Master warrant officer
Master warrant officer (MWO) is a senior military rank in the Canadian Forces, Singapore Armed Forces, the South African National Defence Force and the Israel Defense Forces.[1]
Canadian Armed Forces
Master warrant officer is an Army and Air Force non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of warrant officer and its equivalents, and junior to chief warrant officer and its equivalents. Its Naval equivalent is chief petty officer 2nd class.
The French language form is adjudant-maître.
Insignia
The rank insignia of the MWO is a crown within a wreath of gold laurel, worn on both forearms of the service dress tunic; in gold metal and green enamel miniature pins on the collar of the service dress shirt and outerwear coats (army only); on CADPAT slipons worn in the middle of the chest, embroidered in tan (army) or dark blue (air force) thread; and in "old gold" thread on blue slip-ons on both shoulders of other uniforms (air force only).
Forms of address
MWOs are generally initially addressed as "Master Warrant Officer Bloggins", or "Sergeant-Major Bloggins" (if they hold that appointment), and thereafter as "Sir" or "Ma'am".
Appointments
MWOs may hold a number of appointments, including the position of sergeant-major, the most senior NCM in a company-sized Army unit or sub-unit. Some of these appointments are listed below:
- Battery sergeant-major (BSM) — the senior NCM of an artillery battery
- Squadron sergeant-major (SSM) — the senior NCM of a cavalry, armoured, combat engineer, or communications squadron
- Company sergeant-major (CSM) — the senior NCO of any other company-sized unit
- Quartermaster sergeant instructor (QMSI) - the senior MWO in a battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
- Drill sergeant-major (DSM) - the senior MWO in an infantry battalion other than those of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
- Regimental quartermaster sergeant (RQMS) - the senior MWO in a battalion sized unit in charge of supply and technical items.
Due to the unified nature of the CF, it is not unheard-of for Air Force MWOs — especially those of the so-called "purple trades", such as logistics or military police — to find themselves filling the appointment of squadron or company sergeant-major in what are otherwise considered "hard" army units (such as service battalions or communication squadrons).
One of the senior appointments that an MWO may hold is that of the senior NCM on a CF station, titled station master warrant officer (SMWO); the insignia is a pair of crossed crusader swords worn below their rank insignia.
Messes and quarters
MWOs generally mess and billet with other warrant officers and with sergeants, and their naval equivalents, chief petty officers and petty officers. Their mess on military bases or installations are generally named the "Warrant Officers and Sergeants Mess".
Singapore
Master warrant officer is a senior warrant officer rank in the Singapore Armed Forces.[2]
Master warrant officers often hold senior leadership roles such as school sergeant majors or regimental sergeant majors of brigade-sized units. The school sergeant major of Officer Cadet School is a master warrant officer. He is in charge of the discipline of more than 800 officer cadets, in addition to the specialists and more junior warrant officers there.
| NATO rank code | WO-1 | WO-2 | WO-3 | WO-4 | WO-4 | WO-5 |
| Rank | Third warrant officer | Second warrant officer | First warrant officer | Master warrant officer | Senior warrant officer | Chief warrant officer |
| Abbreviation | 3WO | 2WO | 1WO | MWO | SWO | CWO |
South Africa
In 2008[3] the warrant officer ranks of the South African National Defence Force were expanded and the rank of master warrant officer was created.
