FORT LEE, Va. – Sustainment warrant officers, the technical foundation of the U.S. Army for 107 years, celebrated their heritage July 9. The United States Army Warrant Officer Corps was officially established on that date in 1918, though its lineage extends to the medieval and renaissance eras.
The U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command/Sustainment Center of Excellence celebrated the occasion with a morning teambuilding event and a professional development discussion, culminating in a birthday cake cutting.
The Warrant Officer Corps evolved from the position of headquarters clerk in 1896. The Act of August 1916 formally authorized this role, renaming it Army field clerk. Initially considered civilians, the Judge Advocate General later determined these positions held military status.
“Senior warrant officer professional development like today capitalize on bringing subject-matter experts together to provide a greater understanding of current and future conditions that will drive Army-wide challenges and opportunities,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Nicholas Laferte, CASCOM/SCOE command chief warrant officer. “This collaboration is the cornerstone of moving away from near-term problem solving and into problem prevention.”
According to Laferte, the true success of our Army is firmly nested within the integration of all functions focused on achieving cross domain effects. The sustainment “eco-system” thrives when each element is not just synchronized but fully integrated with one another.
“One of the greatest strengths of warrant officers is our ability to network with each other,” said CW5 Kent Shepherd, U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Command Chief Warrant Officer. “This is critical for the younger warrant officers serving together in tactical formations and is increasingly important for the senior warrant officers serving in strategic positions.
“The primary lesson everyone needs to walk away with is the rapid pace the Army is transforming and then all the initiatives that occur within each of the branches to support this effort,” added Shepherd.
As demands grow more complex and operations scale up, warrant officers lead modernization across standards, policies, and professional development frameworks.
“Our efforts focus on enhancing sustainment capabilities and ensuring responsive, efficient support to combat forces through automation, data analytics, and resilient supply chain strategies,” said CW5 Belinda Jackson, U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Command Chief Warrant Officer. “This continuous transformation ensures we stay committed to sustaining the force while remaining adaptable to the future battlefield.”
These initiatives align with the Chief of Staff of the Army’s priorities: building cohesive teams, delivering combat-ready formations, continuous transformation, and strengthening the Army profession.
“We are currently in an environment that is uncertain,” said Chief Warrant Officer of the Army Aaron Anderson at the Sustainment Warrant Officers Forum in May. “It's a little bit unstable, and we have to be prepared to execute any mission that we're given, and the mission ranges from combined arms maneuver and large-scale combat operations to border operations that we've recently been mandated to execute.
The Army Transformation Initiative and Professional Military Education Modernization was the focus of much discussion during the professional development discussion.
“The vision for PME remains unchanged: to cultivate technically skilled, adaptive, and trusted warrant officers who serve as the Army’s foremost experts and advisors,” said Jackson. “Through continuous education, warrant officers are prepared to operate effectively in joint, interagency, and multinational environments. The aim is to produce a professional cohort that excels in both operational execution and strategic thinking.”
The need to assess early and look for potential in the enlisted force to transition to warrant officers with the challenges of the current assessment process and the need for a more dynamic approach was also discussed.
“Look at those E-3s, look at those E-4s, look at those folks in that five-year to nine-year window,” said Anderson. “Let’s give them a path to become a warrant officer and I think by assessing a little bit the left of where we stand, we're going to get more return on investment for the Army.”
Often called the ‘quiet professionals,’ Army warrant officers are technical experts, combat leaders, trainers, and advisors who administer, manage, maintain, operate, and integrate Army systems and equipment. Sustainment warrant officers represent four branches and 22 specialties, supporting a wide range of missions.
“Warrant officers stand on the shoulders of 107 years of excellence,” said Laferte. “They are the Army's technical backbone, experts who ensure complex systems operate flawlessly.
“The term ‘quiet professionals’ does not imply silence, but rather a focus on action and results, allowing expertise to speak for itself,” added Laferte. “It means actively engaging with formations, using your voice to guide and mentor Soldiers and officers through rapid change. Our unique technical and tactical expertise is critical to making the Army more lethal and agile.”
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