appointments had proven inadequate. In fact, this inflationary procedure and the resulting confusion of the warrant
officer's true role had nearly led to the elimination of the Army Warrant Officer Corps. A concept consistent with functional
Army requirements was clearly needed if the Corps was to be continued.
11. THE NEW WARRANT OFFICER CONCEPT
A completely new warrant officer concept was announced on 21 January 1957. It affirmed the continued
need for the Warrant Officer Corps and stipulated that the rank would no longer be used as an incentive for enlisted
personnel or as a reward for former commissioned officers. This new concept also provided the first clearly stated
definition of the warrant officer's role in the Army:
The warrant officer is a highly skilled technician who is provided to fill those positions above the enlisted
level which are too specialized in scope to permit the development and continued utilization of broadly
trained, branch-qualified commissioned officers.
12. ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAM
a. DA Circular 611-7, 12 April 1960, announced the Warrant Officer Program, which was the forerunner of the
current program. In addition to restating the 1957 definition of the warrant officer, this publication outlined utilization-
policies, selection criteria, and instructions for conversion to the current warrant officer MOS structure.
b. In 1966, as part of a continuing effort to improve the operation of the new concept, a study group was formed
at DA level to develop a formal Warrant Officer Career Program. This program would be responsive to future Army
requirements while concurrently offering sufficient career opportunities to attract highly qualified personnel. The study
group examined all aspects of the warrant Officer Corps and made a number of recommendations in areas such as pay,
promotion, utilization, and education. As a result of this study, the Army initiated various actions to provide more attractive
career opportunities to warrant officers. DA Pam 600-11 was first published in 1969 as z result of this study.
13. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOLLOWING INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE WARRANT OFFICER
PROGRAM
Between 1966 and 1972, several significant improvements were made in the Warrant Officer Career Program.
Below-the-zone promotions to CW3 and CW4 were implemented in 1967. The Regular Army program was reopened to
warrant officers in 1968 after having been closed for 20 years. Subsequent changes to this program
8
IS0103
Previous Page
