WO1
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Warrant Officer 1 (US Army) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Military |
WO1 has two meanings. It stands for Warrant Officer 1 (US Army) (US Army rank) or Warrant Officer Class 1 (British forces) (british military rank).
Meanings of WO1 at a glance
| # | WO1 stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warrant Officer 1 (US Army) | Military › US Army Rank |
| 2 | Warrant Officer Class 1 (British forces) | Military › British Military Rank |
1. Warrant Officer 1 (US Army)
Military · US Army Rank Abbreviations
Entry rank for Army warrant officers, pay grade W-1, appointed by warrant rather than commission. WO1s are technical specialists, and a large share are helicopter pilots fresh from flight school; the insignia is a silver bar with one black square.
Example: WO1 Kim graduated from flight school in Alabama and reported to an Apache battalion.
Promotion to CW2 normally follows after two years, and with it the warrant becomes a commission. Warrant officers are addressed as "Mister" or "Ms." or, by custom, "Chief." The British WO1 is a different rank altogether: Warrant Officer Class 1, the most senior enlisted grade rather than a junior officer.
2. Warrant Officer Class 1 (British forces)
Military · British Military Rank Abbreviations
Most senior non-commissioned rank in the British Army and Royal Marines, NATO grade OR-9, identified by the Royal Arms badge. WO1s fill appointments such as regimental sergeant major and conductor, and the Royal Navy also uses the rank.
Example: WO1 Grant, the regimental sergeant major, inspected the battalion before the parade.
In the US Army, WO1 is a junior warrant officer (W-1), a completely different rank, so the abbreviation alone can mislead. The oldest WO1 appointment, conductor in the Royal Logistic Corps, dates back to the fourteenth century. The British Army has a single Army Sergeant Major as its most senior soldier.
Related abbreviations
More US Army rank abbreviations
- 1LT – First Lieutenant (US Army)
- 1SG – First Sergeant (US Army)
- 2LT – Second Lieutenant (US Army)
- BG – Brigadier General (US Army)
- CDT – Cadet (US Army)
- COL – Colonel (US Army)
- Cpl – Corporal (US Marine Corps)
- CPT – Captain (US Army)
See all 34 US Army rank abbreviations →