included summary court officer, defense counsel, officer of the day, and assistant adjutant.
d. The Act of 1922 reduced the number of warrant officers authorized from 1,120 to 600, exclusive of the Army
Mine Planter Service which was to remain at 40. Band leaders were also excluded from this ceiling and were often
mentioned specifically in subsequent legislation. Although the ceiling was to remain at 600 for some time, laws after 1922
authorized the appointment of additional classes of personnel with certain qualifications to be carried in excess of the
authorized strength. However, no appointments were made between 1922 and 1935.
e. By 30 June 1923, 235 field clerks remained in the service, and Congress began discussing the abolishment of
these positions. Further authorizations for these positions had been terminated in 1920; however, the Army was allowed
to fill the existing slots as they became vacant. In June 1926, the decision was made to abolish the field clerk positions.
Some eligible clerks were made warrant officers in administrative positions. Two of these were female, but they retired
shortly after becoming warrant officers.
f. In 1936, competitive examinations were conducted to replenish the lists of eligibles for Regular Army
appointments because the original lists had been depleted. Appointments against vacancies were made from the 1936
list until the beginning of World War II.
g. In 1939, warrant officers who were qualified pilots were declared eligible for appointment as lieutenants in the
Regular Army Air Corps. In 1940, commissioned officers of the Finance Department were authorized to entrust monies to
warrant officers as disbursing agents. As a result, significant numbers of warrant officers were appointed for the first time
since 1922. Strangely, the total number of warrant officers on active duty decreased until 1942. This was due, in part, to
the number of warrant officers who were being commissioned during this period.
5. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATION SINCE THE ORIGINAL AUTHORIZATION
a. Between the years 1941 and 1947, there was a notable expansion in the use of the warrant officer. The Act
of 1941 (also known as Public Law 230) was the most significant legislation since the Act of 1918 which originally
authorized the rank of warrant officer. Two grades of warrant officer were established: chief warrant officer and warrant
officer junior grade. The 1941 act also authorized flight pay for those warrant
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