Photo By Capt. Molly Treece | 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command selected...... read more read more
Subscribe
20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command selected Col. (Ret.) Andrew (Andy) Herbst as the 2025 Defender of Liberty (DoL). Brig. Gen. W Bochat, 20th’s commanding general, and Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Dennis Kirk, 20th’s CSM, presented Herbst with his award during the annual commander’s conference on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Jan. 13, 2026.
“Throughout my career, I have taken responsibility to advocate and champion for the 20th CBRNE Command with the utmost care,” said Herbst. “To me, this is not just a personal honor; it is a lifetime achievement award that belongs to the thousands of Soldiers and Civilians who have served in 20th CBRNE Command since its founding in 2004.”
Col. (Ret.) Herbst is a retired 30-year Chemical Officer who served in XVIII Airborne Corps, Joint Special Operations Command, and Training and Doctrine Command. From July 2016 to March 2020, he completed active service as U.S. Army Forces Command’s (FORSCOM) Director of Operations and Readiness and its senior chemical officer.
He routinely championed the 20th CBRNE Command’s mission and capabilities and represented the command’s interests to FORSCOM, Headquarters Department of the Army and Joint Staff. Following his retirement, Herbst became a Government Civilian as FORSCOM’s Homeland Defense and Chemical Surety Program Manager. In this role, he provides oversight of the 20th CBRNE Command’s chemical surety program. While he never served in 20th CBRNE Command, he has remained a steadfast advocate for the command since its activation in 2004.
“I can’t remember a time where there wasn’t Andy Herbst fighting for not just 20th CBRNE Command, but for all CBRNE forces,” said BG Bochat. “Andy always fights for what’s right, no matter what the cost is, and you don’t find a lot of people like that.”
Herbst took the time to share anecdotes from his career and imparted personal and professional lessons learned on the ceremony attendees.
“Those early lessons shaped my four imperatives: Lead, Build Teams, Mentor, and Care,” said Herbst. “Over time, as I commanded Soldiers and Civilians from Company through Brigade level, these imperatives became easy to recall—much easier than a command philosophy posted on bulletin boards but rarely revisited.”
First you must LEAD.
Effective leadership means inspiring others through your actions. It is adaptive, decentralized, and built on trust. Second, you must BUILD TEAMS.
Respect and loyalty are the cement that hold teams together. Teammates look out for one another. Harassment of any kind is never tolerated. Leaders must have the courage to correct behavior that violates Army values. You are empowered to solve problems and make decisions. When leaders empower their people, share hardship, give credit, and accept blame, trust grows.
Third, you must MENTOR.
Mentorship is essential; prepare your subordinates to assume your duties. They are YOUR legacy. Mentorship is a gift - give it often.
The Defender of Liberty award was established in 2019. It’s presented to an individual annually who through their outstanding service and support the 20th CBRNE Command embodies the Command motto “Liberty, We Defend.” Col. (Ret.) Herbst is the seventh DoL recipient.
20th CBRNE Command is a deployable, Joint Task Force capable headquarters who coordinates and executes theater-wide counter weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) and CBRNE operations in support of the Combined Joint Force Land Component Command, Combined Joint Task Force, and other supported commanders.
20th also supports Combatant Commanders by providing technical enablers – including CBRN, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, nuclear and CWMD, intelligence, and theater validation level laboratories – to assess, protect against, and mitigate the full range of CBRN and explosive hazards at the theater level.
When contested, 20th provides expertise to plan and conduct CWMD operations while coordinating technical reach back in coordination with Department of the Army, joint, interagency, and international partners.
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.20.2026 14:22 |
| Story ID: | 556414 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 2025 Defender of Liberty, by CPT Molly Treece, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
