Warrant officers can and do command detachments, units, activities, vessels, aircraft, and armored vehicles as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. However, the Warrant Officer's primary task as a leader is to serve as a technical expert, providing valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field.

Navy

In the Navy, Warrant Officers have traditionally been the technical experts whose skills and knowledge were an essential part of the proper operation of the ship. Navy CWOs serve in 30 specialties covering five categories. Navy Chief Warrant Officers are technical officer specialists who perform duties that require expertise and commissioned officer authority to direct technical operations in a given occupational area. Chief Warrant Officers should not be confused with Limited Duty Officers. They perform duties that are technically oriented, that is, requiring skills directly related to previous enlisted service and specialized training, while not significantly affecting their ability to perform those duties through advancement to other duty positions and responsibilities—allowing the Navy to capitalize on their experience. Sailors must have been a senior non-commissioned officer (E-7 through E-9) to gain the commission.

Background

Based on the British Royal Navy warrant ranks that were in place until 1949, the Navy has had warrant officers among its ranks, in some form or another, since 23 December 1775, when John Berriman received a warrant to act as purser aboard the brigantine, the USS Andrea Doria. That warrant was considered a patent of trust and honor but was not considered a commission to command. Since this first appointment, Navy and Coast Guard Warrant Officers have held positions as surgeons, master mates, boatswains, carpenters, and chaplains. While the United States, lacking an aristocracy, never needed to address the issues underlying the founding of warranted officers in the Royal Navy, a similar issue of rank—that is, highly competent senior non-commissioned officers reporting to inexperienced junior officers—gave rise to special status to the Navy's Chief Warrant Officers.

In 1975, the Navy stopped utilizing the grade of Warrant Officer (W-1); the reason for this involved "high year tenure" Chief Petty Officers actually losing pay when appointed to the grade of Warrant Officer. All CWOs in the Navy are now appointed CWO-2 through CWO-5 and managed by billets appropriate for each rank. There have also been historical examples of former E-8s and E-9s resigning their warrant commission prior to retirement so as to take a greater retirement pay in the senior enlisted ranks.

Flying Chief Warrant Officer