Talk:Warrant officer

message: " ...a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission..."
--23.119.205.88 (talk) 04:35, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed. Evensteven (talk) 06:07, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: No, you haven't. What you've done is converted the entire intro to describe what an American WO is. This is not what a WO is in Commonwealth forces, for instance, where a sergeant-major (including the equivalent of a US first sergeant) is a WO and very much within the chain of command. -- Necrothesp (talk) 10:44, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, then. A warrant officer originally (within the Royal Navy, from at least the late 18th century and well beyond) was not in the chain of command, and presumably it was also this way within Commonwealth forces later. The shifting of Royal Navy warrants in the mid-nineteenth century did not apply to all WO ranks, and the definition of chain of command is a separate issue that may or may not have redefined with WO ranks (I don't know). There has apparently been a change in Commonwealth forces I wasn't aware of, but the American usage clearly originates from the British history, even though it wasn't adopted wholesale even at first. Evensteven (talk) 14:52, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: British sergeant-majors have been warranted since the late 19th century! Unlike most American WOs, all British WOs are promoted from the ranks and many of them are not technical specialists. A British WO2 is equivalent to a US master sergeant and a WO1 to a sergeant major. They don't occupy a separate tier as they do in the US, although Royal Navy WOs did until after WWII. American usage was probably based on Royal Navy usage, but not on British Army usage. See Warrant officer (United Kingdom). -- Necrothesp (talk) 15:01, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't doubt what you say. I was working off only the information I have, which is not comprehensive. My first object was to eliminate the circularity of wording mentioned at the start of this section. The technical specialty/chain of command thing once had fairly broad application (to my knowledge), and the article mentioned it too. I thought what I had added was compatible both with what I knew and what was said in the article, and thought it worthy of mention in the lead, so I added it there, figuring others would correct me if I got it far wrong. So, thanks for your clarifications here. I do think the article could do more to make clear how the WO ranks relate to chain of command both historically and presently, and hope you might be in a position to improve it in that direction. I just don't have the expertise. Evensteven (talk) 16:22, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  circular definition 

message: In both of the above named sections, MR2David makes the highly erroneous assertion that US Warrant Officers in the grade of W-1 are “non-commissioned officers.” The ranks of WO1 in the US Army and WO in the US Marine Corps are NOT non-commissioned officer ranks. (The other services do not have Warrant Officers in the grade of W-1 or don't have WOs/CWOs at all.)
Warrant Officers are in a separate rank class (W grades vice E grades) from the enlisted grades. By regulation non-commissioned officer ranks end at E-9, with the exception of the several Senior Enlisted Advisors to the various Service Chiefs and the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff (these “super senior” non-commissioned officers have a special pay-grade, which is position dependent.)
While there are a few somewhat esoteric, albeit important legal, distinctions between a warrant officer and a commissioned officer (primarily concerning certain aspects of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, specifically Articles 88-91 & 133), on a practical level warrant officers are officers just as much as are CWOs or any other grade of officer:
*	Warrant Officers swear the Oath of Office (the same as commissioned officers) – non-commissioned officers do not.
*	Warrant Officers wear officer uniforms and insignia – non-commissioned officers do not.
*	Warrant Officers receive officer customs of the service, including being addresses as “sir,” receiving salutes from all persons of lesser rank, having rooms/spaces/areas/units called to “attention” upon their arrival/entry if they are the senior person present – non-commissioned officers do not.
*	Warrant Officers are entitled to “by your leave” privileges to approve a request from a person of lesser rank to overtake them while walking in the same direction, and “gang way” privileges over all persons of lesser rank requiring them to make way for the officer in passageways, congested areas, confined spaces, etc.
*	Warrant officers routinely serve as unit (platoon, flight, and section), vessel, and aircraft leaders and commanders, officers-in-charge of detachments, divisions (naval ship/squadron departmental sub-units), and sections and may serve as commanding officers of units. Non-commissioned officers do not normally fill these roles unless there is a shortage of officers available.
*	Warrant Officers assigned as unit commanders and officers in charge have Non-Judicial Punishment authority over all non-commissioned officers and other enlisted members of their unit (Manual for Courts-Martial United States, Part V, Para. 2a; 2b). Non-commissioned officers do not have this authority.
*	Warrant Officers may, with probable cause, apprehend or order the apprehension of  any military personnel suspected of committing offenses (including commissioned officers and other warrant officers) – non-commissioned officers may apprehend officers (commissioned and warrant) with certain caveats (Rules for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 302(b).) 
*	Warrant Officers may serve as members of courts-martial for any accused non-commission officer and other enlisted members (R.C.M. 502(a) (1) (b)) – non-commissioned officers (and other enlisted members) may serve on courts-martial only under very specific circumstances (R.C.M. 503(a) (2)). 
*	Warrant Officers are eligible to join the Officer’s Mess, dine in the Officer’s Field Mess (when one is provided), are members of the Wardroom aboard ship, and are billeted/quartered/housed in officer’s quarters, accommodations, and staterooms. Non-commissioned officers have separate facilities in most cases. In conclusion, Warrant Officers are officers, appointed from the non-commissioned ranks by warrant from the Secretary of their respective Service Branch. Non-commissioned officers are not appointed or promoted by warrant by the Service Secretary, but rather are promoted by orders from their respective Service Branch Headquarters. Non-commissioned officers may receive, especially in former times in the USMC, a promotion "warrant," which is a formal certificate of promotion, but it is not a Warrant Officers appointment warrant, which is somewhat similar in form to an officer's commission.CobraDragoon (talk) 06:14, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Re “Confusion about Warrant Officer Status” and “what’s the difference between a warrant and a commission?”: Warrant Officers are NOT non-commissioned officers! 

message: It's something that's approved by congress, but the military hasn't adopted it.  139.138.6.121 (talk) 14:53, 19 January 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  WO6 is a legit US rank 

message: The oath taken by both being the same is correct.   But at least in the United States Army, a commissioned officer is appointed with the "special trust and confidence of the President of the United States."  Conversely, warrant officers are warranted with the "special trust and confidence of the Secretary of the Army."  Similar, but not the same.  2600:1004:B12F:D69D:0:43:15F8:5501 (talk) 02:40, 21 February 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Chief Warrant Officers are commissioned"