Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force
Most senior enlisted rank appointment of the Royal Air Force From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force (WORAF), previously known as the Chief of the Air Staff's Warrant Officer (CASWO), is the senior Royal Air Force (RAF) appointment for a warrant officer (WO), and therefore the most senior non-commissioned appointment in the RAF.[1] The person holding this military appointment advises the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) on matters concerning airmen and airwomen of the RAF.[1][2] The post was created in May 1996, as the Chief of the Air Staff's Warrant Officer.[1][3] The post was re-titled Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force (WORAF) on 1 July 2021, and whilst continuing to report directly to the Chief of the Air Staff, the scope of the WORAF was widened to 'work for the entirety of the RAF'.[4] The current WORAF is WO Murugesvaran 'Subby' Subramaniam, who was appointed in April 2023.[5][6] As of 2023 including the incumbent, there has been a total of eleven personnel in this appointment.
| Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force | |
|---|---|
 WORAF insignia | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Style | Warrant Officer |
| Abbreviation | WORAF |
| Reports to | Chief of the Air Staff |
| Appointer | Air Force Board |
| Term length | Not fixed, typically 2–3 years |
| Formation | May 1996 |
| First holder | WO Greg Dutton |
| Website | Official website |
The Royal Navy equivalent is the Warrant Officer to the Royal Navy (WORN, previously Warrant Officer of the Naval Service, WONS),[7] and in the Royal Marines the Corps Regimental Sergeant Major. The British Army's recent equivalent is the Army Sergeant Major (previously known as Sergeant Major of the Army).[8]
List of holders
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Term of office | Chief of the Air Staff | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| Chief of the Air Staff's Warrant Officer (CASWO) | |||||||
| 1 |  | Greg Dutton MBE, BEM | May 1996 | January 1998 | 1 year, 8 months | Sir Michael Graydon Sir Richard Johns | |
| 2 | | Jim Andrews MBE, BEM | January 1998 | January 2000 | 2 years | Sir Richard Johns | |
| 3 | | René Michael Stuart MBE | January 2000 | May 2003 | 3 years, 4 months | Sir Richard Johns Sir Peter Squire | |
| 4 | | Robert 'Bob' Loughlin MBE | May 2003 | November 2006 | 3 years, 6 months | Sir Jock Stirrup Sir Glenn Torpy | [9] |
| 5 | .jpg) | Lyndsay Morgan MBE | November 2006 | July 2009 | 2 years, 8 months | Sir Glenn Torpy | [2] |
| 6 | | Gary Wilcox MBE | July 2009 | February 2012 | 2 years, 7 months | Sir Stephen Dalton | [2][3] |
| 7 | | Graeme Spark MBE | February 2012 | October 2014 | 2 years, 8 months | Sir Stephen Dalton Sir Andrew Pulford | [10] |
| 8 | _(cropped).jpg) | Clive Martland MBE (born 1968) | October 2014 | October 2016 | 2 years | Sir Andrew Pulford Sir Stephen Hillier | [1] |
| 9 | .jpg) | Jon Crossley | October 2016 | October 2019 | 3 years | Sir Stephen Hillier Sir Michael Wigston | [1] |
| 10 |  | Jake Alpert MBE | October 2019 | July 2021 | 1 year, 9 months | Sir Michael Wigston | [1][11] |
| Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force (WORAF) | |||||||
| 10 | | Jake Alpert MBE | July 2021 | April 2023 | 1 year, 9 months | Sir Michael Wigston | [1][4] |
| 11 |  | Murugesvaran 'Subby' Subramaniam | April 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years | Sir Michael Wigston Sir Richard Knighton | [6][5] |
See also
- Template: RAF Other Ranks — table of all non-commissioned ranks and insignia of the Royal Air Force, including the WORAF
- Warrant Officer of the Air Force — equivalent in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force — equivalent in the United States Air Force (USAF)
- Sergeant Major of the Air Force — equivalent in the South African Air Force (SAAF)
References
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