21st Signal Brigade holds change of command ceremony

FORT DETRICK, MD. - The 21st Signal Brigade held a change of command ceremony today on Ft. Detrick, Maryland, welcoming Col. John Sanders as he assumed command and bidding farewell to Col. Julia Donley. The ceremony livestream recording can be viewed here.

Col. Eric J. Van Den Bosch, Commander, 7th Signal Command (Theater), and Deputy Commander, Network Enterprise Technology Command, hosted the ceremony. Col. Donley, who has commanded the 21st Signal Brigade since July 2022, passed the unit's colors to Col. Van Den Bosch, who passed them to Col. Sanders.

The passing of the colors, which represent a unit’s history and accomplishments, is a time-honored Army tradition symbolizing the formal transfer of authority and continuity of leadership from the outgoing commander to the incoming.

In his remarks, Col. Van Den Bosch praised Col. Donley’s leadership, highlighting the critical role of the 21st in ensuring continuity of operations for the U.S. Government.

“This Brigade is responsible for the full spectrum of communications for contingency operations to ensure Joint Command and Control in the worst of scenarios,” said Col. Van Den Bosch. “During her tenure, [Col. Donley] has built on partnerships critical to this mission, including FORSCOM, SPACECOM, DISA, and others.”

Col. Van Den Bosch also spoke about Col. Donley’s efforts to establish governance for satellite communications and standardize SATCOM training and operations worldwide—a crucial step toward the Unified Network.

“She headed a steering committee of global SATCOM leaders as they work to improve seamless support to our warfighters as part of ARCYBER and NETCOM’s mission,” he said.

Col. Donley followed those remarks by recognizing the efforts of her personnel who supported this initiative: “NETCOM, 7th, and I have asked a lot of you. We are now NETCOM’s Global SATCOM integrator, respected Army-wide, worldwide, and cross-services, for your expertise.”

She also expressed gratitude for the Soldiers and Civilians of the brigade for their dedication and efforts throughout her tenure as commander.

“I can only say that I am proud of all you have done and will continue to support you and your missions, and that I will miss all of you,” she remarked.

Col. Donley’s next assignment is as Commandant of the U.S. Army Signal School, and Chief of Signal, Fort Eisenhower, Georgia.

The brigade’s new commander, Col. John Sanders, hails from Portland, Oregon, and has a 23-year distinguished service record in the Army. Col. Sanders commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2001 through a Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Central Washington University following 3 years in the Army Reserves.

Prior to assuming command of the 21st Signal Brigade, Col. Sanders served as Signal Branch Chief at Human Resources Command. He has also served in overseas assignments including in Iraq, Korea, and Germany, and has been an Army War College Fellow to the University of Pittsburgh.

The 21st Signal Brigade’s mission is to provide Command and Control Communications support to the President, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Combatant Commanders and other Federal Agencies. The Brigade is headquartered at Fort Detrick, Maryland and has three subordinate battalions: the 114th Signal Battalion located at Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Adams County, Pennsylvania; the 302d Signal Battalion headquartered at Fort Detrick, Maryland; and the 56th Signal Battalion headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

The 21st Signal Brigade is a major subordinate command of the 7th Signal Command (Theater). The original 21st Signal Group was constituted on 22 June 1965 in the Regular Army as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 21st Signal Group and activated on 1 September 1965 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The unit was headquartered at Nha Trang, South Vietnam and provided area signal communications support throughout 10,000 square miles of area I and II of the Corps tactical zones. The unit participated in 13 campaigns during the Vietnam War from 1966-1971, and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation (1966-1968).

The Unit was inactivated on 27 November 1971 at Fort Lewis, Washington and reactivated on 16 October 2003 as the 21st Signal Brigade, Fort Detrick, Maryland. In January 2010, Headquarters, Department of the Army awarded the 21st Signal Brigade the Army Superior Unit Award (2008-2009).