Military Intelligence and Aviation Walking Warrant (Technician)). I enjoyed your video! I'm going to send a link of this video to members of my family and friends who ask me what a Warrant Officer is. BTW, the old "Eagle Rising" branch insignia in your video brought a tear to my eye. I was really upset when we had to stop wearing it. I kept one of my old combat uniform with my rank and that insignia.

[@FIREBRAND38]

I was surprised that you didn't address the 180A Warrant program in Army Special Forces although the whole story would probably fill a video by itself.

[@bobbyd.3681]

Thank you for the interesting and informative presentation. I was a second-class machinist mate on an aircraft carrier in the 70's. As a work center supervisor my duties took me throughout the ship giving me the opportunity to deal with various warrant officers. Aside from their technical expertise my experience with warrant officers was their use as enforcers. Any time an enlisted gave an officer a hard time (sometimes being right doesn't count for much) a warrant officer would show up shortly thereafter to set the enlisted man straight. God help him if he didn't have his stuff together. And even if he was right, he was going to get an ear full just for drill. In general, they were a force for good order and discipline keeping the train on the tracks.

[@richardstorie229]

Retired a CW5. Was in Field Artillery Pershing Missile units. Warrant Officers were not only tech experts but also involved in operational management, deployment and manage the enlisted maintenance soldiers.

[@pyeitme508]

Wow and second! Wish for more amazing videos in the future.

[@michaelreilly8890]

Biggest recent surge in Warrant Officers was caused by the Vietnam War and the need by the Army for helicopter pilots. This led to the WORWAC (warrant officer rotary wing aviator course). At one point the Army was graduating over 500 warrants a month as pilots. In the recent years the bulk of helicopter pilots in Army units are Warrant Officers. This actually is in keeping with the intent that Warrant Officer is a Technical Specialist rather than a line officer with combat arms training and command authority.

[@chrisc9769]

When I was in I was with the Infantry, and Cav Scouts, We were supposed to have a CW2 as the OIC of our mechanics..... I saw them only twice in 6 years. They are Unicorns. Still they are crazy good at their job if you manage to spot one in the wild 😉❤️

[@donaldhollingsworth3875]

When I was in the Marine Corps in the late 1980's in artillery, we had a couple of Warrant Offer's at battalion, & regiment level.

[@Paradiselost2802]

I got out in 2006 artillery an we had a Warrant Officer as well.

[@danconnors8961]

excellent history! Thanks much from a CWO5 Bos'n, (ret)

[@prohero22]

Being a CWO/BOSN in the USCG is the Best! I went from E8 to CWO2 and don’t regret it for a second. Quality of life is much better too!

[@markwilliams1735]

The UK Royal Navy and Royal Marines had Officer grade WOs until 1949 when the ranks were renamed as Branch Officers before being abolished in 1957. The RN and RM reintroduced WOs in the early 1970s as Army/RAF equivalent enlisted ranks i.e. NATO OR8 and OR9

[@knightguard3892]

First, thank you to all of you who served this country. Second, nice job on explaining the WO rank, my late father tried to explain it to me when I was young, he was in the Army. The only branch missing is the CG, they also have the rank as well

[@richardberry5984]

To items: 1) You said warrant officers aren't found in Cavalry units. That is incorrect. If it is an Aviation Cavalry unit, and there are a lot of those (I served in three of them), then they have many Aviation warrant officers assigned. 2) You didn't mention the warrant officers of the US Coast Guard. They are also an integral part of our military warrant officer history and heritage.

[@elevated_engineering6515]

I have been confused by WO rank structure for decades. Thanks for this.

[@SAINTJAMESOFFICIAL]

Another idea Battle Order, The evolution of countries uniforms starting in the 1800’s and evolution to 1900’s and then further evolution to 2000’s

[@la_old_salt2241]

It is fairly common for the Coast Guard to assign a CWO as Captain of some cutters, such as aids to navigation cutters.

[@JohnCLewis-xk4nx]

The U.S. Coast Guard also has Warrant Officers.

[@nghtwtchmn129]

Are their duties the same as Navy warrant officers?

[@occamsrazor1285]

Can't forgot our Coastie buddies

[@raymond3855]

@@nghtwtchmn129 Responsibilities are similar

[@KatManx2006]

​@@raymond3855 someone stated earlier that that CG Warrants can be appointed to exercise Command Authority on small vessels but I couldn't find anything on that subject. I know for certain that Army Warrants (2-5) can assume command of specific units; Navy Warrants are generally limited to the role of Officer In Charge of Detachments or small "non-commissioned" units such as a remote calibration laboratory serving a wide range of fleet customers..

