Mikan assumes responsibility of the Army's most modern brigade

Photo By Staff Sgt. Justin McClarran | Col. Ethan J. Diven, commander of the "Spartan Brigade," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, passes the unit colors to new brigade senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Mikan, during an assumption of responsibility ceremony at Cashe Garden, Fort Stewart, Georgia, Jan. 11, 2023. The passing of the unit colors is a time-honored tradition that signifies the change of responsibility from one command sergeant major to the next to serve as the unit's caretaker and senior enlisted advisor to the commander. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Justin McClarran)  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

01.11.2023

Story by Staff Sgt. Justin McClarran 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT STEWART, Ga. – The “Spartan Brigade,” 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, welcomed the brigade's new senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Jason S. Mikan, during an assumption of responsibility ceremony on Jan. 11 at Cashe Garden on Fort Stewart. The Spartan Brigade completed reception and qualification on all its modernized vehicle platforms in last September in accordance with the Army's new Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model, or ReARMM. The 3rd ID will complete its modernization this year, advancing toward the Army of 2030.

Col. Ethan J. Diven, commander of the 2nd ABCT, 3rd ID, welcomed distinguished guests, Soldiers and Families to the ceremony.

“Thank you for sharing this crisp coastal Georgia morning with us," Diven said. "A morning we welcome and recognize Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Mikan, the senior enlisted leader of our ‘Spartan Brigade.’ Command Sgt. Maj. [Mikan] is no stranger to this historic division and Fort Stewart.”

Mikan, a native of Syracuse, New York, joins the Spartan Brigade after serving as the command sergeant major for the 3rd Battalion, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson, Colorado. While previously stationed on Fort Stewart, Mikan deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served with the 188th Infantry Brigade as a scout team chief and the brigade operations sergeant major.

During the ceremony, Diven offered words of encouragement and wisdom to Mikan.

“Spartan 7, it is rightfully so that there is a high bar for the organizational leader that bears this call sign," Diven said. "But knowing what a Spartan is, you just need to focus on three visual symbols [that] will help us understand what it means to be a ‘Spartan’ to go into battle: a spear, a helmet, and a shield, which represents the lethality, the leadership, and the commitment of a Spartan.”

Mikan comes to the brigade with knowledge, eagerness and determination to fulfill the role as the brigade’s senior enlisted advisor and noncommissioned officer.

“I am truly humbled to stand before you today in this wonderful and historic organization," Mikan said. "For the Soldiers of the Spartan Brigade, I’m here for you and let us continue to build on the great legacy of this brigade.”

The Spartan Brigade is the Army's most modern land fighting force and is on glide path to execute a combat training center rotation in March at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California, to validate its readiness and proficiency to deploy, fight and win wherever and whenever the nation calls.

• Date Taken: 01.11.2023
• Date Posted: 01.20.2023 15:04
• Story ID: 436910
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US