The 411th CSB was honored to host COL(P) Beeler who officiated the ceremony as on behalf of Army Contracting Command. ACC Brigade leaders pictured from left to right are Command Sergeant Major Jane Miller, Colonel David Ware, Mr. Daniel Cottrell, Co...

CAMP HUMPHREYS, KOREA. On June 3, the 411th Contracting Support Brigade welcomed new leadership in Col. David Ware in a ceremony at Pacific Victors Chapel here. Ware replaced Col. Robert S. Mathews Jr., who completed two years as the brigade commander.

Col. (Promotable) Christine Beeler, Army Contracting Command's deputy commanding general for OCONUS Operations, presided over the ceremony. In her remarks, Beeler thanked Mathews and his wife Cindy for their support to the ACC mission throughout Mathews' tenure as the face of contracting for the Korean Peninsula. Beeler noted the high level of sustained contracting support to U.S. Forces Korea stakeholders as well as the many challenges that Mathews overcame.

During his two years as commander, the 411th CSB, consisting of the 906th Contracting Battalion and six teams at five total locations, awarded $1 Billion in new contracts and provided contract administration on $1.2 Billion in existing contracts. Mathews was also challenged with moving the brigade headquarters, the 906th Contracting Battalion headquarters, two contracting teams and their respective missions from U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea to Camp Humphreys, South Korea.

In addition to conducting this move during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, the 411th CSB consolidated two customer support locations on Camp Humphreys into the new brigade footprint to streamline procurement support and modernize the force for continued support to the consolidated United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command /U.S. Forces Korea 4-star Headquarters.

Mathews was instrumental in working with the U.S. Forces Korea commander, the Status of Forces Agreement Secretariat, and his partner organization, the 403d Army Field Sustainment Brigade, to work through obstacles that resulted in approving the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) for implementation on the Korean Peninsula. Mathews' leadership through challenging political-military environment is a testament to his flexibility and culture of inclusion and teamwork.

Mathews and Cindy look forward to their next assignment, where Mathews will continue his career with the Army Contracting Command as the chief of staff for the Mission and Installation Contracting Command Headquarters in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

While the 411th CSB was sad to farewell the Mathews family, the brigade received Ware with open arms. Although the brigade and its operations have moved since he was last assigned to Korea, Ware commanded the 906th Contracting Battalion and is familiar with the challenges of Korea, the business environment, and the persistent focus on readiness that sustains the Korean Armistice. As the senior contracting official on the Korean Peninsula, Ware's brigade is responsible for all military services as the Department of Defense's designated lead service for contracting.

The 411th CSB is Army Contracting Command's forward deployed procurement authority and business advisor. The 411th CSB remains steadfast in support of the US Forces Korea mission to sustain the Korean Armistice while sustaining preparation to "Fight Tonight!"