Photo By Staff Sgt. Shanae Garrett | Australian Army Lt. Gen. Scott A. Winter, outgoing deputy commanding general for...... read more read more
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FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – The U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) bid farewell to the outgoing Deputy Commanding General - Strategy and Plans, Lt. Gen. Scott A. Winter, during the Flying V ceremony held at historic Palm Circle, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, on January 6, 2026.
The Flying V ceremony, a time-honored tradition, is held to welcome or honor senior Army officials as they assume or depart from their duties at USARPAC. The “V” refers to the unique arrangement of the colors during the ceremony, symbolizing unity and respect.
USARPAC plays a critical role in the Indo-Pacific, serving as a cornerstone of regional security and stability. The command brings together battle-winning capabilities to generate readiness, war-fighting capacity, and interoperability through world-class training. By maintaining a forward presence and executing Landpower campaigning, USARPAC achieves positional advantage in joint, combined, and multi-domain operational environments. This enduring commitment ensures the region remains free, open, and secure.
Prior to officially joining the USARPAC mission and team, Lt. Gen. Winter served as the Commander of the 1st (Australian) Division, the Australian Army’s deployable warfighting formation. In this role, he oversaw the Army’s overseas activities, including participation in key multinational exercises such as Exercise Yama Sakura, Exercise Freedom Shield Exercise Super Garuda Shield, and Exercise Talisman Sabre.
These experiences shaped his strategic vision and reinforced his commitment to fostering strong partnerships and operational excellence. With polished proficiency, extensive experience, and deep insight, Winter accepted his position as the USARPAC Deputy Commanding General - Strategy and Plans on January 5, 2024. Reflecting on his time in this role, Winter shared his thoughts on departing the USARPAC Ohana.
“It’s bittersweet,” Winter remarked. “As much as I am looking forward to the next opportunity, this has been a remarkable experience. General Clark and General Flynn before him, both just so empowering of this position. There’s the importance of the mission, the incredible privilege of being a leader within the USARPAC team. I’ll miss the mission and the incredible command environment. The remarkable opportunities that this job has presented to my family and myself will stay with us for a long period of time.”
Winter’s leadership philosophy, shaped by years of experience in both operational and strategic roles, emphasizes the importance of genuine friendships in achieving success. He noted, one of the key elements that allows successful merging and balancing of the immediate demands of operational leadership with the long-term vision required for strategic planning is genuine friendships. He reflected on the importance of coalition-building and partnerships, stating, “The biggest element that reinforces is, as messy and difficult as coalitions, allies, and partners can be, it’s so worth it. It’s so worth the effort that we put in to genuinely standing shoulder to shoulder with allies and partners.”
Winter also discussed thoughts on the integration of interoperability and capabilities that enhances the effectiveness of deterrence. He continued, “As Adm. Paparo says, our highest task is to deter conflict, because that would be awful for everyone in this region. So, it is our most important role, and deterrence occurs in the mind of the individual. We need to make sure that our friends and allies feel assured, and that adversaries know that we are here, we are committed, and that should the worst come, we are ready to prevail in conflict.”
While combining all reflections, perspectives and notions, Winter shared advice for his successor, Maj. Gen. Giles J.S. Cornelia, emphasizing the importance of building relationships.
“That’s one of the pieces of advice I’ve given to my successor: work hard to turn relationships into friendships. When you respect someone else’s culture, there is a bond that goes beyond the transactional, beyond the alliance, to one where there’s genuine mutual trust and respect.”
After departing USARPAC, Winter will assume the role of Deputy Commander of the United Nations Command in Korea. While looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities of his new position; Winter shared when he participated in exercises, the map would show where the exercise was being held. However, now, when standing in attendance at exercises the map has expanded, Winter stated, “…because the problem sets are global.”
He stated, “Gen. Brunson has done an outstanding job recently with his East-up messaging, turning the map upside down to show the importance and centrality of the Korean Peninsula and its relevance to the region. Helping him message that appropriately to our allies and others is going to be a really important part—not just seen as a U.S. message but seen as a multinational message.”
Winter expressed deep gratitude to his family. He reflected on lessons learned about balancing his military career with family life. ‘I’ve learned in more recent years the importance of quality time. We’ve had kids come out to Hawaii four times and visit, and I’ve made sure we had great quality time together.”
The outgoing deputy general also gave heartfelt gratitude for the USARPAC team; “I’m so proud of the work that people do at every level throughout this organization, from the 11th Airborne in Alaska, the 25th ID here, the logisticians at sea, the incredible team at First Corps, and the multi-domain task forces. Everywhere I look, there are people who inspire me every day to go out and try to get those big things done. That’s certainly the key lesson I’ll take into my next role as well.”
As Winter reflected on his time at USARPAC, he shared his thoughts on leadership and the responsibility of being a General. “I’ve learned about generalship here, and I’ve been so privileged to get exposed to such great leadership, is that nothing is above your pay grade anymore. You’ve got the responsibility to get things done, and you’ve got to take personal risks to achieve that in this theater. Now’s the opportunity to get big things done.”
Winter closed his thoughts and insights by reinforcing the privilege of serving at USARPAC, “Being part of the USARPAC Ohana has been one of the highest privileges of my career, and I will miss it immensely. But I look forward to continuing to serve and building on the lessons I’ve learned here.”
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2026 18:47 |
| Story ID: | 555880 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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