KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Lt. Col. Roy Speaks assumed command of the Army Field Support Battalion-Kandahar, 401st Army Field Support Brigade from Lt. Col. Stanley Sliwinski Jr. July 9 in a ceremony here at the Redistribution Property Assistance Team yard presided by Col. Mark Paget.
Sliwinski commanded the battalion of more than 4,300 Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians and contractors for 12 months.
"I am confident that the battalion will continue to flourish under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Speaks," Sliwinski said. "The Army could not have chosen a better commander to take this organization to the next level and posture this battalion for its eventual inactivation," he said.
Paget, 401st AFSB commander, thanked Sliwinski for his professional and personal dedication to the mission during his time as commander of AFSBn-Kandahar.
"There are few officers that I have ever served with that possess a professional dedication and a personal commitment to excellence that Stan has displayed on a daily basis," Paget told the audience of more than 100 Soldiers, civilians and contractors.
"Stan embraced the challenge of leading a large, complex organization and developed a cohesive, well disciplined team that displayed pride, professionalism and a touch of class," Paget added.
Paget also welcomed Speaks to the team.
"Lieutenant Colonel Speaks is a great leader and logistician coming straight from the Army staff to what is arguably the most high profile logistics battalion in the Army," Paget said. "It is great to welcome you, your wife Catherine, and your two sons into the AMC family -- a worldwide organization" Paget told Speaks.
Upon assuming command, Speaks thanked Sliwinski and the AFSBn-Kandahar team for the opportunity to command the organization.
"I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to command such a diverse, capable and professional organization," Speaks said. "To the Soldiers, Sailors, civilians and contractors of the 4th Battalion, 401st Army Field Support Brigade, I look forward to leading you until the mission is complete," he added.
Sliwinski, who is headed to the Pentagon to work on the chief of staff of the Army's staff in the Office of Business Transformation, says he will never forget his time as commander of the AFSBn-Kandahar. "
"It has been an amazing privilege to serve with the Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, and contractors that make up the 4th battalion," he said. "Your selfless service and commitment to the mission has been inspiring, and a standard that I will carry forward with me for the rest of my career."
The 401st AFSB executes, directs and manages field and sustainment level logistics for U.S. and selected coalition forces in Afghanistan. The brigade serves as the single-entry point for integration and synchronization for acquisition, logistics and technology between the tactical and the materiel enterprise while enhancing unit readiness and improving combat capability in accordance with U.S. Army Central and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan priorities.
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