The
following information will assist you in determining eligibility
and submitting your application.
General Information On
The Warrant Officer Program
Warrant Officers are technical and
tactical leaders who specialize, throughout an entire career, in a
specific technical area. The Army Warrant Officer Corps comprises
less than three percent of the total Army. Although small in size,
the level of responsibility is immense and only the very best will
be selected to become Warrant Officers. Benefits include extended
career opportunities, worldwide leadership assignments, and
increased pay and retirement benefits.
Non-Army Personnel -
A joint service agreement allows service members who are selected
for this program to be discharged from their component and
enlisted in the Army. Applicants must apply for this program while
on active duty and must have two years remaining on their
enlistment contract; civilians must contact their local Army
recruiter. Applications are forwarded from the individual to
Headquarters United States Army Recruiting Command, USAREC. After
screening, the application is forwarded to the appropriate
proponent who evaluates the applicants' technical experience and
determines if the applicant is qualified to compete against other
qualified applicants for the limited warrant officer positions.
Applications from those who are not technically qualified will be
returned to the applicant without further processing. Further
requirements for Non-Army personnel are listed below under "Additional
Requirements For Non-Army Personnel".
A selection board will consider
fully qualified applications. Selection is highly competitive and
board members select applicants based upon the whole person
concept. Leadership and technical abilities will be evaluated and
only the best qualified will be selected.
Steps To Determine
Eligibility For The Warrant Officer Program
The steps below provide guidance on
how to use this web site (www.usarec.army.mil/warrant)
to determine eligibility and if eligible, how to submit an
application. Review the steps below and explore all of the pages
in this web site to determine if you are eligible for any WO
MOS before beginning an application.
STEP 1:
View the recruiting branch's most current presentation. WOBrief.ppt
STEP 2:
NON-WAIVERABLE CRITERIA
(A soldier must meet these six
Non-Waiverable criteria before applying for the Warrant Officer
Program)
1. US Citizenship
2. General Technical (GT) score of
110 or higher
3. High school graduate or have a
GED
4. Secret security clearance
(Interim secret is acceptable to apply)
5. Pass the standard 3-event Army
Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and meet height/weight standards
6. Pass the appointment physical
for technicians or the Class 1A flight physical for Aviators
STEP 3:
Determine the Warrant Officer (WO) Military Occupational Specialty
(MOS) for which you might be qualified. The most common MOS that
personnel from other services are eligible to apply for is 153A
(Aviator) because this MOS requires no prior skills or
training. For this MOS you must be less than 29 years of age by
the convene date of the board (or request a waiver) and have 20/50
distant visual acuity, correctable with spectacles to 20/20, also
note there is an Aeromedical refractive error exception to policy
(LASIK/PRK
information). All other Warrant Officer (WO) Military
Occupational Specialties (MOSs) require you to be at least pay
grade E5 or higher with 4-6 years experience in a skill that is
closely associated with a WO MOS. Review the Prerequisites and
Duty Descriptions part of this web site to determine if you are
doing very similar work to one of the WO MOSs.
STEP 4:
To apply for any WO MOS you must meet the minimum prerequisites or
ask for a prerequisite waiver. You must submit a separate waiver
for each prerequisite you do not meet. In your prerequisite
waiver(s) you must explain how you obtained the equivalent
knowledge or experience required by the prerequisite through
training or experience in your service. You can gauge the
training/experience required by a prerequisite by first reviewing
the WO MOS duty description. If you have been doing very similar
work as that described in the WO MOS duty description, then you
probably have good justification for requesting a waiver. Approval
is granted only if the Army proponent for that MOS feels you have
the skills and experience that justify approving the waiver.
STEP 5:
The prime candidate for WO has 5 - 8 years of active federal
service (AFS) and meets all other prerequisites. You can apply
regardless of AFS but require a waiver if you have 12 years or
more of AFS. The standard for approving an AFS waiver is more
stringent than for a prerequisite waiver.
