CWO

Military abbreviation · US Navy and Coast Guard Rank

CWO
Stands forChief Warrant Officer
CategoriesMilitary

CWO stands for Chief Warrant Officer, a US Navy and coast guard rank abbreviation.

Commissioned warrant officer title used by the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard for pay grades W-2 to W-5, written CWO2, CWO3, CWO4 and CWO5. Navy warrants are technical specialists commissioned from the chief petty officer ranks in fields such as engineering, aviation maintenance and cryptology.

Example: CWO3 Lambert, the ship's bosun, supervised the replenishment-at-sea rigging.

Usage notes

The Army writes the same grades CW2 to CW5. Marine Corps warrants include the Marine Gunner, an infantry weapons officer who wears a bursting-bomb insignia. Warrant officers are customarily addressed as "Chief" or "Warrant," and in the Navy sometimes "Gunner" or "Bosun" by specialty.

More US Navy and coast guard rank abbreviations

  • AN – Airman (US Navy)
  • CAPT – Captain (US Navy and Coast Guard)
  • CDR – Commander
  • CMDCM – Command Master Chief
  • CN – Constructionman
  • CPO – Chief Petty Officer
  • ENS – Ensign
  • FADM – Fleet Admiral
  • FN – Fireman
  • HN – Hospitalman
  • LCDR – Lieutenant Commander
  • LDO – Limited Duty Officer

See all 31 US Navy and coast guard rank abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.