Warrant Officers focus on innovation and a transforming Army during Professional Development Symposium

For the first time in eight years, Washington Army National Guard warrant officers gathered for a state-level Warrant Officer Professional Development event, focusing on how their technical expertise can help commanders adapt to a transforming Army.

The one-day symposium brought together 171 participants at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov.7, 2026, under the theme “Innovation and Relevance in a Transforming Army.” The event connected Washington warrant officers with active-duty and Washington State Guard personnel for discussions about modernization, readiness and developing future technical leaders.

For Chief Warrant Officer 5 Marc Brackett, command chief warrant officer for the Washington National Guard, the demands facing warrant officers require them to work across specialties and help commanders understand both problems and possible solutions.

“Every warrant officer must directly connect their technical craft to the commander's high-tempo operational intent,” said Brackett. “However, meeting those demands requires warrant officers to combine their expertise with an understanding of how other branches contribute to the mission.”

The symposium included perspectives from I Corps, the 7th Infantry Division’s Innovation Lab, the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career College and Washington’s State Partnership Program. Branch breakout sessions gave participants an opportunity to examine readiness gaps and consider how broader Army priorities apply to their technical specialties. Throughout those discussions, Brackett emphasized the importance of warrant officers participating early in planning and providing candid, useful advice.

“Commanders need accurate assessments that explain what a technical problem means for the mission, along with viable options and the risks associated with each, so we need to be in the room,” said Brackett. “That presence must be supported by credibility, preparation and the confidence to speak when an assessment may be uncomfortable. We do that by earning trust and grounding recommendations in facts as essential responsibilities of the cohort.”

Artificial intelligence and data analytics offered another focus for discussion. Participants identified opportunities to use those tools to process operational information, visualize readiness and help commanders understand complex logistics and personnel data. Many senior warrants described their role as “accelerators,” while emphasizing that warrant officers must retain the technical judgment to recognize flawed outputs and solve problems when networks or communications become unavailable. Symposium discussions also addressed challenges that can affect readiness long before a unit enters an operational environment, including one that can be a career staller, late officer evaluations, which often delay career progression and developmental opportunities.

Funding and personnel constraints added urgency to the discussion about education and retaining experienced people. Developing future warrant officers requires leaders to identify capable soldiers and noncommissioned officers, mentor them and preserve knowledge that can otherwise leave a formation when experienced personnel depart.

“The transfer of tactical knowledge is the most critical component a Warrant Officer can do and provides the ability to preserve institutional memory, avoid technical stagnation, and maintain technical and combat lethality,” said Brackett.

The technical expertise warrant officers bring to their units also has been utilized more to support exchanges with the Washington’s State Partnership Program in both Thailand and Malaysia. Through exchanges in aviation maintenance, communications, cyber defense and logistics, warrant officers have helped partner forces strengthen technical skills and improve their ability to operate together.

“Warrant officers are technical leaders and educators whose responsibilities extend to enlisted personnel, junior officers and international partners. Their continued involvement can help sustain knowledge and relationships,” said Brackett.

By bringing the warrant officer cohort together for the first state-level professional development event in eight years, the symposium renewed connections across specialties and organizations while establishing shared priorities for modernization and readiness. Its success provides a foundation for continued collaboration as participants return to their units to apply what they learned and develop the next generation of technical leaders.

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