STEP 6:
If either of these two waivers apply - prerequisite or AFS - you
must submit them with your application to determine if the waivers
will be approved. You cannot submit the waiver first and wait for
the outcome to determine if you should submit an application. If
any of the waivers are not approved, then you are not qualified
and your application will be returned.
STEP 7:
In addition to meeting the prerequisites for the WO MOS - or
requesting a waiver, Non-Army personnel must complete the
additional requirements described below in the "Additional
Requirements For Non-Army Personnel" section.
STEP 8:
Download
the sample application - this is the complete packet with
forms and will serve as your guide and checklist. Once you have
the sample packet you are well on your way to preparing an
outstanding application.
STEP 9:
If requesting MOS 153A (Aviator), you will need to:
a. Schedule an Alternate Flight
Aptitude Selection Test (AFAST) and a Class
1A Army flight physical. You should first try to schedule the
AFAST through your education services officer. Next option is to
schedule at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) through
an Army recruiter. The Army has DA
pamphlet 611-256-2 regarding AFAST for more information. Your
FINAL option is to contact Ms. Zeina Zannelli at Human Resource
Command (HRC) to schedule testing. Click
here to see what documents and information are required. You
can contact Ms. Zannelli at (703) 325-2673 or by email at Zeina.Zannelli@hoffman.army.mil.
She can assist you with scheduling your AFAST test. Please do not
call her about other requirements for the WO program, instead you
should contact a recruiter. You should get a study guide from an
education center, library, bookstore, or online bookstore before
testing and study diligently to achieve the best score.
b. The physical is scheduled and
completed at your servicing hospital, but must be approved by the
Aeromedical Center at Ft. Rucker before you can include a copy in
your application.
Commander
USAAMC
ATTN: MCXY-AER (AAMA)
FORT RUCKER, AL 36362-5333
___________________________________________________
Additional Requirements For
Non-Army Personnel
1.
Army General Technical (GT) score of 110 or higher. The GT portion
of the ASVAB test must be converted to an Army GT score. Contact
Mrs. Zannelli at Total Army Personnel Command (TAPERSCOM) to
assist with the conversion of scores.
2.
Approved conditional release: This is a memorandum granting
approval of separation contingent upon selection into the warrant
officer program. Approval authority for each service is listed
below:
- Navy: COMNAVPERSCOM, 5720
Integrity Drive, Millington, TN 38055
- Air Force: Hqs Air Force
Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150
(Note: If AFPC requires a Letter
of Interest (LOI) before granting your conditional release, you
can email your request to us from this web site. Please provide
your Full Name, Rank, and SSN. A warrant officer recruiter will
reply with your LOI.
- Marines: Hqs, USMC, Manpower
& Reserve Affairs (MMSR 3), 3280 Russell Rd., Quantico, VA
22134-5103
- Coast Guard: US Dept of Trans,
2100 Second Street S.W. Washington DC 20593
3.
Army 3-event physical fitness test (APFT): push-ups, sit-ups, and
2 mile run administered by an Army E7 or above. Check with a
nearby Army installation or the local Army recruiting office for
someone to administer the test. The APFT score is valid for 6
months but should not be close to expiration when forwarding the
packet. Results must be recorded on DA
Form 705, signed by an Army E7 or above, and included in the
packet. Be sure to read the Test
Procedures in Training Manual 21-20 that address the
instructions and additional points for each event before testing.
If you pass the APFT to standard, you should not have trouble
passing this event while attending the Warrant Officer Candidate
School (WOCS).
4.
Personnel data record equivalent of the Army Enlisted Record Brief
(ERB). Equivalent forms are listed below:
- Navy: Personnel data record
pages 1, 4, and 5
- Air Force: RIP pages 1 - 11
- Marines: Master Brief Sheet (MBS)
(Usually only 1 page)
- Coast Guard: Personnel data
record pages 1, 3, 4, and 5
5.
