Chief warrant officer 4 (W-4)
Chief warrant officer 4 (CWO4) is the fourth Marine Corps warrant officer rank, pay grade W-4. Its insignia is a silver bar with three scarlet enamel blocks.
Easily confused with
How to read it
CWO4 follows chief warrant officer 3 (W-3) and comes before chief warrant officer 5 (W-5). The uniform regulations set the blocks out exactly: on the shoulder insignia the centre block is 1/4 inch wide and the two outer blocks 1/8 inch, so the middle block is twice the width of the others.
Also searched as: CWO4.
Ranks and insignia as the Marine Corps’ own orders and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
CWO4 or CWO2?
The chief warrant officer 2 has the same three blocks, arranged the same way, on a gold bar. The Navy’s officer-training guide describes the CWO4 device as a red background with two silver breaks.
Marine or Army?
The Army’s chief warrant officer 4 wears a silver bar with four black enamel squares.
Read next
- Next in Marine Corps ranksChief warrant officer 5 (W-5)Chief warrant officer 5 (CWO5) is the highest Marine Corps warrant officer rank, pay grade W-5. Its insignia is a silver bar with one scarlet enamel stripe along its length.
- The same shape in Road signsDo not enter signA red and white regulatory sign marking a road or ramp that traffic may not enter from that direction.
More marine Corps ranks
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- Marine Corps Ranks, marines.mil, Ranks, United States Marine Corps, Warrant Officer
- Marine Corps Uniform Regulations (MCO 1020.34H), MCO 1020.34H, 1 May 2018, Commandant of the Marine Corps, para 4005.2.k–o, pp. 1-99 to 1-100
- Officer Knowledge (Officer Development School), Officer Training Command Newport, ODS Knowledge Book, Naval Service Training Command, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Officer Rank Structure
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Officer insignia, warrant officers
- 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(8), p. 172
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research
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