Warrant Officer Reflective Essay

In my time both as an NCO and as a Warrant Officer, I have seen that my basic responsibilities and competencies have always remained the same, namely to be a leader to my subordinates. So many of us try to draw some huge distinction between our time as an NCO and as a WO. I say there is no difference beyond the level at which we lead and the level of the people we directly influence. Ask yourself, “How many people do I directly supervise or influence?”. The Army, in its infinite wisdom, has developed an organizational structure that all but ensure this number remains static between 3-5 personnel. As a Team Leader, I had direct supervision of five Soldiers. One was a super stud, and he was my right hand man, who acted as Team leader in my

Not a blessed thing. As a UAS Tactical Operations Technician, my primary duties were Standardization Officer and Maintenance Officer. I directly supervised two Instructor Operators and two Quality Control NCOS. Was I responsible for the totality of each program? Of course, but I was not going to go TI a procedure. I was not going to go conduct an APART. I would directly supervise my direct subordinates, and so set the tone for those sections. As a Platoon Leader, I directly supervised, as well as partnered with, my Platoon Sergeant, my UAS Technician and my Maintenance Section Sergeant. What has remained my primary responsibility with all of these senior NCOs and WOs? Cultivation and development. The tactics you use to address issues may change, the level of organization may change, but your responsibility will never

You had the misfortune of doing your WO1 time in a CAB, rather than a RQ-7B unit in a BCT. As there were only about 35 of us Warrants in the entire Brigade, our words and wisdom were sought out at all levels. When we deigned to speak, a hush would fall across the room. In the CAB, there is of course, the issue of familiarity breeding contempt. With so many running around the airfield, its almost natural to see us as a homogeneous whole, full of interchangeable and roughly comparable skill sets. The trick, as always is to support the unit and commander with a proactive and vigorous attitude. Simple to say, right? But, too many of us refuse to do this simple thing, caught up in trying to establish our authority, while not seeking the commiserate responsibility. Those two are, as ever, two sides of the same coin. However, there is a noted and not unsupported perception within Aviation Commanders' minds that Warrants are unable or unwilling to link those two duties. Without one or the other, we are nothing but highly paid Specialists, eager to bring issues, but never