Regimental Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer Four Matthew D. Chrisman
Greetings, Dragon Warriors! What an honor it is to write this first article as the 5th Regimental Chief Warrant Officer of the Chemical Corps. I am humbled and blessed to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity. Many of you are aware that I assume this role with experience gained during my tenure as the 1st Regimental Chief Warrant Officer. Witnessing the progress and changes in the cohort over the past 13 years has filled me with a sense of excitement for what will take place in the foreseeable future. I would like to highlight the importance of remembering that progress requires everyone working together.
As the operational environment changes, the U.S. Army must look to the future. What the Army sees in 2040 is that it will only be successful with well-trained and mission-ready warrant officers. To this end, the Army has asked all branches with warrant officers to improve how they assess, educate, and retain their warrant officers. Along with the 33d Chief of Chemical and Commandant and the 16th Regimental Command Sergeant Major, I am confident that the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School (USACBRNS) has developed processes that will accomplish all of these objectives.
In 2023, members of the very first chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) warrant officer class were promoted, giving the Regiment its first warrant officers four. CBRN warrant officers grew by five warrant officer two positions in the CBRN reconnaissance companies and one warrant officer three position in the 1st Special Forces Command Headquarters, Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Lastly, the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood, established the first-ever Office of the Command Chief Warrant Officer. However, with all these firsts, there is still more to come.
In order to select the right noncommissioned officers (NCOs) as warrant officer candidates, we must review the accession process, which is the first and most vital step in developing a strong and healthy warrant officer cohort. Warrant officer proponents require that NCOs achieve prerequisites and attain certain knowledge, skills, and behaviors in order to be considered for follow-on service as warrant officers. The CBRN warrant officer cohort can only exist because of NCOs. As your Regimental Chief Warrant Officer, I intend to be every bit as invested in the development of our NCOs as I am with our warrant officers. I have reached out in partnership with the Regimental Command Sergeant Major on initiatives in training, education, and mentorship that will further strengthen our NCO ranks. Other proposals, such as direct appointment, direct commission, and junior enlisted accessions, are also at the disposal of proponents as they build the health of their warrant officer cohorts. Strong warrant officers one arriving at their first units of assignment are the byproduct of a well-managed and motivated NCO population.
According to Ellen M. Lord, former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, “The framework of lethality is readiness and modernization.” NCOs accessed to become warrant officers must be educated in order to advance the health of their cohort. Every proponent is responsible for educating its cohort, thus preparing its members for their inaugural assignments as warrant officers. Considering this requirement, the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has directed that all warrant officer professional military education be modernized. The intent is to close gaps in education, thereby improving the readiness of Army warrant officers. The USACBRNS Department of Training and Leader Development is working to modernize the Warrant Officer Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Senior Courses. The Warrant Officer Master Course at the Warrant Officer Career College, Fort Novosel, Alabama, is also under development; attendance is nominative.
After accessing and educating warrant officers, retention is the final step. Retaining warrant officers will help ensure that the Army of 2040 can deploy with a well-trained and ready warrant officer cohort. Initiatives, including warrant officer retention bonuses and below-zone promotions, are additional weapons available for each warrant officer proponent. Various incentives must be explored to ensure retention of the most highly technically trained and educated Soldiers of the U.S. Army. The Army investment in warrant officers is evident through the continued service of warrant officers in the chief warrant officer four and chief warrant officer five ranks. Assuming criteria is met, warrant officer branches seeking these incentives must encourage continued service.
Thank you to all Dragon Soldiers who are “leaving it all out on the field” every day for this Nation. I speak for all CBRN warrant officers when I express sincere gratitude for standing shoulder to shoulder in the preservation of freedom.
Thank you. Elementis, Regamus, Proelium!
Endnotes:
1Terri Moon Cronk, “DoD Official: Lethality, Readiness Drive Acquisition and Sustainment Reform,” DoD News, 2 May 2018, <https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1510642/dod-official-lethality-readiness-drive-acquisition-and-sustainment-reform/>, accessed on 8 March 2024.