The Air Force Brought Back Warrant Officers After 45 Years. Here’s How It's Going

About 245 Air Force members now hold a rank the service eliminated in 1980.The Air Force spent 45 years without warrant officers, the last one retiring in 1980 and the ranks disappearing from an Air Force that decided senior NCOs and commissioned officers could cover the same ground. That changed in February 2024, when then-Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall announced that the ranks were coming back.The service has about 245 warrant officers as of September 2026, in ranks ranging from Chief Warrant Officer 1 to Chief Warrant Officer 5 at multiple commands, an Air Force spokesperson told Military.com....