Warrant officer (United Kingdom)

A warrant officer (WO) in the British Armed Forces is a member of the highest-ranking group of non-commissioned ranks, holding the King's Warrant, which is signed by the Secretary of State for Defence.

Warrant officers are not saluted, because they do not hold the King's Commission, but are addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am" by subordinates. Commissioned officers may address warrant officers either by their appointment (e.g. sergeant major) or as "Mister", "Mrs" or "Ms" along with their last name. Although often referred to along with non-commissioned officers (NCOs), they are not NCOs, but members of a separate group (traditional official terminology for the personnel of a unit is "the officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men"), although all have been promoted from NCO rank.

In November 2018, the most senior warrant officer and most senior other ranks position was created, titled Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. A warrant officer in this position is the most senior warrant officer in the British Armed Forces.^[1]