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    U.S. Army Central holds change of command

    US Army Central holds change of command

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Victor Everhart | Lt. Gen. James L. Terry, the outgoing commanding general of U.S. Army Central, passes...... read more read more

    SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, UNITED STATES

    11.19.2015

    Story by Sgt. Victor Everhart and Capt. John May

    U.S. Army Central   

    SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. - U.S. Army Central, a resident in Central Asia and the Middle East for more than 20 years, conducted a change of command ceremony Nov. 17.

    Lt. Gen. James L. Terry, who is retiring after 37 years of active duty service, relinquished command to Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garrett.

    Terry and U.S. Army Central have been heavily involved in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria over the past 18 months.

    In June 2014, he was designated as the joint commander for the conduct of operations in Iraq, and in October 2014 he was designated as the commander of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve. The task force integrated all U.S. military services and partners from 60 nations to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

    U.S. Army Central has also provided critical enabling support to joint and coalition forces in the Middle East and Central Asia during Terry’s time in command.

    “On any given day members of this command are spread across the Central Command area of responsibility from Kazakhstan in the north to Oman in the south from Afghanistan in the east to Sinai in the west you provide the critical enabling structure to not just the Army, but also joint and coalition forces,” said Terry, a Georgia native.

    Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command – which controls all air, ground and naval forces in the Middle East and Central Asia – presided over the ceremony.

    “This command, U.S. Army Central, is among the most important in our military today, with administrative control over all U.S. Army forces in the Central Command, which stretches from Central Asia to Egypt and the Horn of Africa,” said Austin.

    Austin said U.S. Army Central’s mission is broad and incredibly challenging and over the past 27 months the men and women of the unit under Terry’s strong and capable leadership have done a masterful job.

    Garrett, an Ohio native, most recently served as the chief of staff for U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla. He was promoted to lieutenant general just prior to the change of command ceremony.

    Garrett said the Central Command region today is as complex as it has ever been, and U.S. Army Central has been at the center of the nation’s efforts in the Middle East the past 15 years.

    “I am very familiar with General Austin’s priorities and the Central Command strategy for the region. I am confident that over time we will see more peace and stability,” Garrett said.

    Headquartered in Sumter, with an additional forward headquarters in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, USARCENT’s presence preserves regional stability and security throughout Central Asia and the Middle East by providing the strategic land power that prevents conflict, shapes the environment and, when necessary, wins the Nation’s wars.

    U.S. Army Central has approximately 1,300 Soldiers assigned to the headquarters at Shaw Air Force Base and is responsible for approximately 39,000 Soldiers in the Middle East and Central Asia.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.19.2015
    Date Posted: 11.19.2015 17:31
    Story ID: 182398
    Location: SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, US
    Hometown: CHATSWORTH, GA, US
    Hometown: CLEVELAND, OH, US

    Web Views: 900
    Downloads: 0

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