Fort Huachuca, Arizona -- Seven Military Intelligence Corps chief warrant officer 4 (CW4) were the first to graduate from a new class designed for senior MI warrant officers during a March 31 ceremony in the Military Intelligence Museum classroom on post.
The Military Intelligence Warrant Officer Senior Service Education (MI WOSSE) graduation concluded a four-week block of rigorous training instruction which will enhance the graduates' proficiency and help benefit the Army as the Soldiers report back for duty at their current duty stations or at new assignments. The seven graduates of class 16-001 have an average of 26 years of Army service, two deployments each, and four of the seven students have already completed their master's degrees.
The MI WOSSE Follow-on provides senior CW4s and new CW5s with the senior level education, knowledge and influential leader competencies necessary for success in the contemporary operational environment. The course provides a high level of warrant officer professional military education, enabling knowledge and communication skills to clearly articulate technical solutions to complex problems at the tactical, strategic and operational levels of both Army and joint interagency inter-governmental and multinational organizations executing unified land operations through decisive action.
According to officers involved in planning and executing the course, the curriculum is rigorous, engaging and addresses the current needs of senior intelligence professionals by empowering senior warrant officer leader development in a profession of arms.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin G. Boughton, chief, MI Warrant Officer Training Branch, explained the need for continued education of warrant officers.
"The Army operating concept asserts that future leaders must be capable of achieving globally integrated operations with limited resources to be prepared to win in a complex environment," Boughton said. "This requirement necessitates flexible and adaptive leaders. The newly created warrant officer training addresses the core requirements for MI professionals to achieve success as the Army transitions from numerous years of concurrent combat operations."
The MI WOSSE was the second of two new classes for senior warrant officers introduced this year. The first class, which graduated in February, was designed to enhance training for the senior CW3 and new CW4 MI warrant officers.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Matthew Martin, chief warrant officer, Military Intelligence Corps, USAICoE, was the guest speaker.
"I applaud you for reaching this milestone in your careers," he said as he addressed the graduates. "Today's ceremony signifies yet another landmark in that journey, a journey that's been filled with a heavy dose of self-development that was surely forged with blood, sweat and tears within the school of hard knocks."
The graduates reflected on the benefits of attending this training.
"This school is designed to elevate us … from the tactical and operational levels up to the strategic level where we hope to move to senior staff positions within different areas of the DOD to help advise on strategy and policy," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Miller.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Earl Guce, course manager, MI WOSSE, explained the techniques used to help the graduates learn and fill in their knowledge gaps.
"We presented a curriculum that allowed us to have students share their individual experiences and allow, basically, almost a synergistic learning effect for the students," Guce stated.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Andrew Molchan added, "It was really good; interactions with fellow students and cadre, different ways of doing things, problem solving, strategic messaging, strategizing and collaborating -- that's a big-scheme takeaway right there."
After graduation, the Warrant Officer Training Branch senior cadre congratulated the students and wished them a safe return to their units where they will now put their newly acquired knowledge to use for the benefit of the military.
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