# Warrant officers: why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191 "2017-02-06T20:17:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/21 "2017-02-08T00:27:23Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > That actually makes a lot of sense. But that raises the question of why do doctors in the medical corps and lawyers in the JAG corps get commissioned as “full” officers (for lack of a better term). I understand they are not ultimately not going to get true command as other commissioned officers do, but they are certainly not NCOs. Surgeon /is/ a command position. Often, of course, surrounded by people who know more than you do, and always surrounded by people who know more about their specialities than you do. But in the traditional structure, the doctors make the command decisions. (With the consent of their senior nurses, if the doctor has any sense) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/22 "2017-02-08T00:41:52Z")
IIRC, in the US Navy, officers such as Medical Corps officers can only command medical units. Unrestricted Line Officers can command ships, shore installations, etc. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/23 "2017-02-08T00:58:24Z")
Thanks, Monty. That’s exactly what I was referring to. For example, while an air force JAG officer may have “command” of the JAG corps, my understanding is that he/she does not rotate through the different command positions that other officers do, and will thus never achieve operational command outside the specialty. Is that correct? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/24 "2017-02-08T01:48:09Z")
My uncle was a Navy surgeon who had “command” of a hospital at one point. Obviously no one would have expected him to command anything that floated or fought, though. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/25 "2017-02-08T02:02:01Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > Thanks, Monty. That’s exactly what I was referring to. For example, while an air force JAG officer may have “command” of the JAG corps, my understanding is that he/she does not rotate through the different command positions that other officers do, and will thus never achieve operational command outside the specialty. Is that correct? > … Yes. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/26 "2017-02-08T02:08:31Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > Is that correct? To try to keep those Special branch folks out of normal command/leadership positions the Army even has a basic branch in the medical field - the Medical Service Corps. Those are folks with no medical certifications who are trained to administer medical units. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/27 "2017-02-09T16:35:26Z")
This’ll depend on the country, but in the USA, in terms of succession of chain of command: Line Officer LDO/CWO Enlisted Staff Officer In practice though I imagine the Staff Officer would probably assume command and work with the most SNCO available. I also second LSLGuy’s comment about the military not wanting to pay market rate for technical skills. One of the reasons why I got out several years ago as it became apparent that they were moving to a contractor workforce for everything technical (aka fun) and the military were their for not-so-fun work. I used to wonder why they did this, then after a meeting with our division and the CO, he did not realize that the contractors that were working on our equipment were all ex-military and hod more or less just gotten out. There’s an apparent disconnect there with the people who make decisions and reality. They could also reduce the rank/grade structure as well. I’ve seen some other countries where it’s really truncated. As I have seen SNCO/CWO/LDO perform similar jobs if not the same job, to me, it’d make sense to combo up E6-E9/CWO/O1-3, but that’d be heresy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/28 "2017-02-09T20:55:38Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > …I also second LSLGuy’s comment about the military not wanting to pay market rate for technical skills. One of the reasons why I got out several years ago as it became apparent that they were moving to a contractor workforce for everything technical (aka fun) and the military were their for not-so-fun work. > … My point wasn’t that DoD or the services _don’t want_ to pay market rate. It’s that they _can’t_. The only pay grade that approximates a skilled IT person is O6. They have no mechanism to pay O6 wages to a young recently-hired worker except to promote them to O6. Which won’t fly. That’s the problem. The end-around is to use contractors. Not because DoD has any expectation of getting high quality workers for pennies. Not because DoD doesn’t understand what’s going on and somehow thinks contractors are a cheap bargain; they’re surely not. The do it because Congress hasn’t yet reformed the entire pay system to permit them to pay military members who’re specialists what they’re worth on the outside. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/29 "2017-02-11T12:38:09Z")
Yeah, the military pay system would NOT allow for a Geek First Class to make as much as the ship’s line officer Captain. Because that’s just the way rank and paygrade is done. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/30 "2017-02-11T13:15:15Z")
With the massive influx of contractors at all levels in most militaries, there is an interesting return to the 19th century, when professionals and contractors were just as common as now and as stated above Warrant Officer and similar ranks were basically made due to the need for contractors to have some command powers. I wonder if in 50-100 years the Army will once again absorb these into regular ranks. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/31 "2017-02-11T13:45:12Z")
I forgot to mention something above. In the United States, Chief Warrant Officers are commissioned. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191/32 "2017-02-11T14:50:29Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Anyway, the officers were military commanders, and nothing else, so the Royal Navy resorted to hiring warrant officers via Royal Warrants for specific technical tasks related to the successful operation of a combat ship. You had warrant officer positions for nearly every important function- Master (navigator), Surgeon, Boatswain, Gunner, Purser, etc… and a much smaller handful of commissioned Lieutenants and Midshipmen who were more concerned in general with the overall handling of the ship and crew. Not quite.The purser was a civilian contractor, and were noted for their supposed dishonesty. Of course they were good scapegoats when rations were short and the pork rancid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warrant-officers-why/779191.md?page=1)