Col. Richard M. Strong took the reins of the Adjutant General School and Corps during a ceremony held at the Soldier Support Institute, July 30.
Strong assumed the duties from Col. R. Arron Lummer during the ceremony overseen by Maj. Gen. Sean P. Davis, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command.
“Today is a great day for the Adjutant General Corps,” Davis said during the ceremony. It is “a great day for the Army as we gather to celebrate the transition of leadership for this outstanding institution.”
The ceremony bid farewell to one leader and welcomed another. One of the main events of the ceremony is the passing of the unit colors signifying the transition between leaders.
“Today we bid farewell to Arron Lummer,” Davis said. “He’s been in the seat for less than a year, but if you took a look at the list of accomplishments that the AG School has executed in this year, you would think he’d been here three or four years.”
Davis characterized Lummer as a leader who does not just manage the status quo but delivers innovations like the digital dog tag concept.
Lummer’s secret of success is “simple and profound,” Davis added. In Lummer’s words “it’s about making people feel seen, heard, appreciated, and then harness the power of the good.”
Strong, the incoming commandant, was warmly welcomed to CASCOM and the AG team during the ceremony.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have you here and welcome you and your Family into this community,” Davis said.
Strong comes to the AG School and Corps with 26 years of service. He has commanded twice at company level, served as personnel officer at brigade and division level, and at the III Corps level. He also deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lummer said he was thankful for the opportunity to be the 37th AG School commandant and 24th chief of the AG Corps and acknowledged Strong’s leadership qualities.
“Col. Strong is the right guy at the right place at the right time,” Lummer said.
Lummer will head to the Pentagon to become executive officer to the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1.
Strong said becoming the 25th AG Corps chief and 38th AG School commandant, is a “dream job.”
“I have been fortunate to have the best jobs with the best teammates,” Strong said about taking job that affects generations of human resources professionals. “I can’t wait to walk the halls … sit down in the classrooms and have discussions with students as they come through.”
The Adjutant General Corps is responsible for several critical personnel and administrative support functions that have served to sustain America’s Army in peace and war. It also continues to develop new and increasingly efficient means of providing timely and dependable personnel support to commanders and the entire Army family.