Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. -- The U. S. Army Communication-Electronics Command officially welcomed its 20th commander, Maj. Gen. Robert S. Ferrell, Feb. 9 in a ceremony on the campus of the C4ISR Center of Excellence at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
He is the son of Howard Ferrell of Tinton Falls and Georgian Ferrell of Neptune. He spent his formative years as a teenager on Fort Monmouth when his father, Howard Ferrell, was part of the command. His father entered the Army Signal Corps in 1952, campaigned in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and retired from active service at Fort Monmouth in 1974 as a sergeant first class.
"You honor me with your spirit, your energy, and your passion for service and excellence…I feel tremendously blessed to come back home to CECOM as your commander," Ferrell told his new workforce during his change of command ceremony.
The presiding officer, Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, described Ferrell as "hard as steel and able to cut through bureaucracy like a samurai." She said, "He is the right leader to take this command into the next decade and to the next level."
Ferrell spoke of his commitment to continue the special relationship between the military community of Aberdeen Proving Ground and the greater Aberdeen community.
"My goal is that this dialogue will continue our focus on Soldier and family readiness, and reinforce the strong relationships that will continue to shape the future of this organization and our community."
As the CECOM commander, Ferrell now leads a world-wide organization of more than 12,000 military and civilian personnel responsible for coordinating, integrating and synchronizing the life-cycle management of the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems for all of the Army's mission areas.
Ferrell has had a lifetime of experience leading to this position. Ferrell showed promise early in his career as he attained the rank of sergeant before leaving active duty in 1981. He completed his undergraduate degree at Hampton University and was commissioned Aug. 15, 1983 as an Army Signal Corps officer. He received a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science in Strategy from the United States Army War College.
Ferrell has served in multiple Signal commands during his career to include commanding the 13th Signal Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and the 2d Signal Brigade, 5th Signal Command. His most recent assignment was the Director, Command and Control, Communications and Computer Systems J-6 and Chief Information Officer for the U. S. Africa Command during which he spent considerable time on the African continent.
In his change of command address, Ferrell asked six things of his new work force: "live by the Army standards and values; commit to excellence every day; demonstrate strong leadership and teamwork; be innovative, agile, and responsive; be transparent and communicate openly; and finally, care for our teammates and family members."
"These six attributes," Ferrell explained, "will be the foundation to move this great command toward 2020 and enable us to provide the best technology and capabilities to the warfighter."
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