Official Military Personnel File. As a minimum, this file contains
your enlistment and reenlistment documents, awards, evaluations,
training certificates, and promotion orders. If your personnel
records are not on microfiche, then a hard copy of these documents
are sufficient. Documents missing from your record should be
provided in hard copy. It is your responsibility to ensure your
records are accurate and current.
6.
An applicant can now apply with 15 months remaining on his or her
current active duty enlistment. The reference to a two-year
requirement will remain on our web site until AR 611-85 is
published eliminating the two-year requirement. Reenlistment or
extension documents are needed if your personnel records do not
reflect at least 15 months or more remaining on your active duty
contract. This must be completed before submitting application.
7.
The above requirements must be met, in addition to, or in place of
the other requirements in the sample application and governing
regulations. Include the supporting document that proves you have
completed each requirement as a part of your application.
Information On What To
Expect After Selection Into The Warrant Officer Program
Those selected for the Warrant
Officer Program will be notified by Department of the Army (DA)
about 90 days after the board adjourns. DA establishes a reporting
date to Ft Rucker, AL based upon MOS requirements. Military
Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) will then publish your orders
with authorized travel time to Ft Rucker. Upon arrival, you will
be given your basic issue and time to resolve any military related
problems, i.e. pay, uniform, etc. You will be paid as an E5, or
your current pay grade if higher, and begin wearing the WOC brass.
(Please see page on Information on Discharge from Current Service
and Enlistment into the Army).
Selectees will attend the six
week, four day Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) similar to
basic training or boot camp. Visit the Warrant
Officer Career Center on the web for a welcome packet and more
information on the candidate school. This course is designed to
evaluate leadership and management skills. Soldiers will be
appointed as a Warrant Officer One (WO1) upon successful
completion of WOCS. Soldiers who fail to successfully complete
WOCS will serve the remainder of their four-year enlistment based
upon the needs of the Army. All Warrant Officers have an initial
obligation of six years, which will be served on active duty as an
Army Reserve Officer. Warrant Officers remain on active duty in
the Army Reserve until promotion to CW3, normally between the
seventh and eighth year of warrant officer service. Upon promotion
to CW3, the Warrant Officer is integrated into the Regular Army.
Information On Discharge
From Current Service And Enlistment Into The Army
(Once Selected For The Warrant Officer Program)
NOTE: During the Discharge and
Enlistment process, you must ensure that you arrange to enlist
into the Army the next day after separation from your parent
service. If you have a day or more break in service, or if you
enlist on the same day as separation, you will not receive your
correct pay and allowances until this discrepancy is corrected.
The process of correcting this discrepancy could take 3-6 months.
Warrant Officer (WO) selectees
will receive instructions from Warrant Officer Accessions, Total
Army Personnel Command (TAPERSCOM) 90 days after selection and
will report back to an Army Recruiter with those instructions. The
recruiter will complete the DD Form 1966 (enlistment contract) and
SF 86 (no other forms are required) and schedule WO selectee for
processing based on the instructions from TAPERSCOM. The recruiter
will then schedule the WO selectee into the Army Recruiting and
Accession Data System (ARADS) for enlistment into the Army.
WO selectees do not require a
physical because a physical was taken as part of the application
process. WO selectees' copy of the physical will have the physical
category. WO selectee must enlist in the Army for a period of 4
years on the day scheduled. MEPS will administer the oath of
enlistment and issue orders using AR 600-8-105 to assign Aviation
WO selectee to HHC, Warrant Officer Career Center, Ft Rucker, AL.
All other WO selectees will be reassigned to their first WO
assignment with TDY enroute at Ft Rucker, AL for the Warrant
Officer Candidate School (WOCS) and TDY enroute at their basic
technical course (wherever the school is located). Movement of
family members is authorized to the location where the WO selectee
is to be permanently assigned after training.
