Until 2002, the Chief Warrant Officer Grade of W-4 (CWO4) was the highest in the United States Navy, despite the fact that Congress had established a W-5 pay grade for Chief Warrant Officers 5 a decade earlier. It was not until October of 2002 that the Secretary of the Navy authorized a pay grade of W-5 in that service with a stated goal that “Implementation of the CWO5 rank will ensure that the Navy attracts and retains our very best technical leadership for a full 30 year career.”
The Coast Guard, on the other hand, has never authorized a pay grade beyond W-4 for its Chief Warrant Officers, making it the only branch of the Armed Forces of the United States with only three grades of Chief Warrant Officers.
Two silver bars on a blue background serve as the CWO4 insignia employed on cap, collar, and coat devices in both services. CWO4 insignia of grade is placed on the wearer’s right side of the Garrison Cap, two inches from the front crease and one-and-a-half inches from the bottom of the cap.