Courtesy Photo | Retired Col. Barrett “Barry” F. Lowe commanded Task Force McCall, a joint task...... read more read more
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FORT LIBERTY, N.C. – A retired U.S. Army colonel led a task force that safely removed more than 550 metric tons of Iraqi uranium in 2008.
Retired Col. Barrett “Barry” F. Lowe was chosen to command Task Force McCall, a joint task force that helped to transfer yellowcake uranium from the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center near Baghdad.
After Task Force McCall completed the mission, the Secretary of the Army awarded the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command Detachment the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its role in the operation.
“The unit was responsible for the security, on-site management, and execution of the repackaging and transport of the remainder of Saddam Hussein’s nuclear program out of Iraq,” read the Meritorious Unit Commendation citation. “The command demonstrated the newly operational capabilities available to the Department of Defense, as well as a tremendous ability to work as an intra-agency and inter-agency liaison to accomplish the mission.”
The uranium was transported by Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to the Military Sealift Command ship SS Gopher State that delivered the materials to Canada, who bought the materials for use in nuclear energy facilities.
Lowe said the mission included the 20th CBRNE Command’s Nuclear Disablement Team, led by then Lt. Col. Rich Schueneman and Maj. Jerry Vavrina, and a Department of Energy team from Oak Ridge that moved four highly radioactive sources and 550 metric tons of yellowcake uranium out of Iraq.
Lowe played a key role in operationalizing the 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. military’s multifunctional and deployable CBRNE formation. From July 2005 to March 2008, Lowe served as the chief of staff for the command before becoming the commander of Task Force McCall.
The 20th CBRNE Command marked its 20th anniversary in October 2024.
“I was the first U.S. Army Countering Nuclear and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) officer (FA 52) officer assigned as the chief of staff and had the great opportunity to serve in the unit in the early days of its formation,” said Lowe.
“We had an absolutely great team of senior staff under Brig. Gen. Kevin Wendel,” said Lowe. “Col. Ray Van Pelt was the operations officer (G3), Col. Paul Plemmons was the deputy commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Womack was the command sergeant major when I was the chief of staff.”
Lowe came from a family with a tradition of service at sea. His father served in the U.S. Navy as an enlisted Navy Dental Technician (Corpsman) and later as a Dental Officer. His father was in the Navy from the Korean War through the Cold War and both his grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II. He was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and raised around the world.
A West Point Cadet presentation at his high school helped to bring the Lowe family tradition of service ashore.
“I grew up on Navy bases from Puerto Rico to Guam, and others on the East Coast,” said Lowe. However, I really hadn’t thought about joining any branch of the military until the Spring of my 10th grade year in high school when I attended a presentation from a West Point Cadet. This presentation really motivated me, and since I didn’t like the idea of being on a ship, I thought that the U.S. Military Academy looked like a great option.”
Lowe was especially drawn to the West Point motto of “Duty, Honor, Country.”
“My family was very understanding of me going to West Point vice Annapolis, especially as they knew I really enjoyed my time in the Boy Scouts and would rather serve on land than at sea,” said Lowe, who made Eagle Scout in 1975. “My grandfather’s personal motto – which became our family motto – was ‘Success without honor is failure.’ I subsequently went through the admissions process and was accepted to the Class of 1981.”
Lowe was commissioned as an Infantry officer. He met his wife Betsy during his first assignment with the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy.
He also served as the first commander for the Long-Range Surveillance Detachment in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from 1986 – 1987.
“We stood the unit up from scratch with an outstanding group of noncommissioned officers as well as tremendous support from the division,” said Lowe.
He earned his master’s degree in engineering physics at the Air Force Institute of Technology on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
Lowe then taught on the faculty at West Point in the Department of Physics.
After his West Point assignment, Lowe attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Lowe then served as the battalion operations officer (S-3) for the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, and the brigade S-3 for 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light), at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
After his promotion to lieutenant colonel, Lowe served in the plans section at U.S. Forces Korea before moving to the XVIII Airborne Corps and being selected to serve in the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from 2000 - 2005.
“I can’t talk much about JSOC, but that assignment led to my promotion to colonel and next assignment to the 20th CBRNE Command,” said Lowe.
At the 20th CBRNE Command, in addition to commanding Task Force McCall, Lowe led the staff through the Force Design Update (FDU) that was based on guidance from the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review.
“With top cover from the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Richard A. Cody and total support from Brig. Gen. Wendel, our staff team developed the FDU and Organization and Operations Plan that led to the Army order approving the new Modified Tables of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) – which is very similar to the MTOE for the command headquarters today,” said Lowe.
“This one-of-a-kind organization brings together critical capabilities to support Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN), Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and combatting WMD operations in support of joint force commanders,” said Lowe.
Today, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army CBRN specialists and EOD technicians, as well as the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and Nuclear Disablement Teams (Infrastructure).
The multifunctional and deployable 20th CBRNE Command is headquartered in Northeast Maryland’s science, technology and security corridor.
Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
Lowe said his enduring leadership philosophy has been shaped by his family, mentors, peers and fellow warfighters. It centers on “mission first – people always” and emphasizes setting the standard by example as well as empowering people and giving them room to innovate.
“Assume your people know how to do their jobs. Guide them as lightly as possible,” said Lowe. “Many of your people will surprise you with their creativity.”
He also puts integrity above all and believes in walking his talk.
“Set and enforce standards. Do not expect your people to do anything that you are not willing to do yourself – set the example,” said Lowe. “Strive to excel in what you do every day.”
Lowe said serving together with the men and women who wear the nation’s uniform was what kept him in the U.S. Army for three decades.
“What motivated me to stay for a 30-year career was the comradeship with my fellow officers and noncommissioned officers, development opportunities, the commanders and senior NCOs who coached and mentored me, and the purpose of serving in the Army protecting our great nation,” said Lowe. “I looked forward to going to work every day leading American Soldiers.”
After retiring from the U.S. Army in 2011, Lowe continued to work on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, in different roles. He is currently a defense contractor working in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command G3 Combating WMD and Counter-Threat Integration Division.
Lowe said the lessons he learned in the U.S. Army and his commitment to defending the nation have stayed with him long after he retired from the service.
“Do these attributes change when you hang up the uniform?” said Lowe. “Not if you want to remain the person you were when you were a Soldier.”
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2025 11:23 |
| Story ID: | 488839 |
| Location: | FORT LIBERTY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 246 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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