Often abbreviated to WO. A Commonwealth serviceman who holds the Royal Warrant and is graded above staff sergeant (flight sergeant in the air forces) and below commissioned officers. Examples are the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM, whose rank is WOI--Warrant Officer, Class 1) and Battery Sergeant Major (BSM, whose rank is WOII--Warrant Officer, Class II). The WOs were, and are, known as the 'backbone of the Army'. No doubt, they are equally respected and valued in the navies and air forces. [Go to source
holds rank by virtue of a warrant
a figure that demands respect from both the enlisted and the officers
a highly skilled member of their field who has been chosen to fill a special place in military hiearchy
a 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
a member of a military organization, usually (in most armed forces) ranking subordinate to commissioned officers and superior to NCOs
a military rank, usually (approximately) subordinate to commissioned officers and superior to NCOs
an officer appointed by warrant, by the Secretary of the Army
a person commissioned by the President who, unlike a regular officer commissioned by Congress, has a command authority limited solely to the unit to which he is assigned for purposes of convenience while a regular officer may exercise command anywhere
a specialized grade of service in a military operation, where an officer is given his authority through a warrant rather than a commission, usually for service in a single field, with the capacity of an expert
Warrant Officer 1st Class Warrant Officer 2nd Class (British Army & Royal Marines)
A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. In most countries they are effectively senior non-commissioned officers, although technically in a class of their own between NCOs and commissioned officers. In the military of the United States, warrant officers are accorded the same privileges and courtesies, such as terms of address and salutes, as commissioned officers, and now receive a commission upon achieving the level of Chief Warrant Officer.