Training for Air Force Warrant Officers back in action for the first time since the 1950s

Air Force Maj. Nathaniel Roesler, right, assumes command of the Warrant Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, on June 28, 2024. (Evan Lichtenhan/US Air Force)

The Air Force’s Warrant Officer Training School has reopened, marking a return to service after nearly 70 years.

The school, which held a change of command ceremony Friday at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, aims to meet the growing demand for highly specialized technical and tactical experts, a service statement said.

The Air Force disbanded the Warrant Officer Corps in 1958 after the ranks of Senior Master Sergeant and Chief Master Sergeant were created.

This made the Air Force an outsider among the Pentagon’s other branches of the military, where warrant officers work in functions as diverse as aviation, food security, special operations and vehicle maintenance.

The Air Force says its future warrant officers are expected to play critical roles in areas such as technology and cybersecurity.

In an April statement, Joint Chiefs of Staff David Allvin said the school’s reopening was part of larger changes that were “essential to maintaining a strategic advantage in an era of great power competition.”

The changes in the force structure come against the backdrop of China continuing to modernize and expand its armed forces and the United States seeking to deter Russia from aggression against NATO allies in Europe.

Similar to the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the Air Force uses a selective application process to select qualified airmen to attend the school.

The school’s inaugural course of around 30 people is scheduled to begin its eight-week training in October.

Eligibility requirements include salary grade E-5 or higher, age 42 or younger, and at least five years of service.