Warrant Officer Class 2

A senior British Army warrant rank, OR-8, typically the company sergeant major of a company or squadron.

Overview

Warrant Officer Class 2 wears a large crown and is appointed by warrant rather than commission, the senior NCO stratum of the British Army. The classic WO2 appointment is company sergeant major, the senior soldier of a company, responsible to the officer commanding for discipline, drill, and welfare. Other WO2 appointments include regimental quartermaster sergeant and squadron sergeant major. The rank is OR-8 in NATO terms. Warrant officers emerged in the seventeenth century from the sailing services and entered the Army as the senior soldiers appointed by warrant, formalizing the class structure in the 1870s Cardwell reforms era.