Are Warrant Officers Really Officers?

In the US military Warrant Officers are definitely officers. On base they get officer's quarters, they eat at the officer's mess, and they can go to the officer's club if they choose.

Warrant Officers are technical experts in a given military discipline, e.g., artillery, pilots, special forces, air defense, counterintelligence, supply, cyber security, IT and many others. In the US Army there are about 45 Warrant Officer MOS's (military occupation specialties): https://recruiting.army.mil/ISO/AWOR/ARMY_FEEDER/

WOs in the US military occupy an interesting niche between noncommissioned officers and commissioned officers. They don't command troops as a rule (though in certain instances they can) but due to their subject matter expertise are very important as technical advisors to commanders, and as trainers of the enlisted ranks.

The WO cohort enjoys a high degree of esteem. And while they are technically outranked by all commissioned officers, they hold a status equivalence that roughly parallels that of commissioned officers: A WO1 being somewhat akin to a 1st Lt, a CW2 being somewhat equivalent to a captain, a CW3 to a major, a CW4 to a LTC, and a CW5 to a colonel. There aren't a lot of them running around and like everything else, the rarer something is the more it's valued.

The lower WO ranks aren’t required to have a bachelor’s degree, but some college experience is required - unlike commissioned officers who must have bachelor's degrees. However, if you want to advance as a WO, a bachelor’s, or even a master’s degree, becomes important.

WOs are often older soldiers - in their thirties, forties or fifties - who climbed up the ranks for years as enlisted men and women before their elevation to WO. So, they've been in the military a long time and know how things work. Because of their experience, expertise and inside information, officers respect and depend on them. NCO's see them as officers and stay out of their way. And the junior enlisted soldiers like them because they're chill and don't bitch at them.

In the Army at least they are an entity unto themselves. They're outside the normal chain of command and as a rule don't answer to company grade officers. A CW5 for example might answer to an O-8 or 9, who like themselves have been in a long time - and they may even have been battle bro’s back in the day…. Something that lower ranking officers need to take into account.

Because of this, others pretty much leave them alone to do their thing.

CW5's, the highest of the WO ranks, are a rare sight. They're called "unicorns" because you're unlikely to ever see one. When you do you tell everyone about it and remember it for the rest of your life.

Fitz