Originally known simply as Warrant Officer, the entry-level rank of Warrant Officer 1 (W01) was distinguished from higher ranks of Warrant Officers (i.e., Chief Warrant Officers) by the fact those serving in it received their rank through appointment rather than commission. Following the creation of three higher grades of Chief Warrant Officers, the W-1 rank became increasingly viewed (though never described) as a temporary procedural appointment on the way to Chief Warrant Officer 2. This reality, coupled with unintended pay disparities, led the Navy and the Coast Guard to eliminate the rank in 1975. It was briefly resurrected for a few years with the establishment of Technical Nurse Warrant Officers in 1990, but it wasn't enough to stop the eventual disappearance of Warrant Officers from Naval ranks; according to the Military Officers Association of America, 1999 marked the last year the Navy had a W-1 in its ranks.
But on 18 June 2018, the Navy announced in NAVADMIN 140/18 the return of the rank of Warrant Officer-1 (WO1) with the implementation of pay grade (W-1) for Cyber Warrant Officers. In December 2018, the Navy announced six Petty Officers slated to become the first Warrant Officers 1 in decades, with a total of eight Warrant Officer 1 candidates graduating from the Limited Duty Officer/Chief Warrant Officer Academy on 1 November 2019.
Current Navy regulations call for the wear of metal grade insignia on the shoulder straps of Blue All-Weather Coats and Black Jackets. Both single-and double-breasted All-Weather Coats are authorized as Navy uniform components until 1 October 2020, at which time only double-breasted coats are permitted. The Black Jacket stands alone as the Navy’s lightweight outerwear jacket; two decades ago both Blue and Black windbreakers were permitted, with the khaki jacket being discontinued on 1 October 2016.
In the Coast Guard, metal grade insignia are worn on the epaulets of the Windbreaker and Trench Coat.
More Items for U.S. Navy Warrant Officer 1Metal Collar Device
Embroidered Collar Device
Sleeve LacingU.S. Navy Warrant Officer 1 Caps / Cap DevicesWhite Combination CapKhaki Combination Cap Green Combination CapCombination Cap Device
Combination Cap Chinstrap
Garrison Cap Device