For those unfamiliar with the Army, being a Warrant Officer or Specialist is a way to provide a soldier with a non-management career path. The Warrant Officer makes more money than the Specialist (a lot of helicopter pilots are Warrant Officers). An Officer, however, makes more money than a Warrant Officer.

I was a junior Officer that left the Army in 1995 partly because there was no technical career path. In order to compete with the civilian world, I think the Army needs to provide a non-management career path for technical Officers. There is even an existing precedent: doctors, dentists, and chaplains.