Meet the new commander

The Special Forces ethos of trust has guided new Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander Col. Patrick M. Duggan's 21-year Army career, he said during an interview with the Pentagram.

"You've got to trust the people who work with you," he said. "It's the only way, in my opinion, that Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall can work. It's got to be based on trust. You've got to trust your subordinates to do the mission."

Trust and success have a symbiotic relationship, explained Duggan. Trust begets success and success begets trust, he said. And that is a key component of the new commander's leadership style. Duggan said his message to the active duty service members and civilians he now leads is a relatively simple one: "Do your job," he said. "I'm not going to micromanage you. This is an essential and vital service you provide."

Duggan was welcomed as commander during a change of command ceremony June 28 at Conmy Hall on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base. He replaced Col. Michael D. Henderson in the post.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity and I recognize the value of this base," he added.

Duggan said the Army provides opportunities to Soldiers to discover the things that he is personally and professionally passionate about.

"That's how you make the Army better," Duggan said. "We can harness some synergy by finding people who are passionate about things and getting them in those jobs."

Duggan has been impressed with the quality and caliber of the installation workforce that he has had the opportunity to interact with.

"First impression is--the people are top-notch," he said. "We need selfless service like this. This is a special place."

A native of Miami, Florida, Duggan was commissioned into the infantry after graduating from North Georgia College with a bachelor's degree in business administration in June of 1995. The career Special Forces officer is proficient in four languages -- Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog and French.

During his Army career, he has had multiple tours of duty overseas, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Duggan's initial assignment included service as a rifle platoon leader, specialty platoon leader and company executive officer in 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. After completing Special Forces training, Duggan was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (A) as a detachment commander. He participated in the invasion of Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. From 2002 to 2003, Duggan served as battalion support company commander and took part in the Iraqi invasion during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After graduating from the Army's Command and General Staff College, Duggan was assigned to staff positions within Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula in 2006. From 2007 to 2008, he was commander of Advanced Operating Base 5120 during the height of the Iraqi surge. From 2008 to 2009, he served as a battalion operations officer, where he orchestrated Special Operations Forces' operational and combat deployments across U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.

Service members who serve in the special operations units of the nation's Armed Forces undergo a rigorous selection and training process that sets them apart from their peers, said Duggan.

"Special Operations is always a cut above," he said. "Whether it's the Green Berets, the SEALS, MARSOC, these guys are the best of the best. They are all trained to work together."

Duggan served as classified programs assessment officer and deputy assessment director, J-8, Special Operations Command from 2009 to 2011. From 2011 to 2014, he served as deputy commander (south) JSOTF-Philippines and commander, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Force Group (A) and commander SOTF-13 in Korea. He said being stationed in the Far East gave him an appreciation for the cyber component of modern warfare and its importance to Soldiers on the battlefield.

"I've always been technically aware, but then started getting serious about cyber probably about in 2009-10," he said. "There's a massive convergence between cyber operations and special operations."

Duggan noted that cyber warfare is literally in every Soldier's pocket and is as close as a smartphone.

"Cyberspace in general can be as lethal and precise as a weapon," said Duggan, who has passed the cyber-security industry's Certified Information Systems Security Professional exam, a 250-question, six-hour exam providing certification in cyber security.

The certification process enables those who complete course curriculum to "establish holistic security programs that assure the protection of organizations' information assets," according to the Information System Security Center's website.

"Cyber is a weapons system; it fits somewhere," said Duggan. "We need to understand where."

Duggan has also completed a U.S. Army War College Fellowship at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and a SOF Fellowship at the Strategic Landpower Task Force in the National Capital Region.

He is also the author of numerous articles about Cyber-Special Operations that have appeared in Joint Defense Quarterly; Special Warfare Magazine; Small Wars Journal; and The Cyber Defense Review. Duggan received the 2015 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategic Research and National Security Award for his paper, "Strategic Development of Special Warfare in Cyberspace."

To learn more about the new joint base commander, view his official military biography online at http://go.usa.gov/x3NH5.

Duggan and his wife, Lynda, have three sons.

Pentagram Staff Writer Julia LeDoux can be reached at jledoux@dcmilitary.com.