The difference between a Commissioned Officer and a warrant officer?
In UK an Officer holds the Queens commission. Senior NCOs are
warrant officers & they have a Royal Warrant. NCOs are
non-commissioned Officers, they do not have a commission. Privates
do what they are told ! Other than very junior Officers who may
well be 'advised' by senior NCOs, the Commissioned Officer is the
one who makes the executive decision. He is there to give the
orders & provide the leadership. The senior NCO however is the
one who has time-served his position. More so in times gone by than
now this was very much part of the British Class system. The
commissioned ranks would be only an option if you had the'
breeding' ! (&, of course, the money)