Fort Liberty security training organization under new leadership
FORT LIBERTY — A Fort Liberty-based organization that deploys teams worldwide to execute security assistance missions is under new leadership.
Col. Gregory Holmes assumed command of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization, known as SATMO, from Col. Andrew Clark during a ceremony last month at Fort Liberty.
Holmes arrives at the unit as a recent graduate of the National Defense University. Clark will remain at Fort Liberty as the special operations forces liaison officer to the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps.
Brig. Gen. Brad Nicholson, commanding general of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, hosted the ceremony.
SATMO, as the organization is known, is made up of more than 500 civilians and soldiers, with teams deployed to 19 countries around the world, “executing training that’s valued around $1 billion," Nicholson said.
Missions include “the full sweep of military capabilities, attack and assault aviation, fire support, integrated air defense, logistics, battle staff training, small boat tactics, trauma and thoracic surgery and numerous other discreet military tasks around the world,” he said.
SATMO’s core mission is building up allies and partners, and the unit provides the Department of Defense’s only foreign affairs counter-threat course required for Americans working in diplomatic facilities worldwide.
He said it will deploy new teams to 22 countries over the next year including Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Brazil, Morocco and Bulgaria.
“The demand for SATMO’s skills is only increasing,” Nicholson said.
“(That) brings us why we’re here today... while it’s bittersweet to farewell Col. Clark, we look forward to welcoming Col. Holmes to the organization,” Nicholson said.
Outgoing commander
For the past two years, Nicholson said, Clark’s leadership has “resulted in significant successes in developing allied partner combat capability across all six geographic combatant command areas of responsibility.”
Under Clark’s leadership, SATMO facilitated theater security cooperation plans while supporting joint force commanders in contact with adversaries, Nicholson said.
“Col. Clark consistently challenged the status quo ... He epitomizes the people-first approach and a be-last ethos,” Nicholson said. “He is a commander who accomplishes all the assigned missions while caring for the organization’s most valuable assets — its people.”
Nicholson thanked Clark “for ensuring that SATMO is postured to execute the highest quality security assistance training across the globe.”
In assuming the command, Clark spoke of President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech delivered in April 1910 in Paris after he left the presidency and was in the midst of an overseas tour.
“This passage has new messages first for me and Col. Holmes and everyone in positions of command leadership with supervision. Col. Roosevelt exhorts us to take up the challenges we face with razor-sharp mission focus,” Clark said.
Clark said the soldiers and civilians in SATMO are responsible for impacting American interests and the Army’s relationships with allies and partners.
“This is your arena. Strive valiantly. Do not seek the easy way or fall back on the way we’ve always done things. Be enthusiastic. This is a worthy cause. Dare greatly,” he said.
Clark said that in the past few weeks, he’s seen Holmes immerse himself “in learning not only the complexities of SATMO’s mission organization but its people.”
“I couldn’t be leaving SATMO in better hands,” he said.
New commander
Nicholson welcomed Holmes to continue SATMO’s mission to work with allies and partners around the world.
Holmes is a foreign-area officer with more than 25 years of military service who joined the Army as an infantry platoon leader for the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
After multiple deployments to Iraq, he joined the 3rd Special Forces Group with a deployment to Nigeria.
Holmes later served as Army attache to Yemen at Embassy Sana’a and U.S. Army attache to the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi.
He also served as the Army security operation programs officer at Embassy Muscat in Oman and aide de camp to the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
During the command change, Holmes thanked Clark for his investment in the command.
Holmes said that based on his observations the past month it is “clear the unit is up for all the challenges ahead.”
"To the soldiers and our critical civilian employees at SATMO, I’m joining your team,” Holmes said. “You are my priority, and I’ll do all I can to enable you to execute the security assistance training mission that you do for our Army.”
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fort Liberty security training unit changes leaders
