New York Army National Guard
Warrant Officer Information

What is a Warrant Officer?

A Warant Officer is 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 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.

Warrant Officer History

1. FIRST APPOINTMENT. The first appointment of an American Warrant Officer was within the U.S. Navy on December 23, 1775, on the American Ship Andrea Doria. The first Army Warrant Officer was appointed on 7 July 1918, when the Army Warrant Officer Corps was created by an act of Congress.
2. DEFINITION. In 1956 the first official definition of a Warrant Officer was published in AR 611-112. The first professional development program for warrant officers was established in 1969, with the Warrant Officer Career College at Fort Rucker, Alabama, created. A Warrant Officer Division, at Headquarters, Department of the Army, was established in 1974 to provide personnel management for all warrant officers.
3. ENTRY COURSE. By the 1980s Warrant Officers were an integral part of virtually all branches of the Army, serving in 70 career fields, totaling about 15,000 men and women. The first Warrant Officer entry course was established in 1983, at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland for Ordnance.
4. TWOS. By 1984 The Chief of Staff of the Army chartered a study called the Total Warrant Officer Study (TWOS). This was the most definitive study of the Army Warrant Officer and resulted in numerous changes to warrant officer programs. Changes involved accessioning, recruitment, training, promotion, utilization, and separation.
5. WOMA. Legislative recommendations from TWOS were introduced to Congress in 1988 as the Warrant Officer Management Act (WOMA) and became law in December of 1988. It ensured that all warrant officer entry courses were standardized.
6. WOLDAP. Based on WOMA, a Warrant Officer Leader Development Action Plan (WOLDAP) was developed and approved by the Chief of Staff of the Army in 1992. WOLDAP brought many changes to include; changes in structure, training, clarification and grading of positions, and the creation of the CW5 position.
7. CAREER CENTER. The Total Army Warrant Officer Career Center and the First Warrant Officer Company at Ft. Rucker, Alabama were created and became the centerpiece of the warrant officer education system in October 1992.

Contact:

Command Chief Warrant Officer
CW5 Mark Shumway
mark.e.shumway.mil@army.mil

© NYS DMNA: Warrant Office Information
URL: https://dmna.ny.gov/arng/wopm/?id=who
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Page Last Modified: 15 May 26 16:44