Photo By Tammie Moore | Then Col. Brian P. Foley, Fort George G. Meade garrison commander, during his change...... read more read more
By Angelita Streets
Fort George G. Meade Public Affairs Office
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE – There is a familiar face serving as the new deputy garrison commander at Fort Meade.
Brian Foley, who served as the garrison commander from August 2013 to 2016, rejoined Team Meade in November 2021 as the garrison’s senior civilian.
Foley feels incredibly fortunate to serve the Fort Meade community again in this new role.
“It is an honor and a privilege, and I am so grateful to be selected for this opportunity and to be able to rejoin this team in this capacity.” Foley said.
Foley retired as a colonel after more than 30 years of service in December 2019. He served his final tour of duty at the Pentagon, and after retiring accepted a contract position at the Joint Force Headquarters, Department of Defense Information Network on Fort Meade.
The position allowed him to remain in the area; however, he hoped for an opportunity to return to support garrison operations.
“I am ecstatic to be back working with a wonderful and dedicated team,” he said. “The service members and civilians in the Fort Meade Garrison staff understand the critical missions’ performed here and how important it is for us to do our jobs every day; to ensure the installation continues to operate efficiently and effectively.”
Changing from active-duty status and taking off the uniform, to assuming the role as a Department of Defense civilian whose uniform is a suit and tie, was an easy transition for Foley.
“I was fortunate to have been able to serve as garrison commander for three years, but now I’m going to be able to provide continuity in this position for even longer,” he said. “My role as the senior civilian is to provide continuity for the garrison commanders as they rotate in and out.”
Long Term Vision
Fort Meade continues to be the largest employer in Maryland with huge economic impact to the State. The Garrison vision of sustaining effective and efficient resources for the installation is a priority for leadership. Foley expounds that growth on the installation is the one thing that has not changed since the last time that he worked on the garrison staff.
“Growth on Fort Meade is continuing,” said Foley. “I have been refreshed and reminded that there are still organizations that have submitted stationing actions requesting approval to be stationed on Fort Meade.”
“The 120 mission partners who are currently on the installation are continuing to grow in population.” continued Foley.
Space on the installation is a premium, and the long-term vision is to ensure that Fort Meade can accommodate all the needs of these organizations.
“We have to ensure we can sustain the mission of the garrison to provide critical services to all the tenant organizations on the installation, so they receive the support needed to be able to focus on their operational missions,” Foley elaborated.
Col. Christopher Nyland, Fort Meade’s garrison commander, hired Brian Foley due to his wealth of experience and knowledge about this installation and the local community.
“As the garrison’s senior civilian, I have charged Brian to focus his efforts on my top three priorities which include: hiring actions, staff collaboration and coordination, and civilian professional development,” Nyland said. “I have full confidence that Brian will provide the leadership needed to take the garrison staff to the next level.”
Managing work life balance
Foley’s position is inundated with a myriad of responsibilities, yet he embraces and models the importance of a balanced life outside of work.
“I love what I am doing, and the balance is there for me.” Foley exclaims.
He enjoyed the region so much that he was excited at the chance to return to the local community permanently after his military career.
“Home life is great. We have plenty of stuff to do and we absolutely love the local community and our home in Crownsville.” Foley said.
Foley excitedly described being able to dedicate time to support his son’s passion for bowling and being able to attend his son’s tournaments.
Foley’s personal hobbies include running and building wooden ship models.
Critical Mission
The critical mission that the Fort Meade workforce has in the defense of our nation is not lost on Foley.
“Our world continues to be a very challenging place,” Foley said. “Cyber space is the 21st century domain of human conflict and competition, which I can attest to even more vehemently based on my recent association with JFHQ-DoDIN. We are under attack 24/7 in the domain of cyberspace by adversaries from around the world. They seek to do our nation harm, and the great Americans living and working on this installation are preventing them from doing so and defending our national interests in cyberspace every day. The men and women serving on Fort Meade can’t defend our national interest in cyberspace without the garrison staff doing its’ job every day to make sure they have high quality services, support and infrastructure.”
In his new position, Foley has the responsibility and the authority to influence change both within the workforce and on the installation.
“I am here again and ecstatic to be jumping in with both feet,” he said. “I’m here to help and support the garrison commander, command sergeant major, and every single member in our great work force here on TEAM MEADE.”
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.18.2022 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 414940 |
| Location: | FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 301 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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