United States Army
Warrant Officers Association
462 Herndon Pkwy. Suite 207 Herndon, VA 20170-5235
703-742-7727 1-800-5-USAWOA (FAX) 703-742-7728
September 15, 2000
Dr. Curtis Gilroy
Director, QRMC
OSUD, Reserve/Readiness
ODUSD Program Integration
4000 Defense, The Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-4000Dear Sir;
This Association represents 20,000 warrant officers of the active Army, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve. On behalf of our members, I thank you and your committee members for your diligent work in the complex compensation area. The purpose of this letter is to provide information that we believe to be of value to your studies and deliberations.
The warrant officer programs of all services are adversely affected by a problem this Association calls"pay compression." Pay compression has come about as the un-intentioned result of several well deserved, past pay raises that were primarily targeted toward the senior enlisted force. However, these targeted pay raises did not provide concurrent, corresponding adjustments to the pay of warrant officers. Consequently, over the years, the pay of the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) and Chief Petty Officer (CPO) force has drawn closer to that of warrant officers.
The problem is of increasingly significant impact and concern today, in that it not only affects warrant officer recruiting, but also the retention of senior grade warrant officers. Within the Army significantly, and to a degree in the other services, the NCO force is the primary source from which warrant officers are recruited; or, from which NCOs may apply for the warrant officer program. Recruiting of warrant officers is adversely affected by pay compression, as there is no significant difference in pay at the point in time a NCO may consider moving into the warrant officer programs. Furthermore, as one increases in grade and time of service, there is no appropriate increased difference between the pay of senior NCOs and that of senior warrant officers. This affects both recruiting and retention.
The Army presently has by far the largest number of warrant officers. The Navy and Marine Corps have several thousand warrant officers; the Air Force has none. The Coast Guard also has several thousand warrant officers. The Army and the Coast Guard make extensive use of warrant officers in mid-management and leadership positions in highly technical skill fields. The Navy and Marine Corps utilize their warrant officers differently, placing more emphasis on the technical-skills role.The Army defines warrant officers as: "An officer appointed … based on a sound level of technical and tactical competence. The warrant officer is the highly specialized expert and trainer, who, by gaining progressive levels of expertise and leadership, manages the Army's equipment, support activities, and technical systems for an entire career." (Chief of Staff, Army, June 1985) (Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-11)
Warrant officers are aware of the current Congressional interest in regard to increasing the pay of the enlisted force, primarily non-commissioned officers and chief petty officers, to levels commensurate with their skills and responsibilities. While our members appreciate and support such interest, our Association cannot endorse a "unilateral" pay raise for this group. We do not say that the pay of the NCO/CPO should not be raised; rather, we offer that when such action is done the pay of the warrant officer force must also receive a correcting and corresponding pay increase.
Over the past several years, this Association, in company with others, has communicated our concern about pay compression to members of Congress and to the senior leadership of the Army. Copies of some of the correspondence are enclosed. The material enclosed at TAB 1 provides a more detailed presentation of the pay compression problem.
I respectfully request consideration of this material and will gladly answer any questions you may have.Sincerely,
//signed//
RAYMOND A. BELL
Executive Director
cc: Lieutenant General Timothy J. Maude, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, HQDA.Enclosures:
TAB 1: A paper titled "Pay Compression," U.S. Warrant Officers Association, dated April 10, 2000
TAB 2: A letter from the Reserve Officers Association to the Honorable Floyd Spence, Member of Congress, dated 18 April 2000
TAB 3. A letter from the Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association of the United States Coast Guard to the Honorable William Cohen, Secretary of Defense, dated January 28, 1999
TAB 4: A letter from the U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association to Lieutenant General David Ohle, Deputy Chief of Staff of for Personnel, Headquarters, Department of the Army, dated December 3, 1998
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