Attendees included warrant officers from the active Army, U.S. Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. The most recent warrant officer one, and the longest serving warrant officer five, joined the general to cut a three-tiered birthday cake with a 105-year-old saber. VIEW ORIGINAL
More than 125 Army warrant officers gathered July 5-7 at Fort Liberty, N.C., for professional development, capabilities demonstrations by Army Special Forces, panel discussions at the 82nd Airborne Division, physical fitness events and birthday cake to honor the Army Warrant Officer Corps 105th birthday.
On July 9, 1918, Congress established the rank and grade of warrant officer while establishing the Army Mine Planter Service as part of the Coast Artillery Corps. Today’s warrant officer corps comprises over 40 different specialties – including aviation, cyber, intelligence, logistics, engineering and even Army bands.
“You all have an immense responsibility to the Army; you have a fantastic history; you are part of the very fabric of our Army, day in and day out,” said U.S. Army Forces Command Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. Paul T. Calvert. “We have to see not only where we’ve been and where we are today, but where we need to look to the future. It’s my challenge to you all.”
Lt. Gen. Calvert joined the gathering at the Iron Mike Conference and Catering Center on post to honor the 105th anniversary and provide his insights about the vital nature of today’s Army Warrant Officer Corps. Attendees included warrant officers from the active Army, U.S. Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. The most recent warrant officer one, and the longest serving warrant officer five, joined the general to cut a three-tiered birthday cake with a 105-year-old saber.
The FORSCOM deputy commanding general challenged the warrant officers with three goals.
“The first challenge is to own the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the warrant officer corps,” Calvert said. “It’s accountability of self, that’s where it always starts. It’s accountability of your subordinates. It’s the accountability you hold of your peers … and it’s accountability of those you work for.
Attendees included warrant officers from the active Army, U.S. Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. The most recent warrant officer one, and the longest serving warrant officer five, joined the general to cut a three-tiered birthday cake with a 105-year-old saber. VIEW ORIGINAL
“The second challenge for you is to build the future,” Calvert said. “Don’t rush to failure. Don’t water down the institution. Be judicious in those that you endorse to become warrant officers. You have to commit the time and effort to do the assessment process. I would submit to you that it’s months’ worth of building knowledge and understanding of that young Soldier to determine whether they truly have the potential to transition into warrant officer ranks.”
Lt. Gen. Calvert reminded the group, “important is the potential (of future warrant officers) and you all know better than anyone else what right looks like in the young men and women, and the potential that you see to be able to fill your shoes sometime in the future. Own the responsibility of building the future of the warrant officer corps as we go forward.
“My last challenge to you is to find your voice,” Calvert said. “You deserve a seat at the table. We do a pretty good job at the upper echelons of command of identifying senior warrants in the formation. At the division level and below you also need to get your foot into the door … to have voice, to provide influence and perspective, and to provide sage advice to commanders. You’ve got to show your worth. You’ve got to show how you make a difference.
“You’re all heroes in my book,” Calvert said. “I am thankful everyday we have you as technical experts across multiple Military Occupational Specialties in our Army. Happy birthday!”
“The Army is the best leadership laboratory, institution in the world,” said Chief Warrant Officer Five Jonathan Yerby, U.S. Army Forces Command Senior Warrant Officer Advisor. Chief Yerby described the significance of the Fort Liberty gathering. The three-day gathering pulled together warrants in influential positions for the purpose of sharing initiatives; highlighting best practices across Army organizations; and building technical depth and expertise.
The Army has more than 26,000 warrant officers serving in eighteen branches throughout the active Army.
There are five grades within the Army warrant officer corps. A person is initially appointed as a Warrant Officer One (WO1), and progresses to Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2) after 2 years. Competitive promotion to Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3), Chief Warrant Officer Four (CW4), and Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) occur at approximately six-year intervals for aviation warrant officers and five-year intervals for those in other branches.
Social Sharing