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Army Chief Warrant Officer 5

W-5 Warrant Officer, U.S. Army
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Rank badge of a Chief Warrant Officer 5 W-5 Chief Warrant Officer 5 - U.S. Army Ranks

Army Chief Warrant Officer 5
Army W-5 Chief Warrant Officer 5 Army Military Ranks
Class Warrant Officer
Abbr. CW5
Title Mr. (last name) or Chief (last name)
Paygrade W-5 (DoD Paygrade)
WO-5 (NATO Code)
Basic Pay $9,376/mo

Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) is the fifth, and highest, Warrant Officer rank in the Unites States Army. They are officially appointed by the the Secretary of the Army. They are master level experts of both the technical and tactical aspects of leading in their field. CW5s have extra leadership and representation responsibilities as well as the typical Warrant Officer responsibilities. Responsibilities of a Chief Warrant Officer 5 require intricate technical abilities and experience. They help with leader development, mentor-ship and advising Warrant and Branch Officers. They typically support operations at battalion, brigade, division, corps, and echelons levels above corps and other major operations.

The rank insignia of a Chief Warrant Officer 5 is very different from the other Warrant Officer rank insignias; it has three vertical stripes, the outer stripes are silver while the center stripe is black.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 is the 18th rank in the United States Army , ranking above Chief Warrant Officer 4 and directly below Second Lieutenant. A chief warrant officer 5 is a Warrant Officer at DoD paygrade W-5, with a starting monthly pay of $9,376.

How do you become a Chief Warrant Officer 5?

A Chief Warrant Officer 5 is most often promoted from Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to Chief Warrant Officer 5.

What is the proper way to address a Chief Warrant Officer 5?

The correct way to address a Chief Warrant Officer 5 named Mr. Gutierrez is "Mr. Gutierrez or Chief Gutierrez", or written as CW5 Gutierrez. In formal situations, a Chief Warrant Officer 5 should always be addressed by their full rank.

How much does a Chief Warrant Officer 5 earn?

Basic pay for an entry-level Chief Warrant Officer 5 with Over 20 years of experience is $9,375.60 per month.

A Chief Warrant Officer 5 receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Chief Warrant Officer 5's final compensation package.

In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including hostile fire pay, housing allowance, hazard pay, and more.

For full details on the Army's Chief Warrant Officer 5 compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Pay Chart. A full table of the Army's current paygrades are available at the Army Pay Chart.

Military Occupational Specialties for Army's W-5 Chief Warrant Officer 5

Warrent Officer is a highly specialized expert and trainer in his or her occupational specialty. Below are some of the enlisted specialties that could be occupied by a Warrent Officer.

Electronic Warfare Specialist

  • Active/Reserve:Active Duty
  • Officer/Enlisted:Enlisted
  • Restrictions:None
Information Technology Specialist

  • Active/Reserve:Both
  • Officer/Enlisted:Enlisted
  • Restrictions:None
Bradley Fighting Vehicle System Maintainer

  • Active/Reserve:Both
  • Officer/Enlisted:Enlisted
  • Restrictions:None
OH-58D Armament / Electrical / Avionics Systems Repairer

  • Active/Reserve:Active Duty
  • Officer/Enlisted:Enlisted
  • Restrictions:None
Air Defense Enhanced Early Warning System Operator

  • Active/Reserve:Active Duty
  • Officer/Enlisted:Enlisted
  • Restrictions:None

To learn more about Military Occupational Specialties, see our complete list of MOS job titles.

Patch of a Chief Warrant Officer 5 Equivalent Ranks to the Army's W-5 Chief Warrant Officer 5

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

The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Chief Warrant Officer 5 is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Army rank to GS grade conversion table .

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