# What is the Role of a Warrant Officer in the Modern Military?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-role-of-a-warrant-officer-in-the-modern-military/200587>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 9, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-role-of-a-warrant-officer-in-the-modern-military/200587 "2003-09-09T19:17:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-role-of-a-warrant-officer-in-the-modern-military/200587/41 "2014-05-12T20:49:45Z")

</div>

> [@bobkitty](#):
>
> Because in the Navy it does, and it’s possible that he made a mistake in thinking it’s so for the rest of the branches. Navy is W2 through 4 (they start at 2 because you have to be at least an E7 to apply for the Warrant program; all other services you can apply at E5 but you’ll come in as a W1), the others are W1-W5.
> 
> The boyfriend is a W4 in the Marine Corps; his CO and a number of his friends are 5s. He could be looked at for 5 in two years, but he doesn’t want to go past 20 years in. He is not, as far as I can tell, a zombie. 😉

Most Navy Chiefs (E7-E9) with any brains at all will tell you that it makes no sense to give up the senior enlisted rank to be a WO, which is neither fish nor fowl. Warrant officers that I knew didn’t fit in anywhere. Line officers looked down on them, and most enlisted didn’t look up to them. Same for a lot of LDOs. An E-7 in the Navy has the respect of both officers and lower enlisted (assuming he knows his job), and won’t give that up without a lot of thought. There are some who have aspirations of being an officer (WO or LDO), thinking that somehow putting on bars will immediately command respect and loyalty. It’s rarely the case. When I made Chief, I immediately went from being just another senior first class petty officer to someone whose opinion mattered, and whose management and leadership skills were in high demand. Amazing, really, and all it took was a change of uniform.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-role-of-a-warrant-officer-in-the-modern-military/200587.md?page=2)