The Marine Corps has a rank category called the marshal, which is a non-commissioned officer role between enlisted and officer ranks. Petty officers have greater technical skills and serve in positions requiring an officer’s authority. The rank was created before World War I and warrant officers were selected for their technical skills. The NCO program is divided into administrative and weapons programs, with different requirements for each. Warrant officers attend a command training course to enhance their management skills. The marshal concept originated in the British Royal Navy and has been incorporated into other services.
A marshal in the Marine Corps is a rank category in the Marine Corps branch of the US military. Non-commissioned officers in all branches of the U.S. military, except the Air Force, which has discontinued the designation, fill a role between the more enlisted ranks and the lower-level officer ranks. A petty officer in the Marine Corps would be expected to have greater technical skills in particular areas than senior enlisted personnel and serve in a position that requires an officer’s authority.
The rank of petty officer was created shortly before the United States entered World War I. With the increase in technical skills required due to more sophisticated combat equipment, warrant officers were selected from the best ranks of non-commissioned officers. These officers served with a mandate of service versus a commission from the president as was the case with commissioned officers. In 1943, the Marine Corps aligned its warrant officer ranks with those of other services, creating two service categories, warrant officer and commissioned warrant officer. Marine Corps warrant officers now have five ranks, warrant officer one, and chief warrant officer two through five, which is consistent with other service branches.
The Marines divide the NCO program into administrative duties and a weapons program. The Marine Corps Administrative Marshal program accepts applicants with at least eight years of service who have achieved the rank of E-5, which is the rank of non-commissioned sergeant. For the Weapons Warrant Program, applicants must have at least 16 years of service and have at least achieved the grade of E-7, which is the rank of petty officer sergeant of artillery.
Those who reach the rank of petty officer in the Marine Corps receive training above and beyond that required of petty officers in both administrative and weapons-related programs. Weapons program members also received advanced instruction in the use and maintenance of the particular weapon systems to which they are assigned. In both programs, warrant officers attend a command training course designed to enhance their management skills.
The marshal concept began in the British Royal Navy and has been incorporated into other services. In the warrant officer ranks of the United States, including the Marine Corps, warrant officer one (W-1) appointments are approved by the secretaries of the various services, in this case the Secretary of the Navy. Marshal grades two through five (W-2 through W-5) are commissioned by the president and may perform advisory and support functions at various levels of headquarters.
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