One career path for a Marine is to become a warrant officer. Warrant officers are technically-qualified and are highly specialized in their chosen MOS, but they are not commissioned officers—while they do sometimes lead teams, they have less contact with the US Military’s bureaucracy.
Marine Gunners
Marine gunners have a combination of technical knowledge and supervisory authority. While are trained to a slightly higher level than high-ranked noncomissioned officers like Gunnery Sergeants and Technical Sergeants, the asset they really provide to the Marine Corps is their supervisory ability.
A gunner keeps his men informed with regards to how to properly use weaponry. This means that the vast majority of his job is training people; hence the combination of technical knowledge and supervisory authority. The Marine Gunner must have the requisite knowledge to pass on combined with the ability to do so in a clear way while maintaining his peoples’ respect—a tall order for sure!
Gunners are also involved in combat. When his unit is involved in a battle, the Marine Gunner will be his commanding officer’s “eyes and ears;” he reports what is happening and, critically, the importance of what is happening. His technical expertise and years of experience give him an ability to liaise between enlisted men and commanding officers that other soldiers just don’t have.
Marine Recruiting Officers
Some warrant officers avoid combat entirely, but play an equally crucial role in the Marine Corps: recruitment. Warrant officers serve at every level of recruiting, from liaising troop needs from the front lines to managing recruitment centers at a district level.
A mark of warrant officers’ importance is the fact that they essentially run recruitment drives. Programs at high schools and universities are organized by warrant officers, and the recruitment centers themselves are also run by high-ranking warrant officers.
What this means is that a role as a recruiting officer is the best place for a warrant officer to show and develop his organizational and managerial skills.
Marine Technical Officers
There is an entire final set of roles for warrant officers in the Marine Corps. These men and women are dispersed all over the place: technical officers.
A technical officer is a highly, highly qualified individual who acts as a “bridge” between enlisted and commissioned men. Commissioned officers often have a great deal of supervisory training and experience but lack advanced technical skill; noncommissioned officers are generally in the opposite situation.
Warrant officers “speak both languages,” as it were. They work with both groups to ensure that lines of communication are clear and everyone is on the same page; they may give suggestions to each group and apply their technical expertise when it is necessary.
Marine warrant officer careers offer a great deal to the right people. If you have what it takes to be a Marine Gunner, Marine Recruiting Officer or Marine Technical Officer, sign up to become a warrant officer today.