Fort Leavenworth names their garrison professional of the year

Photo By Russell Toof | Col. John Misenheimer, garrison commander, pins William Brown, installation antiterrorism officer, with a Civilian Service Commendation Medal for being selected as the Fort Leavenworth garrison professional of the year.  

FORT LEAVENWORTH, KS, UNITED STATES

12.15.2022

Story by Prudence Siebert 

U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leavenworth

William Brown, installation antiterrorism officer, has been named the 2022 Fort Leavenworth Garrison Professional of the Year.

As installation antiterrorism officer, Brown said he establishes and maintains the program that "provides standards, policies and procedures to reduce vulnerabilities from terrorist attacks on Fort Leavenworth." He also assesses and identifies "mission essential/vulnerable areas and high-risk targets with the follow-on task of developing mitigation through antiterrorism security measures," as well as develops, documents and supervises the Random Antiterrorism Measures Program, assesses "vulnerability to threat attacks, and implements procedures to deter, detect, defend and recover from terrorist threats," among other duties.

Brown has been in the position a little more than two years, but he has been on Fort Leavenworth since 1992, as an active-duty MP and corrections NCO and then an Army Civilian Service employee, including his previous position as operations branch supervisor.

According to Brown's nomination, his efforts with the Random Antiterrorism Measures Program, which makes it difficult for terrorists to predict security actions through multiple, random security measures, "had a direct impact on installation security and security culture" and took Fort Leavenworth from a 50 percent participation rate to more than 95 percent.

"I believe the success was because of my previous relationships established across the installation," Brown said. "I also took the time to show that, despite being inside of guarded gates, threats to the installation do exist. Once I was able to articulate this, and stress that the program is regulatory, organizations got on board. But I really believe that my previous relationships, made it easier."

Brown also leads threat and protection working groups. The Insider Threat Working Group analyzes concerning behaviors and risks to Fort Leavenworth's people, resources and capabilities.

According to Brown's nomination, submitted by Force Protection Officer Patrick Burch, the revitalization of the Insider Threat Working Group has resulted in identifying five potential violent high-risk behavior individuals, which Burch said helped prevent possible acts of workplace violence.

"Our threat working group was said to be one of the best that the (health hazard assessment) assessor has ever seen," Brown said. "We have been able to partner up and form solid communication with the FBI, (Department of Homeland Security), Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center, area police departments, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), and many law enforcement and intelligence agencies."

Brown said his latest focus has been on active shooter response training.

"We have developed a robust training schedule and also have gone across the installation to exercise and inform our people," Brown said. "I have been able to provide a training deck and materials to better prepare our population for a problem that has been plaguing our country. There has not been a week in 2022 that there has not been a mass shooting in the U.S."

Brown said Burch, his direct supervisor, has been his coach, teacher and mentor.

"He has taken the time to sit with me and share his decades of knowledge when it comes to (antiterrorism). To be endorsed by him is an indeed honor."

In the nomination, Burch credited Brown with conducting thorough special event threat assessments, including one for a Secretary of the Army visit, and helping to improve the post's unmanned aircraft systems DoD and DA policy compliance, resulting in Fort Leavenworth being the only Installation Management Command installation to be 100 compliant.

"In the beginning, people were slow to adhere to the DA requirements of UAS training and reporting procedures. When I saw the requirement, I just decided to jump on it. I reached out to the (Federal Aviation Administration) and DHS and got a good understanding of what the Army and IMCOM wanted. I then depended on directorates like the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, Directorate of Emergency Services, Public Affairs Office and Directorate of Public Works to assist me in getting the training completed, information out across the installation and proper signs posted at the entrances," Brown said. "I didn’t know that I was so far in front of the rest. I had a member of the IMCOM staff tell me that Fort Leavenworth was leading the way at that time; I actually thought that we were behind."

In addition to the achievements noted in his nomination, Brown has been involved in many events, seen and unseen, across post and in the area.

"I can say that in some way, I have been involved in every ceremony in which a monument was placed in the Buffalo Soldier (Commemorative Area)," Brown said. "I had the honor of being the action officer and narrator for the General (Colin) Powell bust dedication. I was the action officer for the President Truman wreath-laying (ceremony in Independence, Mo.,) for many years. I created the program procedures for the WWI Museum 'Taps at The Tower' (ceremony in Kansas City, Mo.) In all of these I had input in the security measures and procedures put in place."

Outside of work, Brown serves as a minister, is a gospel music recording artist with a new album due out soon and is a proud family man.

"I am a minister of the gospel, husband of the greatest wife in the world, father of the greatest kids ever produced, and now proud grandfather of the cutest kids on the planet," Brown said. "If in all of this attention that I am getting, in which I am not sure that I deserve, God is not glorified, this moment is meaningless. I am grateful for the honor, but I prefer that God receives it all."

• Date Taken: 12.15.2022
• Date Posted: 12.15.2022 12:36
• Story ID: 435262
• Location: FORT LEAVENWORTH, KS, US