Chief Warrant Officer 5 Scott Beaulieu succeeded Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Woodworth as the Vermont National Guard’s command chief warrant officer in a change of responsibility ceremony at Joint Force Headquarters here Nov. 7, 2021.

The change of responsibility ceremony serves a dual function of rendering honors to the departing command chief warrant officer and providing official recognition of the transfer of responsibility as the senior warrant officer of the Vermont Army National Guard to the incoming command chief warrant officer.

Upon taking up the new responsibilities as command chief warrant officer, Beaulieu said, “I feel honored to have been selected by the adjutant general to perform the duties and responsibilities that come with the position, I believe the experiences and training the US Army has given me will assist recruiting for our warrant officer vacancies for the Army missions of tomorrow.”

As the senior warrant officer in the Vermont Guard, the command chief warrant officer advises the adjutant general, the assistant adjutant general-Army, and their staff on all issues pertaining to policies, programs and actions impacting the warrant officer cohort, including professional development, promotions, assignments, incentives, morale, discipline, performance, strength and recruiting programs.

Highly specialized experts and trainers in their military occupation, “warrant officers are the keepers of the knowledge required for the profession they choose. They are the keepers of technical and tactical skills and hold the keys to unlock that knowledge in order to train, mentor and lead soldiers at all levels,” Beaulieu said.

Beaulieu enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army in 1986, serving as an attack helicopter weapon systems repairman and later an air traffic controller during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In 1997 he attended Officer Candidate School and was appointed a human resource warrant officer. In 2010 Beaulieu deployed to Afghanistan with the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) as the deputy director of personnel, providing executive administrative support to over 1,500 soldiers. Beaulieu’s military awards and decorations include a Bronze Star Medal.

Beaulieu was previously assigned to the Vermont Recruiting and Retention Battalion as the warrant officer recruiter and resource officer. Beaulieu has an extensive military education including the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Army Mountain Warfare School (winter and summer phases), Officer Candidate School, Human Resource Warrant Officer Basic Course, Human Resource Warrant Officer Advanced Course, Warrant Officer Intermediate Leadership Education Course and the Warrant Officer Senior Service Education Course.

Beaulieu’s civilian education consists of an Associate of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Champlain College. He is a 1986 graduate of Bellows Free Academy in St Albans Vermont where he grew up.

While Beaulieu began his military career in an aviation field, Woodworth began his in the U.S. Navy’s Silent Service as a submariner, specifically as a nuclear weapons missile technician assigned to the Nuclear Missile Submarine USS Ulysses S. Grant SSBN-631. Upon completing six deterrent patrols, he joined the Vermont Army National Guard.

In 1995 Woodworth attended Warrant Officer Candidate School as a general supply technician warrant officer and was assigned with Headquarters Company, 1-103rd Aviation Battalion. In 2000, Woodworth changed branch to the Signal Corps and was assigned to Joint Force Headquarters as the computer network defense team chief and senior network operations technician. During this assignment, he deployed in 2008 with Task Force Stone as the chief information officer to Camp Stone, Herat, Afghanistan. A full-time member of the VTARNG technician workforce since 1991, Woodworth was selected and assigned as the state command chief warrant officer on April 1, 2018. His many military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.