Editing Warrant officer (section)

===United States===
{{Main|Warrant officer (United States)}}
[[File:US Army Special Operations Center of Excellence Command Chief Warrant Officer CW5 Robert W. Hart.png|thumb|225px|CW5 Robert Hart, Command Chief Warrant Officer, [[John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School]], {{circa|2018}}]]
In the [[United States Armed Forces]], a warrant officer (grade W-1 to W-5) is ranked as an officer above the senior-most [[enlisted rank]]s, as well as [[officer cadet]]s and [[officer candidate]]s, but below the officer grade of [[Second Lieutenant (United States)|O‑1]] (NATO: OF‑1). All warrant officers rate a salute{{cn|date=April 2022}} from those ranked below them; i.e., the enlisted ranks.  Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers, and while the ranks are authorized by Congress, each branch of the military selects, manages, and utilizes warrant officers in slightly different ways. For appointment to warrant officer (W-1), normally a [[warrant (law)|warrant]] is approved by the service secretary of the respective branch of service. However, appointment to this rank can come via commission by the [[President of the United States|President]], but this is less common. For the chief warrant officer ranks (CW‑2 to CW‑5), these warrant officers are commissioned by the President. Both warrant officers and chief warrant officers take the same oath of office as regular [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officers]] (O-1 to O-10).<ref name="WO-1">{{Cite web |url=http://usawocc.army.mil/History/index.htm |title=Warrant Officer History |publisher=U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career Center |access-date=18 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624203329/http://usawocc.army.mil/History/index.htm |archive-date=24 June 2007 }}</ref>

A small number of warrant officers command [[detachment (military)|detachments]], [[military unit|unit]]s, activities, vessels, aircraft, and armored vehicles, as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. However, the warrant officer's primary task is to serve as a technical expert, providing valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field.<ref name="WO-1"/>

All U.S. armed services employ warrant officer grades except the [[United States Space Force|U.S. Space Force]]. Although still technically authorized, the [[U.S. Air Force]] discontinued appointing new warrant officers in 1959, retiring its last chief warrant officer from the [[Air Force Reserve]] in 1992. Space Force inherited the same lack of warrant officers from the Air Force, although its inaugural [[Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force|Chief Master Sergeant]], [[Roger A. Towberman]], stated in a January 2021 interview that Space Force would study the issue and decide whether or not to introduce them. In February 2024, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin announced that the Air Force will re-introduce the warrant officer rank within the information technology and cyber fields as a way to maintain technical leadership with those skills. The first class of 78 future warrant officers were selected in August and began training at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Space Force Senior Enlisted Advisor Talks Future of Enlisted Force |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2462396/space-force-senior-enlisted-advisor-talks-future-of-enlisted-force/ |access-date=2022-07-04 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Defense]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3676887/air-force-to-re-introduce-warrant-officer-rank-other-major-changes/ |title=Air Force to re-introduce warrant officer rank, other major changes |date=2024-02-14 |first=Todd |last=Lopez |publisher=[[United States Air Force]] }}</ref>

The [[U.S. Army]] utilizes warrant officers heavily{{efn|see [[Senior Warrant Officer Advisory Council]] [https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a563031.pdf  CW4 Richard C. Myers and CW5 Todd M. Boudreau (Spring 2011) Charging toward an even brighter future]}} and separates them into two types: Aviators and technical. Army aviation warrant officers pilot both rotary-wing and fixed wing aircraft and represent the largest group of Army warrant officers. Technical warrant officers in the Army specialize in a single branch technical area such as intelligence, sustainment, supply, military police, or special forces; and provide advice and support to commanders. For example, a military police officer and a military intelligence officer both have to be branch qualified in their respective fields, learning how to manage the entire spectrum of their profession. However, within those broad fields warrant officers include such specialists as [[United States Army Criminal Investigation Command|CID Special Agents]] (a very specific track within the military police) and [[United States Army Counterintelligence|Counterintelligence Special Agents]] (a very specific track within military intelligence). These technical warrant officers allow for a soldier with subject matter expertise (like non-commissioned officers), but with the authority of a commissioned officer. Both technical and aviation warrant officers go through initial training and branch assignment at the Army [[Warrant Officer Candidate School]] (WOCS), followed by branch-specific training and education paths. Technical warrant officers are generally selected from the non-commissioned officer ranks (typically E-6 through E-9). Aviation warrant officer candidates can apply from all branches of service, including junior enlisted and non-prior service civilians (aviation warrant officers join through the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program).

The [[U.S. Navy]] and [[U.S. Coast Guard]] discontinued the grade of W-1 in 1975, appointing and commissioning all new entrants as chief warrant officer two (pay grade W-2, with rank abbreviation of CWO2). This was to prevent a pay decrease that an entrant may take since all Navy chief warrant officers are selected strictly from the [[chief petty officer]] pay grades (E-7 through E-9). The Coast Guard allows E-6 personnel to apply for chief warrant officer rank, but only after they have displayed their technical ability by earning a placement in the top 50% on the annual eligibility list for advancement to E-7. In 2018, the U.S. Navy expanded the warrant program, re-implementing the W-1 pay grade for cyber warrant officers and accepting three new WO1s in fiscal year 2019.<ref>{{Cite web  |url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=105858 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010530/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=105858 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 July 2018 |title=Navy Expands Cyber Warrant Program |publisher=Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs, [[United States Navy]] }}</ref> This was further expanded in 2020 when the Navy introduced the Air Vehicle Pilot (AVP) program. Personnel commissioning as AVPs will be awarded the rank of W-1.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Navy |date=2020 |title=NAVADMIN 315/20 |url=https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Messages/NAVADMIN/NAV2020/NAV20315.txt |website=MyNavyHR }}</ref>

