Commandant's Corner
By COL Kevin E. McHugh, U.S. Army
| Warrant Officer Journal, January-March 2024 Edition
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Welcome back to another year of the Warrant Officer Journal. I want to thank CW5 Leornard Momeny for establishing the foundation for this publication. Leonard created “Strength in Knowledge,” serving as the lead editor of the entire four issues of volume 1 published in FY23. As CW5 Momeny moves on to bigger things in his professional life, we say good luck and thanks! As one great leader departs, another steps up to serve; I welcome CW5 (Ret) Jim Steddum, the current academic lead for our leadership and management department here at the USAWOCC. Jim has volunteered to take the literary reigns and continue the editing and production for Volume 2. Thanks to both of these phenomenal professionals.
Since our last publication, the team at the USAWOCC has been balancing the ongoing academic instruction of initial military training (WOCS) and Professional Military Education (PME) at the CW2 through CW5 levels while continuing the development of the modernized warrant officer common core education. We are closing in on the educational requirements for future CW5s selected to serve at the strategic/executive levels to benefit from the future Warrant Officer Master Course (WOMC) curriculum. Codifying these requirements will ensure we can deliver this critical education to the warrant officer cohort in FY27.
In this first issue of Strength in Knowledge, Volume 2, we again focus on the contributions of warrant officers through a different lens and unique service perspective. This issue focuses on the contributions and professional discourse from the chief warrant officer ranks within the United States Army National Guard. I have gained enormous respect for our National Gardsmen over my career, and more so while serving here at the USAWOCC. One example of this is highlighted within our existing WOCS program, specifically while visiting one of the 27 regional training institutes (RTI) that deliver proponent-based warrant officer candidate education. While there, I met a CW4 from the Mississippi National Guard assisting the 200th at Fort McClellan, Alabama. She was a WOCS academic instructor and a Training, Advising, and Counseling (TAC) Officer. I thanked her for her service and learned that she also managed a Toyota production facility full-time in her civilian capacity. Balancing civilian employment while serving in this profession while still achieving family balance is a lot, and we ask this of all our ARNG and USAR Soldiers. Thanks for all you do, and I hope you enjoy this issue highlighting your service.