Chief warrant officer 3 (W-3)
A silver bar with three black squares is the insignia of a chief warrant officer 3 (CW3), pay grade W-3 in the US Army.
Easily confused with
How to read it
DA Pamphlet 670-1 describes the CW3 insignia as a silver-colored bar, 3/8 inch wide and 1 1/8 inches long, with three black enamel squares, one more than a Chief warrant officer 2 (W-2) and one fewer than a Chief warrant officer 4 (W-4). The Army’s ranks page describes CW3s as advanced-level experts who work mainly from team or detachment level through brigade. The Department of Defense lists the grade as W-3, and says commissioned warrant officers derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers.
Also searched as: CW3.
Ranks and insignia as the US Army’s own regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
How a chief warrant officer is addressed
Army Regulation 600-20 gives the title of address for chief warrant officers 2 to 5 as “Chief” or Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. The Army Recruiting Command’s customs training says all five warrant officer ranks are addressed as “Mr.” or “Ms.” followed by the last name.
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Sources
- DA Pamphlet 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, DA PAM 670-1, 26 January 2021, Headquarters, Department of the Army (Army Publishing Directorate), para 21–6a(10), 21–6a(9), 21–6a(8); para 21–6a(5), (7)–(11)
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Insignia chart: chief-warrant-officer-2, chief-warrant-officer-3, chief-warrant-officer-4; Officer insignia, warrant officers
- U.S. Army Ranks, army.mil ranks page (enlisted, warrant officer and officer ranks), U.S. Army, Warrant officer ranks
- Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy, AR 600-20, 6 February 2025 (administrative revision 20 February 2025), Headquarters, Department of the Army (copy hosted by the Army Transportation Corps, transportation.army.mil), para 1–7b; table 1–1
- Military Customs and Courtesies (Initial Soldier Training), U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Future Soldier training slides, 14 April 2020, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Officer rank, slide 15
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research