Warrant Officer

A Warrant Officer is a military officer in the armed forces ranking above a non-commissioned officer (NCO) but below a commissioned officer. They hold office on a warrant rather than on a commission. Being promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer is considered a high honor for any NCO. However, unlike NCOs, who are not accorded the honorific, Warrant Officers are usually addressed by their juniors as "Sir" or "Ma'am" rather than by their rank.

There are five paygrades in the Warrant Officer system:


 * Warrant Officer (WO1)
 * Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2)
 * Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3)
 * Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4)
 * Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5)

The first four ranks are denoted by a silver bar with either one, two, three or four black squares in a vertical row, respectively. CW5 is indicated by a silver bar with a vertical black stripe in the center.

Note that although warrant officers rank below a second lieutenant, they are usually considered by officers with a great deal of respect for their experience and wisdom, just the same as senior NCO's are.