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Marine Corps Warrant Officer 1

W-1 Warrant Officer, U.S. Marine Corps
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Chief Warrant Officer 2

Marine Corps Ranks » Warrant Officer 1 RankWO1 PayWO1 Rank History

Rank badge of a Warrant Officer 1 W-1 Warrant Officer 1 - U.S. Marine Corps Ranks

Marine Corps Warrant Officer 1
Marine Corps W-1 Warrant Officer 1 Marine Corps Military Ranks
Class Warrant Officer
Abbr. WO1
Title Warrant Officer (last name)
Paygrade W-1 (DoD Paygrade)
WO-1 (NATO Code)
Basic Pay $3,399/mo

Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) is the first and lowest Warrant Officer rank in the Unites States Marine Corps. To be appointed as a Warrant Officer one must be proficient both at leading and their technical specialty. Enlisted members who wish to join the Warrant Officer program must submit a written application. These applications are then looked over by commanders, to make sure the applicant meets all eligibility requirements. They are then submitted as recommended with enthusiasm, confidence, reservation, or not recommended. They are officially appointed by the the Secretary of the Marine Corps. Responsibilities of a Warrant Officer are ones that would typically call for the authority of a commissioned officer but require also the intricate technical abilities and experience a commissioned officer would not have has the opportunity to achieve.

The rank insignia of a Warrant Officer is a vertical maroon bar that has one gold horizontal stripe in the middle of it.

Warrant Officer 1 is the 13th rank in the United States Marine Corps , ranking above Sergeant Major Of The Marine Corps and directly below Chief Warrant Officer 2. A warrant officer 1 is a Warrant Officer at DoD paygrade W-1, with a starting monthly pay of $3,399.

How do you become a Warrant Officer 1?

A Warrant Officer 1 is most often promoted from Sergeant Major Of The Marine Corps (sgtMa), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience.

Eligible enlisted personnel can apply for the Warrant Officer program by submitting an application to a board of high-ranking CWOs and LDOs for approval. Eligibility largely depends on the community they apply to, whether administrative or weapons-related, requiring a minimum rank, time-in-service, or previous billets (jobs).

Selected individuals attend the Warrant Officer Basic School in Quantico, VA, which is very similar to The Basic School for new Junior Officers.

What is the proper way to address a Warrant Officer 1?

The correct way to address a Warrant Officer 1 named Mr. Williams is "Warrant Officer Williams", or written as WO1 Williams. In formal situations, a Warrant Officer 1 should always be addressed by their full rank.

How much does a Warrant Officer 1 earn?

Basic pay for an entry-level Warrant Officer 1 with 2 or less years of experience is $3,398.70 per month.

A Warrant Officer 1 receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Warrant Officer 1's final compensation package.

In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Marine Corps Warrant Officer 1 may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including personal money allowance, housing allowance, retirement benefits, education allowance, and more.

For full details on the Marine Corps' Warrant Officer 1 compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Marine Corps Warrant Officer 1 Pay Chart. A full table of the Marine Corps' current paygrades are available at the Marine Corps Pay Chart.

Patch of a Warrant Officer 1 Equivalent Ranks to the Marine Corps' W-1 Warrant Officer 1

To learn more about the Marine Corps' rank structure, see our complete list of Marine Corps ranks.

The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Warrant Officer 1 is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Marine Corps rank to GS grade conversion table .

To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Marine Corps and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.