FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Aug. 4, 2011) -- Col. Robert “Pat” White assumed responsibility as deputy commander for Combined Arms Center-Training in a ceremony July 29 at the Frontier Conference Center.
White takes responsibility from Brig. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, who left the position last month to become deputy commanding general for maneuver of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan., as the Big Red One prepares for an Afghanistan deployment.
Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., commander of the Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, said although CAC-T’s name and location has changed many times over the last 140 years, its significance to the Army has not.
“CAC-T is the link that ensures the valuable and costly lessons learned in theater are integrated back into the training base to prepare the next Soldiers ready for deployment,” Caslen said.
He quoted Training and Doctrine Command Command Sgt. Maj. David M. Bruner, who said that CAC-T “sharpens the tip of the spear.”
Caslen said White, formerly an executive officer to the TRADOC commander and commander of the 1st Armored Division during its 2008 deployment to Iraq, is well suited to lead CAC-T.
“He’s a proven leader who brings with him a vast wealth of operational, technical and educational experience, giving him the right attributes with the right skills with the right instincts to lead this extraordinary, diverse and complex organization,” Caslen said.
White was commissioned out of the Claremont Colleges in 1986, where he graduated as a distinguished military graduate. He graduated the Command and General Staff College in 1997. White also has a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in national security affairs from the U.S. Army War College.
White has been selected for promotion to general officer.
White said he’s gained many perspectives of military training over the last 26 years as an Army officer, and he hopes to use his experience to build on CAC-T’s successes.
“I’m committed to continuing the great work in the training support and training development areas that CAC-T has done for so long,” he said.
With nine days on the job, White went through an extensive list of organizations within CAC-T, recognizing each one: Army Joint Support Teams, Army Training Support Center, Collective Training Directorate, Combat Training Center Directorate, Mission Command Training Program, National Simulation Center, TCM Virtual and TRADOC Project Office One Semi-Automated Forces.
“We’re using technology right now in Army training, and we’re making it more accessible, and we’re making it more effective, and we’re making it more efficient for those Soldiers and leaders that want to use it,” he said.
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