Lt. Col. Justin L. DeArmond accepts the 906th Contracting Battalion colors from Col. Robert S. Mathews. DeArmond assumed command of the battalion during a June 13 ceremony at Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea. Mathews commands the 413th Contracting ...

YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea -- The 906th Contracting Battalion has a new commander.

Lt. Col. Justin L. DeArmond assumed command June 13 during a ceremony at the Yongsan South Post Chapel here. He succeeds Lt. Col. Frances K. Walker. Col. Rob Mathews, commander of the 411th Contracting Support Brigade, officiated the ceremony. The 906th is a subordinate unit of the 411th CSB.

Walker said commanding the 906th Contracting Battalion was "the most important and fulfilling job" she has had.

"It is difficult for a commander to turn the reigns over to another person," said Walker. "However I believe I am turning the unit to the right person who has the right talents to lead the unit to new heights."

DeArmond's last assignment was as the 409th Contracting Support Brigade S3, Sembach Kaserne, Germany. He served in acquisition assignments throughout his career, serving in units in Alaska, Germany, Uganda and Italy.

"I am deeply humbled and honored to take on this responsibility. I am ready to selflessly serve you to enable your success both as individuals and as a team," said DeArmond. "I look forward to empowering a great team to continue to provide outstanding contracting support to the Warfighter, until the job is done -- Vigilant 6 signing in!"

The change of command ceremony involves passing a unit's flag from the former commander to the new commander, as unit members watch their new leader take command. The ceremony dates back to the early days of the U.S. military.

The 906th Contracting Battalion executes contracting support across the full spectrum of military operations. It enables maximum flexibility to the joint warfighting customer in Korea and during expeditionary operations throughout the Pacific theater.

Editor's note: Maj. Edgar A. Yu, 906th Contracting Battalion, contributed to this article.