Chief Warrant Officer 5 Willie L. Newkirk Jr. is the 8th Regimental Chief Warrant Officer.
CW5 Newkirk previously served as the Technical Director of the U.S. Army Signal School at Fort Gordon, GA. In this role, he was the senior technical advisor to the Commandant and directly supported the development, modernization, and delivery of Signal training across the Army. He led efforts to align Signal education with emerging technologies, doctrinal changes, and Army Unified Network objectives, shaping the next generation of Signal leaders to operate in contested, multi-domain environments.
A native of Teachey, NC, CW5 Newkirk began his military career on September 11, 1996. He completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. As an enlisted Soldier, he served in a variety of roles across both operational and institutional Army assignments.
In May 2005, he was appointed as a Warrant Officer after completing Warrant Officer Candidate School, and upon graduation from the Warrant Officer Basic Course, he was awarded MOS 251A, Information Systems Technician. His initial assignment was with the 1st Information Operations Command (Land), where he served as an Information Systems Technician within the Information Operations Vulnerabilities Assessment Division (IOVAD). Throughout his career, CW5 Newkirk has held a series of critical assignments across conventional and special operations formations. He served as an Information Systems Technician, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne); S6, 304th Civil Affairs Brigade; Signal System Support, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne); and Information Systems Technician, Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH). He later served as Information Systems Technician, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA; Senior Information Technician at Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR); and as the Senior Cyberspace Defense Warrant Officer for the XVIII Airborne Corps. He continued his strategic-level service as the Cyberspace Defense Senior Technical Advisor to the J6, U.S. Central Command, and later as a Cyberspace Defense Observer/Coach-Trainer with Operations Group, National Training Center. Before his current assignment, he served as the Command Chief Warrant Officer (CCWO) of the 7th Signal Command (Theater), Fort Meade, MD.
CW5 Newkirk’s professional military education includes Warrant Officer Advanced Courses for 254A and 255S, Warrant Officer Intermediate Level Education, and Warrant Officer Senior Service Education.
CW5 Newkirk has received numerous awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2OLC), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal (3 Bronze Stars), and Korean Defense Service Medal. He also has earned the Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Signal Corps Bronze Order of Mercury.