3,000-Member Mark Reached

By 1974, Association membership had grown to 2,914. The following year, membership surpassed the 3,000 mark—a significant milestone reflecting both the strength of the warrant corps and the continued relevance of the Association

Four new District Clubs were established during this period:
• Greater Jacksonville Area Club (1972)
• Elizabeth City Club, Elizabeth City, North Carolina (1972)
• Kodiak Club, Kodiak, Alaska (1970)
• Redwood Empire Club, Petaluma, California (1971)
Policy Clarifications and Advocacy Efforts
As new challenges emerged affecting the warrant corps, the Association met with ADM Chester R. Bender and worked closely with Coast Guard program managers to clarify and refine several key personnel policies. These included:
• Stabilization of warrant officer tour assignments.
• No transfers between 27 and 30 years of service.
• Use of geographic longevity to determine transfer priority.
• Establishment of normal tour lengths of three to four years.
Additional issues pursued by the Association included:
• Parity in pay between W-1 through W-4 and O-1 through O-4.
• Command-at-sea pay for commissioned warrant officers.
• A permanent promotion schedule based on a 2-4-4 time-in-grade model, replacing the existing 3-6-6 structure.
Transition to New Leadership
Following ADM Bender’s retirement and the appointment of ADM Owen W. Siler as Commandant, the Association refined its long-range goals. These included:
• Allowing deep selection of warrant officers.
• Reducing time-in-grade from W-3 to W-4 from five years to four.
• Purchasing a townhouse to house Association offices and reduce long-term operating costs.
• Expanding educational programs for personnel.
• Establishing “responsibility pay” for warrant officers serving as commanding officers.
This period reflected not only numerical growth, but also institutional maturity. The Association continued to move beyond reactive advocacy and toward proactive, long-range planning for the warrant corps.