Storied 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Welcomes 27th Commander

Photo By Maj. William Carraway | Senior leaders of the Georgia Army National Guard inspect the assembled Soldiers of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during the brigade’s change of command ceremony at the Macon Readiness Center. Inspecting the troops are Maj. Chris Powell, commander of troops; Col. Reginald Neal, outgoing commander of the 48th IBCT; Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, Georgia’s Adjutant General and Col. Matthew Smith, incoming commander of the 48th IBCT.  

MACON, GA, UNITED STATES

12.03.2016

Story by Capt. William Carraway 

Georgia National Guard

Colonel Reginald Neal relinquished command of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Col. Matthew Smith during a ceremony at the Macon Readiness Center. Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, Georgia’s Adjutant General reflected on the milestones of Neal’s command time.

“Colonel Neal executed a warfighter exercise a year earlier than expected, added a third maneuver battalion and met Department of the Army metrics, brought on Task Force 1-28 from Fort Benning, excelled at the command logistics inspection from National Guard Bureau and brought the 48th Brigade to the level it needed to be to be successful,” said Jarrard.
Colonel Neal, who led the brigade for nearly two years, passed the 48th IBCT colors to Col. Matthew D. Smith, signifying the official transfer of power for the 48th IBCT “Volunteers”, an organization of more than 4,000 Georgia Guardsmen.

“This brigade is postured to be a premier brigade in the 3rd ID,” said Neal. We are the 48th Brigade and we are as capable as an active duty brigade.”

Noting that he and Col. Smith both served as battalion commanders in Iraq, Col. Neal praised Smith and wished him continued success.

“There is no better leader to take command of the 48th Brigade,” said Neal.

Colonel Smith began his 23-year career in the U.S. Army before transferring to the Georgia Guard in 1996. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 as company commander and to Afghanistan in 2009 as the commander of the 1st Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment, and Task Force Dahlonega. For Col. Smith, the Afghanistan deployment was formative.
“The experience with 121 and task Force Dahlonega was tremendous,” said Smith. The opportunity to work with joint partners and Afghan forces and to learn the political and economic aspects of warfare was a growing experience.”

Smith served as deputy commander of the 48th IBCT from 2011 to 2014 before assignment as Division Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s Joint Capabilities & Planning Division at the Pentagon. He returned to Georgia to serve as the 27th commander of the 48th IBCT, a brigade in which he has invested long hours of effort.

“I am honored by opportunity to take command of such a storied unit at this time and place in our army’s history,” said Smith.

The 48th IBCT is comprised of units whose history and battle honors predate the American Revolution. Its colors bear the campaign streamers of The Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, The Civil War, the Seminole War, Mexican Border Service, both World Wars, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2016, the 48th IBCT embarked on a new chapter as the first National Guard IBCT in the Associated Unit Pilot program. Under the AUP, the 48th IBCT is associated with the Fort Stewart-based 3rd Infantry Division. Maj. Gen. Rainey, commander of the 3rd ID welcomed Col. Smith to the Marne Division in his remarks.

“The 3rd Infantry Division has high expectations for the Associated Unit Program, Said Rainey. “Georgia is the place that is best set up for the program to succeed. I would argue that this makes the 48th IBCT the most important brigade combat team in the Army.”

• Date Taken: 12.03.2016
• Date Posted: 12.03.2016 21:40
• Story ID: 216331
• Location: MACON, GA, US