Warrant Officer Historical Foundation

Warrant Officer Historicay Foundation
(formerly Warrant Officers Heritage Foundation)
A Non-Profit 501 (c) (3) Public Charity
Preserving Army Warrant Officer History ™
Founded May 29, 2003

(Many files throughout this History are Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
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Warrant Officer Studies and Reports

An act of congress in 1918 established the Army Mine Planter Service as part of the Coast Artillery Corps. Implementation of the Act by the Army was published in War Department Bulletin 43, dated 22 July 1918 - see extract of the Bulletin.

In 1984, an entire new era for Warrant Officers began when the Army Chief of Staff chartered The Army Total Warrant Officer Study (TWOS). This was the first Department of the Army level comprehensive study of Warrant Officer management across the total Army. View the cover Letters and Executive Summary of the final TWOS Report.

In 1989, A Warrant Officer Management Act (WOMA) proposal was submitted by the U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association on behalf of the Army to the Congress. Then Congressman Charles Bennett of Florida submitted the proposed legislation to the House. Upon review, the Senate Armed Services Committee Report on the FY 1990/1991 Defense Authorization Bill referred the package to the Department of Defense (DoD) to evaluate the proposal for consideration in the 1991 bill. The Army was requested by the Defense Department to chair a special ad hoc committee to research and prepare the requested report for the Congress. The committee initiated deliberations on September 22, 1989. Committee participants included representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Force Management) and from the personnel departments of each of the military services, the Reserve components, and the Coast Guard. The Committee's report was issued on 30 November 1989. The Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management & Personnel) forwarded the Defense Report to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on 9 March 1990. See the Executive Summary. (This is a large file, be patient while it loads)

In 1991 the WOMA proposal was considered by the Congress and it was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1992. Six key provisions were enacted based on the Warrant Officer Management Act as signed by the President in December of 1991, these were as follows: A single promotion system for Warrant Officers, Tenure requirements based on years of Warrant Officer service, Establishment of the grade of CW5 with a 5% cap on the number of Warrant Officers on each service's active duty list at any one time, and Selective mandatory retirement boards for retirement eligible WO. View House Resolution 36, the actual bill as enacted into law.

On February 27, 1992, the Warrant Officer Leader Development Plan (WOLDAP) was approved by the Chief of Staff of the Army. The purpose was to incorporate a smooth transition of TWOS and WOMA into a seamless personnel management system for the Army Warrant Officers. It is a total Army plan designed to ensure that active and reserve component Warrant Officers are appointed, trained, and utilized to a single standard. See approved WOLDAP.

In September 1999, General Eric K. Shinseki, then the Chief of Staff, Army, chartered the Army Development System (ADS) XXI Task Force to examine the enlisted and Warrant Officer personnel management systems. See more information is ADS XXI WO Frequently Asked questions (2002).

In February 2002, "The Warrant Officer Ranks: Adding Flexibility to Military Personnel Management," a report released by the Congressional Budget Office of the U.S. Congress in February 2002 (applies to all services) - see Fact Sheet. To view the CBO Report go to www.cbo.gov, click on "Publications", then click on "Search" and enter "warrant" in the "word/Phrase" block. The Report will appear in the right hand panel. Click "More" to view the report or you may download the file.

On 9 July 2004, new CW5 insignia, wear of branch insignia & colors, wear of "Eagle Rising" in WOCS and WOBC were uniform changes for Army Warrant Officers - see message. The new CW5 insignia is a silver-colored bar, 3/8 inches in width and 1-1/8 inches in length, with a black line in the center of the bar (pictured to the left) - This aligned the Army CW5 Insignia with that of the Navy and the Marine Corps, particularly it makes the rank more readily recognizable in joint operations. Ceremonial Warrant Officer Insignia Change and Flag Ceremonies were held at various locations on 9 July and other dates.

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Updated 2/1/2014