Become an officer and specialist in your field.

Become an officer and specialist in your field.

Lead as a warrant officer.
Earn your wings as a National Guard aviator.

Earn your wings as a National Guard aviator.

Find out more about aviation warrant officers.
Be a technical expert, instructor and advisor.

Be a technical expert, instructor and advisor.

Lead as a technical warrant officer.
Hone your skills while you move ahead.

Hone your skills while you move ahead.

Learn about Warrant Officer Candidate School.
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Warrant Officer

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See Warrant Officer careers.

Warrant Officers—Leaders and Experts

Do you want to become an officer, but continue to be a specialist in your field? As a warrant officer, you can be both an officer and subject matter expert rolled into one.

While basic branch officers assume the Guard’s general management roles, warrant officers are able to be leaders and instructors within their specific career field, and advise superiors in matters affecting their specialty. As a technical warrant officer, you’ll be both a technical and tactical expert—the best of both worlds.

And if you feel flying is in your future, the aviation warrant officer career path may be the best way to earn your wings and become a Guard pilot.

Is the warrant officer career path right for you? It might be, if:

  • You want to promote your National Guard career
  • You want to be the “best of the best”
  • You want to become an expert within your field
  • You want to use your knowledge to train Soldiers and advise officers
  • You want to be recognized as the “go-to” person for your technical specialty

What’s the difference between a branch officer and a warrant officer?

The National Guard always needs strong officers to organize “the big picture” and oversee the Guard’s important missions. But it’s also critical to have officer-level leaders to deal with details, execute and administer plans, and be available to both officers and enlisted personnel for advice and direction. Warrant officers are those hands-on leaders. Here are a few differences between the two kinds of officers:

    Warrant Officer Branch Officer  
  Available Ranks Warrant officer (WO1) - chief warrant officer 5 (CW5) Second lieutenant (O1) - general (O10)  
  Leadership Warrant officers (WOs) are leaders in their field, often the unit commander's go-to source of information. Branch officers are unit commanders, ultimately responsible for the success or failure of their troops.  
  Career
Track		 A WO is a technical and tactical expert in one career field; WOs generally stay in a single field for their entire career. Branch officers are generalists; their primary job is leading troops. They may be reassigned to other branches as they progress in rank.  
  Pay & Benefits WO pay is more than enlisted personnel, but less than branch officers. Some WOs are eligible for additional pay based on their field (e.g., flight pay). Branch officers have the highest earning potential in the military.  
  Assignments A warrant officer's job is to be the best at their position (example: A WO aviator might be assigned as an Instructor Pilot or Maintenance Test Pilot). A branch officer's assignment is to lead troops (example: An aviation officer might start out as a Squad Leader, then progress to Platoon Leader, etc.).  
 

If this sounds like the right direction for your Guard career, learn more about technical warrant officer careers or find out more about the aviation warrant officer career path.

 

Each state and territory has different selection requirements. Your local Warrant Officer Strength Manager will have the most current information.