Chief Warrant Officer 5
The highest US Army warrant officer grade, W-5, created in the early 1990s for master-level technical experts.
Overview
Chief Warrant Officer 5 was established by the Warrant Officer Management Act of 1991, which reorganized warrant officer careers and added a fifth grade above CW4. Its Army insignia is a silver bar with a single black line running down the center. CW5s are master-level technical and tactical experts who advise commanders at brigade, division, corps, and higher echelons and often serve as the senior warrant officer of a command or branch. The Navy and Marine Corps also use the grade. The grade is held by only a small share of warrant officers.
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