Photo By Laura Levering | Chief Warrant Officer 5 Willie L. Newkirk, receives a Model 1902 Officer Saber from...... read more read more
FORT GORDON, Ga – The U.S. Army Signal Corps welcomed Chief Warrant Officer 5 Willie L. Newkirk as the new regimental chief warrant officer during a change of responsibility ceremony Aug. 5, 2025.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Chris R. Westbrook, the Signal Corps’ 7th regimental chief warrant officer (RCWO), relinquished his duties to Newkirk after serving in the role since June 2021.
The 43rd Chief of Signal and U.S. Army Signal School Commandant, Col. Julia M. Donley, presided over the ceremony.
Addressing an audience of all ranks and backgrounds – from Westbrook’s family and friends to fellow warrant officers and members of the Signal Corps community – Donley described Westbrook as someone who spent “many years serving here in the Signal Corps pouring his heart and time into the people of the Regiment.”
And like most signal warrant officers, Westbrook loves playing with gadgets, as indicated by his office, she added.
“His office is filled – well was filled – with Commodore 64s and 3D chess boards,” Donley said. “But his real passion was not spent in his office playing with gadgets, but out in the classroom with brand new [warrant officers], with the [chief warrant officers], with the wide-eyed lieutenants, coaching and mentoring the next generation and providing that clear example of what a ‘quiet professional’ should be.”
The impact Westbrook made on the Signal Corps was widespread and will inevitably be felt for years to come.
As the RCWO, one of his primary duties was to advise the commandant in current and future technologies. In Westbrook’s case, that amounted to four commandants throughout his tenure – something he said he considers to be his biggest accomplishments.
Along with being instrumental in developing curriculum (for multiple data courses), Westbrook never shied away from being in front of the classroom instructing. He was also known to represent the Signal School at events that united government, industry and academia for the sake of providing operational insight on how the Signal Corps is changing the public sector.
In his farewell remarks, Westbrook thanked numerous people for their support throughout his career before touching on a few highlights and looking to the future.
“The changes ahead for the Regiment are very similar to what they were when we moved away from the Tri-Services Tactical solutions developed out of the Vietnam War to what we field today,” Westbrook said. “The Regiment had to find a way to train new Soldiers in a small amount of time to remain relevant … We made it work then, and I know the future plans we have yet to develop will also work out. But get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Change will not stop.”
Newkirk, who previously served as the Technical Director of the U.S. Army Signal School, is no stranger to change. Donley said that while some might consider change “troubling,” Newkirk is the type of leader who will embrace it.
“Chief Newkirk is the right person to lead us in recognizing it as an opportunity for this Regiment to reinvent itself, evolve with technology, and continue its 165-year tradition of adaption,” she said.
Newkirk brings nearly 30 years of military experience with him, having enlisted in September 1996. In May 2005, he completed Warrant Officer Candidate School and was subsequently awarded the 251A military occupational specialty (Information Systems Technician).
Newkirk has served in various critical assignments across conventional and special operations formations, to include senior information technician at Special Operations Command Korea, senior cyberspace defense warrant officer for XVIII Airborne Corps, cyberspace defense senior technical advisor to the J6 for U.S. Central Command, and command chief warrant officer of 7th Signal Command (Theater), among several other key positions.
In his remarks, Newkirk described becoming the 8th RCWO as “an absolute honor,” thanking numerous people, to include his predecessor.
“I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to CW5 Westbrook for your steadfast leadership and lasting contributions to the Regiment,” Newkirk said. “Your unwavering dedication to our Warrant Officer Cohort and the broader Signal Corps has set a standard that I am committed to uphold.”
Insisting he wouldn’t be where he is today without mentors who invested in him, Newkirk said that he is ready to continue – and build upon – the future of the Signal Corps.
“Today is not about me; it is about our Signal Regiment, our Warrant Officer Cohort, and our shared commitment to building and sustaining the Army’s Unified Network, enabling Next Generation Command and Control to ensure decision dominance,” Newkirk said. “Together, we will preserve our traditions, embrace transformation, and deliver the capabilities our Army demands – today and tomorrow.”
For livestream footage of the ceremony, visit the U.S. Army Signal Regiment Facebook page.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2025 14:07 |
| Story ID: | 545201 |
| Location: | FORT GORDON, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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