The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) hosted a reception and cake cutting ceremony celebrating the 96th Birthday of the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Corps on July 14. Senior members of the Army Warrant Officer Corps and senior leaders from AUSA attended this event, held at AUSA HQ in Arlington, Virginia.In showing its support to the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Corps, AUSA will also host a Warrant Officer Professional Development Forum during its upcoming Annual Meeting, as it has done for the last two years.The official birthday of the Army Warrant Officer Corps is July 9, 1918, when an Act of Congress established the Army Mine Planter Service as part of the Coast Artillery Corps.Also in 1918, the Army opened a school to train their mariners at Fort Monroe, Va.A total of 40 warrant officers were authorized to serve as masters, mates, chief engineers, and assistant engineers on each mine planting vessel.Although only one rank of warrant officer was authorized by Congress, in effect, three grades were created because of the varying levels of pay authorized for masters, 1st mates, 2nd mates, and corresponding levels of marine engineer personnel.In World War I, the Coast Artillery Corps was responsible for mine defenses in major ports.