Warrant officers in the Army holding the rank of warrant officer 1 (WO1) are formally addressed as "Mr/Ms" [last name]. Upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2, "Chief" becomes an additional authorized term of address. WO1s are informally addressed as "Chief" by many soldiers as well. In the Navy, warrant officers are typically addressed as "Mr/Ms" [last name], "Chief Warrant Officer", or informally as "Warrant" regardless of their grade.

The [[U.S. Maritime Service]] (USMS), which is established at 46 U.S. Code § 51701, falls under the authority of the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation and is authorized to appoint warrant officers. In accordance with 46 U.S. Code § 51701, the USMS rank structure must be the same as that of the U.S. Coast Guard while uniforms worn are those of the U.S. Navy with distinctive USMS insignia and devices. The USMS has appointed warrant officers, of various specialty fields, during and after World War II.<ref>{{USC|46|51701}} (c) Ranks, Grades, and Ratings.— The ranks, grades, and ratings for personnel of the Service shall be the same as those prescribed for personnel of the Coast Guard.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usmm.org/usmsinsignia.html |title=United States Maritime Service Insignia of Rank and Distinctive Devices and Uniforms |website=U.S. Merchant Marine and the U.S. Maritime Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820034215/http://www.usmm.org/usmsinsignia.html |date=2002 |archive-date=20 August 2008 |access-date=1 August 2017 }}</ref>

Warrant officer rank is also occasionally used in law enforcement agencies to grant status and pay to certain senior specialist officers who are not in command, such as senior technicians or helicopter pilots. As in the armed forces, they rank above sergeants, but below lieutenants. For example, the [[North Carolina State Highway Patrol]] had several warrant officer helicopter pilot positions from the 1960s until the mid-1980s. The WO insignia was a silver bar with a black square in the center. The WO ranks were abolished when the aviation program expanded and nearly twenty trooper pilot positions were created. {{anchor|technical lieutenant}}The [[New York State Police]] rank of technical lieutenant is similar to a warrant officer rank insofar as it is used to grant commissioned officer authority to non-commissioned officers with extensive technical expertise.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none; text-align:center"
|+ Modern insignia and grades of warrant officers of the U.S. military
! Service 
! CW5 or CWO5
! CW4 or CWO4
! CW3 or CWO3
! CW2 or CWO2 
! WO1
|-
| {{Center|[[United States Army|Army]]<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Army (official specifications).svg|size=75px}}}} 
| [[File:US-Army-CW5.svg|18px|center|U.S. Army chief warrant officer 5 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US-Army-CW4.svg|18px|center|U.S. Army chief warrant officer 4 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US-Army-CW3.svg|18px|center|U.S. Army chief warrant officer 3 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US-Army-CW2.svg|18px|center|U.S. Army chief warrant officer 2 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US-Army-WO1.svg|18px|center|U.S. Army warrant officer 1 rank insignia]]
|-
! {{Center|[[United States Air Force|Air Force]]<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Air Force.svg|size=75px}}}}
| [[File:USAF-CW5.svg|18px|center|U.S. Air Force chief warrant officer 5 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USAF-CW4-2024.svg|18px|center|U.S. Air Force chief warrant officer 4 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USAF-CW3-2024.svg|18px|center|U.S. Air Force chief warrant officer 3 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USAF-CW2-2024.svg|18px|center|U.S. Air Force chief warrant officer 2 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USAF-WO1-2024.svg|18px|center|U.S. Air Force warrant officer 1 rank insignia]]
|-
| {{Center|[[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Marine Corps.svg|size=75px}}}} 
| [[File:USMC CWO5.svg|18px|center|USMC chief warrant officer 5 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USMC CWO4.svg|18px|center|USMC chief warrant officer 4 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USMC CWO3.svg|18px|center|USMC chief warrant officer 3 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USMC CWO2.svg|18px|center|USMC chief warrant officer 2 rank insignia]]
| [[File:USMC WO1.svg|18px|center|USMC warrant officer 1 rank insignia]]
|-
| {{Center|[[United States Navy|Navy]]<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Navy (official).svg|size=75px}}}} 
| [[File:US Navy CW5 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Navy chief warrant officer 5 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US Navy CW4 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Navy chief warrant officer 4 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US Navy CW3 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Navy chief warrant officer 3 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US Navy CW2 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Navy chief warrant officer 2 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US Navy WO1 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Navy warrant officer 1 rank insignia]]
|-
| {{Center|[[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Coast Guard.svg|size=75px}}}}
| Established in 1994; not implemented
| [[File:US CG CW4 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Coast Guard chief warrant officer 4 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US CG CW3 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Coast Guard chief warrant officer 3 rank insignia]]
| [[File:US CG CW2 insignia.svg|50px|center|U.S. Coast Guard chief warrant officer 2 rank Insignia]]
| Discontinued in 1975
|}