[@chrisogle6569]

@@KatManx2006 it's true. USCG CWO4s are eligible for some sea commands.

[@transitengineer]

Wow, this was great and very educational. Between 1983 through 1990, I served in the U.S. Air Force from Second Lieutenant to Captain. Was told the Air Force was trying to weed out the ranks of Warrant Officer, by letting the current Warrant Officers stay, but not promoting anyone else into these ranks. Glad there were still a few remaining when, I departed service in 1990.

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

I had my degree before I entered the reserves at 28 as E-4. My intended career path in my specialty was to go for Warrant after I made E-6 and had 1 yr time in grade. In my service, the only direct Warrants were the medical para professionals. Unfortunately I was hit by a drunk driver in my civy job and that was the end of everything. Although I had just made the list for E-6 when it happened, but was honorably discharged as E-5.

[@MajorTom1369]

Outstanding production!

[@flywheel9759]

One of the opening statements in the original naval manual reads as follows, "Enlisted men are invariably stupid, but are sly and cunning, and bear considerable watching." Hence the Warrent Officer rating

[@smacwhinnie]

A navy officer just got canned for essentially saying the same thing

[@albertgrant1017]

While undergoing my Signal Corp Officer Traing in 1971 at Ft Gordon GA I was trained by several excellent Warrant Officers .

[@shenmisheshou7002]

Few Marine Corp Warrant Officers wear the bursting bomb. The only Warrant Officer that wears the Bursting Bomb is the Marine Gunner. This is the actual title and it is a commissioned rank (CWO-2). While enlisted personnel will often address any WO as "Gunner" they are technically not Marine Gunners. The Marine Gunner has to be a Gunnery Sergeant or above with 16 years of service to be eligible to be selected to the CWO-2 commission.

[@DansilSchroeder]

I'll always be proud of my decision to go warrant over commission.

[@unapologetic7900]

The Marine Corps actually had NCO Pilots at one time, can you do a story on that please?

[@karlschulte9231]

So did the Navy. Met several in 1965 in Keesler AFB. Stripes from elbow to arm pit all gold lace. WW2 courier type planes ( looked like a torpedo bomber). Stupid airman guaed detained them when he learned they were enlisted! 4 old WW2 era command master chiefs ( top NCO at Pensecola, top NCO of Navy, etc. Next phone call was to their golf buddy the Sec Navy. It rolled downhill via USAF command, Pentagon down to base commander. Apologies all around. Airman had been told only officers are smart eniugh to fly a plane. Thought they had stolen the 4 planes. Rumor is the airman did a tour in Greenland. But that's only scuttlebutt as they say in the Navy ( ie. BS). But story is true.

[@earlguillory5168]

8:17 You WILL find Warrant officers in Cavalry Squadrons..... AIR Cavalry Squadrons! All of your Attack troop and assault troop pilots are, for the most part Warrant officers. Look at 6:49 and 7:05. Those are Warrant officer pilots and the guy in 7:05 was sporting a Cavalry stetson in his right hand!

[@kknoodsen8394]

Army Special Forces have a warrant officer in every operational detachment (ODA).

[@Kevs442]

Works Intelligence collections.

[@kknoodsen8394]

@@Kevs442 team technician, advisor to team commander. You are correct but there's a lot more to the job.

[@Kevs442]

@@kknoodsen8394 in SF, there's ALWAYS more to the job.

[@johnpauljones9310]

In the USN, chief warrant officers are gods. They are the undisputed experts in their ratings. No officer, no enlisted will challenge them. I overheard my CO, XO, and Air Boss having a discussion and at one point the skipper asked, "What's the Chief think about this?" and it made me laugh. Here are the 3 top officers of an aircraft carrier and they're wondering what the ship's Bos'n thinks.

[@richdouglas2311]

The Air Force dumped the Warrant Officer grades after the adoption of the "super grades" Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) and Chief Master Sergeant (E-9). The Air Force also didn't distinguish between line officers and the Navy's "Limited Duty Officers." You were a line officer or you were not. Thus, I was an NCO (Staff Sergeant) and later a commissioned officer. I can see the argument for using Warrant Officers for flying positions. But not because we want to make pilots out of high school graduates. Rather, Warrant Officers don't fill command positions. They're recognized for their advance technical skills. Well, we have a significant subset of pilots who would love to just fly and not move into command positions. Instead, we lose a lot of them when they're up for promotion to major, because that almost always means a ground job. Offer them W-4 grade and keep 'em flying!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

I was involved with engineer-ish/equipment jobs while the Army had me and I met some DANDY Warrant Officers! Every one was amazing. But there were some commissioned and non-coms like that too. Glad to be home. Good job!