![]() ![]() Story by Walter T.A friend of mine had a question on her taxes. “My challenge to you is every day that you take the time to make sure the organizations that I serve in, whether I’m a staff officer or I’m a commander, to make them different, to make them better, because that’s what we are called to do.” “You, every day, are changing lives and you only get a snapshot of time to do it in,” said Smith. It’s about what difference are you making for our Army and really it’s about what difference are you making for our nation,” said Smith. ![]() “It’s not about what your branch is, it’s not about what your organization is. ![]() He also emphasized the important role that leaders have in forging the Army of 2030. Smith encouraged the 20th CBRNE Command leadership to never underestimate the criticality of their mission. “His efforts have led to a better military, working hard to improve the organization not just for any of us, but for future military leaders as well,” said Hood. Army, Smith continued to support the 20th CBRNE Command by conducting numerous professional development sessions. Army Inspector General, another first for a Chemical Corps officer.Īfter retiring from the U.S. Smith was later promoted to lieutenant general and served as the 67th U.S. Army Chemical Corps officer to command the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Smith also championed changing the command’s name from the 20th Support Command to the 20th CBRNE Command to reflect its multifunctional mission more accurately.įollowing his tenure at 20th CBRNE Command, Smith was promoted to major general and became the first U.S. The deployable and multifunctional headquarters was mandated by the 2006 Defense Quadrennial Review. He also previously served as the command operations officer.Īs commanding general, Smith led the 20th CBRNE Command to full operational capability as a Joint Task Force-WMD Elimination Headquarters in 2007. Smith was one of the longest serving commanding generals in the 18-year history of the 20th CBRNE Command. A veteran of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Smith commanded the 83rd Chemical Battalion, 3rd Chemical Brigade and U.S. Hood thanked Smith for his role in leading the one-of-a-kind command. Daryl Hood, the current commanding general of 20th CBRNE Command, hosted the event during the annual commander’s conference. Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.īrig. Army’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear specialists and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five weapons of mass destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams. Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. As the second commanding general, Wendel shepherded the command from initial operational capability to full operational capability during his tenure. The 2021 Defender of Liberty was retired Maj. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, Doesburg championed the establishment of the command. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command and the U.S. As the former commanding general of the U.S. John Doesburg as the 2020 Defender of Liberty. Richard Cody became the first recipient of the award for authoring the memo that led to the creation of 20th CBRNE Command while serving as the deputy chief of staff of the Army for operations and plans. In 2019, retired Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. military’s only multifunctional and deployable CBRNE command. The Defender of Liberty Award is presented to leaders who have made a significant impact on the U.S. Leslie Smith as the 2022 Defender of Liberty. The 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command selected retired U.S. military’s premier all hazards command presented its fourth commanding general with the Defender of Liberty Award during a ceremony on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, Jan. ![]()
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