Warrant Officer Professional Development

Marine Warrant Officer Career Path (880A/881)

Background: Marine Deck and Engineering Warrant Officers of the Transportation Corps command, operate and maintain U.S. Army watercraft in support of the Army Strategic Mobility Program and CINC war-fighting requirements. The population of Transportation Corps maritime warrant officers is small in comparison to the size of the Army with most of these officers being assigned to transportation TO&E units. A significant portion of them and their watercraft assets reside in the Reserve Components. Transportation Corps maritime warrant officers support the Army at all command levels by planning, coordinating, training and operating Army watercraft for logistics over-the-shore (LOTS) and other maritime missions worldwide. Other than when under direct hostile fire, these warrant officers do their most demanding and dangerous work while underway aboard their assigned vessel. Distance off shore is not the sole factor in determining degree of difficulty of vessel operations. The littoral environment has many potentially devastating hazards which can kill Soldiers, destroy equipment and cause mission failure. These are the reasons the policies described here are necessary.

The utilization of warrant officers as ship’s officers aboard Army vessels was first implemented by an Act of Congress in July 1918 which established the Army Mine Planter Service and authorized the rank and grade of warrant officer to serve as Master, Mate, Chief Engineer and Assistant Engineer of each vessel. The use of warrant officers in this capacity has continued; the Army maritime warrant officer of today can trace his or her roots directly back to those officers aboard the Army Mine Planters.

 Marine Operations (880): There is one Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in this AOC with two distinct skill levels of technical training and professional credentials; MOS 880A1 and 880A2, Marine Deck Officer. This MOS commands and operates Army watercraft and watercraft detachments; may serve aboard Army watercraft as commanding officer, master, navigator, cargo officer, or deck watch officer; serves as Army harbormaster or port operations officer; may serve on battalion level staff or higher as an operations officer or as a service school instructor.

 Marine Maintenance (881): There is one MOS in this AOC with two distinct skill levels of technical training and professional credentials; MOS 881A1 and 881A2, Marine Engineering Officer. This MOS commands watercraft maintenance detachments and maintains Army watercraft, serving as chief engineer, assistant engineer, or engineering watch officer; may serve on battalion level staff or higher as a maintenance officer or as a service school instructor.

Best understanding of this career path planning will be achieved by comparing the narrative description given below with the corresponding year on the TC Maritime Warrant Officer Career Model (Go to Career Model). It is intended that the warrant officer and his or her supervisors will jointly participate in the planning of the career path. An individual Career Path Worksheet (CPWS) is provided (Go to Work Sheet). For convenience, this worksheet may be reproduced and used to record the officer’s past, current and next duty assignment. The CPWS should be made a part of the officer’s OER Support Form (DA Form 67-9-1) or Junior Officer Developmental Support Form (DA Form 67-9-1a) and used during the rater and senior rater counseling. The "next intended" duty assignment should be agreed upon early in the current assignment with an approximate date for transfer indicated on the form. Once the CPWS is filled out, it must be signed by key leaders in the officer’s career management chain. This will be the officer’s rater, senior rater, and career manger (normally the Proponency Officer). Warrant officer professional development is described in terms of career phases, characterized by rank (WO1/CW2, CW3, CW4, CW5) as follows:

Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) entering the Transportation Corps maritime field due to reclassification action, regardless of rank, must gain the appropriate experience starting with the WO1/CW2 career phase and progress through each successive level. This requirement to "start at the bottom" in terms of duty is intended to provide the same foundation of technical experience gained under supervision as is provided to new warrant officers. This will often result in having a reclassified CWO working in a duty position under the supervision of a junior "veteran" maritime warrant officer. This arrangement is not to be viewed as demeaning nor is it a reflection on the military or professional capabilities of the reclassified officer. The sole purpose is to allow the development of a experience base and help avoid costly mistakes due to inexperience. An accelerated utilization pattern will be necessary for these warrant officers, however, commanders must exercise care so as not to jeopardize the individual’s technical experience base. Soldiers appointed directly to CW2 will be credited with two years constructive warrant officer service as WO1/CW2; however, the initial assignment will be to an A1 position onboard a class A2 vessel.

There is, in the maritime community (Merchant Marine, Navy, Coast Guard and Army), a clear and legal distinction between ship’s officers and the crew of vessels. A maritime officer is one who is qualified by a formal training and examination process to command a vessel or be in charge of a navigational or engineering watch. Army mariners are required to operate their vessels with the same skill, knowledge and competence required of all maritime officers operating in international waters. The high degree of skill and technical knowledge required to do this with competence can only be achieved through a process of professional development that is global in scope and linked in a logical pattern. This professional development for each warrant officer must be progressive and carefully plotted to ensure that the needs of the Army are met and the officer is well prepared to meet the ever increasing challenge of his or her career specialty.

Transportation Corps maritime warrant officers are professionally developed through a succession of schooling and assignments described below and in accordance with the Transportation Corps Maritime Warrant Officer Career Model. In order for the intent of this policy to work properly, all leaders who influence the assignment and training of warrant officers should understand the overall strategy and must cooperate with the Proponency Officer in the Office of the Chief of Transportation. The broad intent of this policy is that warrant officers be developed to fulfill the total definition given them by the Total Warrant Officer System.

Careful reading of this guidance, combined with assistance from the senior warrant officers, should be effective in fulfilling the leadership obligations of commanders who must make wise career developmental decisions for the good of the Army.