Chief Warrant Officer 5 Caroline E. Surprenant

By U.S. ArmyJanuary 23, 2019

(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Caroline E. Surprenant assumed duties as the third Command Chief Warrant Officer for the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) on 1 March 2022.

CW5 Caroline Surprenant attended California State University at Sacramento where she obtained an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science. In May of 2000, Caroline enlisted in the active-duty Army as a Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer (MOS 14T). Her first duty assignment was Alpha Battery 3-43 ADA at Fort Bliss, Texas. In 2002, she deployed to Saudi Arabia on a six–month rotation where her unit activated the Reserve-Ready Battery mission at Prince Sultan Air Base in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2003 she was assigned to Bravo Battery, 1-43 ADA in Korea.

In 2006 she was selected for Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Following graduation, she attended the Warrant Officer Basic Course for Air and Missile Defense Systems Tactician/Technician (MOS 140E) at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Chief Surprenant's first assignment as a warrant officer was to Bravo Battery of 2-43 ADA at Fort Bliss, where she deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) for 15 months. Upon her return, she served as a senior maintainer in the Battalion Readiness Center.

Following her time at Fort Bliss, Chief Surprenant attended the Warrant Officer Advanced Course and transferred to A-2 Air Defense Artillery, one of the Army's new Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries. She then transitioned to the tactics portion of the 140E career field.

In A-2 ADA, Chief Surprenant supported Flight Test Operational THAAD 01 (FTT-01) at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands as a Battery Tactical Control Officer (TCO) and deployed to Guam in 2014.

In 2015, she performed the role of the A-2 ADA Rear Detachment Commander. She then transferred to 32nd AAMDC as a THAAD Planner and Air Defense Artillery Fire Control Officer (ADAFCO). She also earned her Bachelors of Science in Social-Psychology.

In 2017 Chief Surprenant was assigned to the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command as the command's Standardization Officer, Air and Missile Defense Planner, and senior ADAFCO. She also obtained her Master’s in Leadership Studies with a concentration in Communication from the University of Texas at El Paso. In October 2021 she was selected for promotion to Chief Warrant Officer 5. She assumed duties as the Command Chief Warrant Officer on 1 March 2022. She was promoted to CW5 on 20 March, 2022.

Chief Surprenant holds the additional skill identifiers for THAAD training, ADAFCO, and Space Cadre. She also attended the two-week Iron Dome course in 2021.

Chief Surprenant has been married to her husband Chris since 2019, and together they manage two recovery homes for people suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.