The Navy established the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CWO5) in 2002, primarily to ensure that it would retain the cream of the crop of its technical experts as new technologies began to be incorporated at ever faster rates. With this addition, the number of Chief Warrant Officer ranks expanded to four, with each one involving the same type of commission enjoyed by the Officers in the Line and Staff Corps.
For the new rank, the Navy borrowed from the Army’s design of a single, thin bar; additionally, it made the color of the bar (blue) and the background (silver) unique in CWO insignias, reflecting the fact that only the very best of the Warrant Officer corps would be selected for this rigorous and highly demanding position.
Like a Staff Corps Officer, a CWO5 wears collar grade insignia only on the left collar point of the short-sleeve khaki shirt that’s part of the Service Khaki uniform, placing the appropriate CWO specialty insignia on the left collar point.
The same insignia used for collars is also worn on the Garrison Cap, placed on the right side two inches from the bottom of the cap and 1.5 inches from the cap’s front crease. The CWO specialty mark is placed on the cap’s left-hand side.