Sembach, Germany - 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brett Bernier relinquished responsibility to Chief Warrant Officer 5 Billy Gould during a recent Change of Charter ceremony.
Over the past 16 months, Bernier has served as the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command’s Command Chief Warrant Officer.
As CCWO, Bernier’s focus was on pushing the command forward through modernization, building new processes, and heavily investing in the training of junior officers, warrant officers, NCOs, and Soldiers. He was instrumental in driving the command's innovation efforts.
Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke, the 10th AAMDC commanding general, praised Bernier for his performance and for solving some of the command's most challenging tactical problems.
"Chief Bernier has performed this magnificently," said Henke. "He drove the efforts to improve our warfighting capacity and capability by leveraging new systems, new technology, new tools, and the talents of some of the people in this organization. … The command's going to benefit from the work you've done for years and years to come."
Bernier emphasized the importance of the warrant officer cohort's unique role as technical experts and problem solvers within the formation.
"Keep doing what you do best: solving problems nobody else wants to touch," said Bernier. "Doing it quietly enough that the credit goes somewhere else. That's the job."
Bernier took pride in the team and the lasting framework they built for the high-operational-tempo command.
"Together we pushed this command forward on innovation, building processes, planning tools, and ways of thinking that didn't exist when we started and that will outlast every one of us in this room," said Bernier. "It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be in this position and in service of this formation."
The new 10th AAMDC command chief warrant officer is Chief Warrant Officer 5 Billy Gould, who most recently served as the standardization officer in the G3. Gould and Bernier share the distinct operational experience of being the only two active CW5s in the branch to have served in three of the active duty AAMDCs.
Henke expressed absolute confidence in Gould, citing his extensive field experience, completion of challenging courses, and full immersion in the 10th AAMDC's modernization efforts.
"He's an exceptionally qualified warrant officer to serve as our CCWO," said Henke. "Put simply, he's the right leader at the right time in this critical role."
Upon taking the charter, Gould recognized the high standard set by his predecessor and pledged to build upon that strong foundation while supporting the command's warrant officers.
"My job as your Command Chief Warrant Officer is not to be the loudest voice in the room, it's to be the steadiest one," said Gould. "To advocate for you, to develop you, to ensure your voice reaches the highest levels of this command, that your technical judgment is heard and valued."