The USAR Chief Warrant Officer, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Russell Smith, has designated warrant officer recruiting as the number one priority for USAR Warrant Officers.
As of this writing, the USAR has 1057-TPU and 23-AGR Warrant Officer vacancies. Of those vacancies, 716 are in the ranks of WO1/CW2. Within the 108th Training Command (IET), there are 70 warrant officer vacancies. This number does not account for Warrant Officer Candidates selected for positions within the command but are not yet assigned. While the command generally has between five to ten WOCs per year, not all candidates successfully complete Warrant Officer Candidate School. Likewise, throughout the USAR, warrant officer strength is like a revolving door. We gain candidates as much as we lose warrant officers due to normal attrition and so our overall strength remains around 74 percent.
The Army Reserve Careers Division primary mission is to assist in the professional and functional development of Army Reserve officers (O-grade and W-grade) through assignments, training and education. The ARCD has also been charged with a warrant officer recruiting mission; however, an Officer Accessions NCO should not be viewed or relied on as the sole source for recruiting warrant officers. The ARCD warrant officer mission for FY16 is to recruit 420 new warrant officer candidates. Warrant officers must recruit warrant officers.
About half of our Warrant Officer Candidates come from within the command so I ask each of you to continue to be actively engaged in talking to Soldiers about a career as an Army Warrant Officer, identifying viable Warrant Officer Candidates, helping them to begin the application process and then refer them to an OANCO. Don’t limit yourself to only those viable candidates of today. Encourage privates through specialist to consider a career as a warrant officer and mentor them on the requirements and/or prerequisites. Get them ready. Set them up for success. They are the future Army. The future Warrant Officer Corps.
But recruiting WOCs is only part of influencing an increase in warrant officer strength. We have to stay involved with WOCs from initiation of the application, ensuring they are recognized in formation with a “pinning” ceremony and through completion of WOBC.
The following paragraphs list basic information to help your warrant officer recruiting efforts:
Administrative Requirements: US Citizenship (no waiver); GT score of 110 or higher (no waiver); high school graduate or GED (no waiver); eligible for a Secret security clearance (no waiver); must have 12 or more months remaining on enlistment contract (no waiver); pass commissioning physical for Tech or flight physical for Aviators (waiver available); age requirement for Tech is 46 years old or less or less than 33 years old for Aviators (waiver available); pass the standard 3-event APFT and meet HT/WT standards (waiver available).
General Information: There are 13 Branches and 37 MOSs. For warrant officer technicians applicants are usually sergeant or higher, most MOSs require ALC (waiver available for some MOSs) and WOCs must meet experience requirements through NCOERs or civilian acquired skills. For aviators any MOS or rank can apply.
Non-Feeder MOSs: The only warrant officer MOS without experience requirements is 153A. Anyone with documented experience in these fields can apply for 255N, Network Management Tech, 255A Info Services Tech, or 882, Mobility Officer.
The primary vacancies within the command are 920A, Property Accounting Technician (feeder MOS 92Y, 68J), and 420A, Human Resource Technician (feeder MOS 42A, 42F). There are vacancies for a 922A, Food Services Technician (feeder MOS 92G, 68M); 740A, CBRN [Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear] Technician (feeder MOS 74D); and 270A, Legal Administrator (feeder MOS 27D).