Further Warrant Developments

In 1989, the Army continued advancing the proposed Warrant Officer Management Act (WOMA). As discussions of a W-5 rank and expanded management controls progressed at the Department of Defense level, the Association closely monitored both legislative and service-specific developments.

Within the Coast Guard, two parallel efforts were launched: a Warrant Officer Management Project Team to prepare for possible implementation of new legislation, and a Workforce Planning Study to examine the structure and future of the warrant corps.
Key questions centered on billet distribution, promotion flow, and whether the Coast Guard could realistically support a W-5 rank. In response, the Association distributed a questionnaire to its members, while the Coast Guard sent a 30-question task analysis survey to every active duty warrant officer.
The issue generated significant engagement. Nearly 500 Association members responded to the questionnaire, and more than 100 new membership requests were received during this period. The majority of respondents agreed on several core principles:
• The Coast Guard should not adopt a W-5 program unless every specialty had an opportunity for selection to that grade.
• The existing 0-4-4 promotion schedule, achieved after nearly 30 years of effort, should not be disrupted.
• Billets should not be re-designated from CWO4 to lower grades if promotions became vacancy-driven.
• The CWO-to-Lieutenant program should continue, as it represented a separate and important career path.
• Greater emphasis should be placed on ensuring that CWO Officer Evaluation Reports accurately reflected performance, rather than adjusting promotion opportunity percentages to control selection levels.
Although Congress deferred formal consideration of WOMA until 1991, the Coast Guard’s Workforce Planning Division continued studying the warrant corps. In July 1989, the study group released several recommendations:
• Limit eligibility for warrant officer appointment to E-7s with at least one year in grade.
• Establish a formal training course for newly appointed warrant officers.
• Clearly define the distinction between warrant officers and senior enlisted personnel.
• Conduct a comprehensive workload analysis of all CWO billets.
• Grade W-2, W-3, and W-4 billets based on specialty size and job requirements.
• Replace traditional warrant officer examinations with the Officer Aptitude Rating test used for Officer Candidate School applicants.
• Appoint new chief warrant officers directly to permanent CWO2 to allow for “best qualified” selection to temporary CWO3, replacing the existing “fully qualified” model.
The Association continued to monitor all discussions, both within the Coast Guard and at the national level, regarding potential structural changes to the warrant corps.
By 1989, chief warrant officers comprised nearly one-third of the Coast Guard officer corps. In 1990 alone, nearly 30 chief warrant officers were appointed to lieutenant under the CWO-to-Lieutenant program, reflecting continued demand for experienced technical leadership within the service.