SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – Maj. Gen. Lance G. Curtis assumed command of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command during a change of command ceremony held here in Hangar 1, July 19.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, served as host for the ceremony while Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan, deputy commanding general and acting commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command, served as the presiding official.
Curtis replaced Maj. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence, who had served as SDDC’s commanding general since July 2022.
Prior to the change of command, Mohan presented Lawrence with the Distinguished Service Medal in a separate ceremony. Lawrence and wife Becky will report to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama for his next assignment as deputy chief of staff for logistics and operations (G3) at AMC headquarters.
Van Ovost shared high praise for Curtis’ new command.
“SDDC’s Surface Warriors constantly rise to the occasion. Together we have delivered in competition and conflict,” she said. “From fort to port, and from port to fort, that’s how we project combat power, and SDDC makes that possible.”
“General Curtis, that’s the caliber of people you will lead,” continued Van Ovost, “those that make and shape the history of the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise.”
Curtis comes to SDDC from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, at U.S. Army Forces Command.
A native of Warrensburg, Missouri, he was commissioned through ROTC in 1992 upon graduation from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations.
His recent command assignments include commander of the 528th Sustainment Brigade (Special Operations, Airborne), 1st Special Forces Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Liberty, North Carolina and Operation INHERENT RESOLVE in Iraq and Syria; and commanding general of the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty and Operation SPARTAN SHIELD in Kuwait.
Curtis’ military education includes the Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy Senior Service College. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University and a Master of Science Degree in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.
Mohan said he had full confidence in Curtis’ abilities.
“To the 5,200 men and women of SDDC, you’ve been in good hands with General Lawrence, and you will remain in good hands with General Curtis,” he said. “You can rely on Lance Curtis… the Army can rely on Lance Curtis.”
Curtis said he is ready to build upon SDDC’s past success.
“I’m honored to be your new commander,” said Curtis, “and I will work for you every day.”
SDDC is a major subordinate command of U.S. Army Materiel Command and the Army Service Component Command of U.S. Transportation Command. The command delivers world-class origin-to-destination distribution solutions. As the premiere surface transportation provider delivering and sustaining the Joint force in peace and war, SDDC provides global deployment and distribution capabilities to meet our nation’s objectives.
Date Taken: | 07.19.2024 |
Date Posted: | 07.19.2024 16:49 |
Story ID: | 476655 |
Location: | SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILLINOIS, ILLINOIS, US |
Hometown: | WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI, US |
Web Views: | 122 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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