FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 16 2016) -- When Maj. Gen. Scott Miller leaves Fort Benning, he realizes that it will be his final assignment here.
Friday morning, Miller will hand over command of the Maneuver Center of Excellence to Brig. Gen. Eric Wesley.
Although Miller has not been assigned to Fort Benning for the majority of his career, he considers his Benning assignments as formative. He has attended the Infantry Basic course, Advanced course, Airborne School and Ranger School.
"I had a very productive year serving at the School of the Americas 1991-1992 (now Western Hemisphere Institute of Security Cooperation)," he said. "In every instance, my takeaway was not how much I gave, but in fact how much I learned."
For him, this current assignment is no different. He said he believes it has not only been an honor and privilege to serve as MCoE commander, but also it was another assignment where he learned a lot more about the Army from the Soldiers, civilians and their Families.
One of the attributes of the MCoE he most admires is the excellence culture.
"What I hope stays intact at Fort Benning is our culture that aspires to be excellent in what we're doing here," he explained. "I've said it before that while we are always looking to the future to understand future maneuver as it relates to the changing operating environment, we must not forget that this is about Soldiers, sergeants, lieutenants and captains, who are ready to close with and destroy their adversaries, but also have the necessary skill sets to operate across the range of military operations."
As the MCoE moves forward under new command, Miller encourages the entire formation to stay focused on the fundamentals and attempt to achieve mastery in areas such as lethality, physical dominance, leadership and adjust as is necessary to the changing environment.
"We must ensure that our leaders who come to train at Fort Benning are afforded the opportunity to study and execute combined arms training and that it prepares them to meet the demands of a complex world," he said.
Another very important point for Miller is the collaboration and connection between the MCoE and the operating force.
"We really want the Divisions, the Corps, Forces Command and the Army Service Component Commands to feel they have as much a stake in the MCoE as we do," he said. "We have created a cycle where the operating force sends us quality instructors and we send quality Soldiers back out to the force. It becomes a place where initiatives are born from feedback provided by the operating force.
"This team effort is really important," he added. "And Eric Wesley is the perfect choice to lead and continue this effort because of his credibility amongst the operating force."
Miller believes that Wesley is the right leader at the right time for the MCoE.
"I offer that Fort Benning is in extremely capable hands, and there are none better," he said. "Eric is a focused warfighter, but he also operates and understands all levels of war. He will make our efforts here better."
The communities inside and outside of the post's boundaries have made a lasting impression on him, Miller said, as he has transitioned through here over the years. He will miss being here.
"I know in my heart that I will miss Fort Benning and that includes all of our Soldiers, Civilians and their Families," he continued. "I will also miss the graciousness and acceptance of our surrounding communities. I have never seen a better relationship with the communities outside of our gates as I've seen here."
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