A new commander took the helm of the 599th Transportation Brigade at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, February 26.
Col. Frazariel I. Castro assumed command of the brigade from Col. Lillard D. Evans during a change of command ceremony hosted by Maj. Gen. Stephen E. Farmen, commanding general of Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), the 599th's higher headquarters.
Evans had high praise for the 599th.
"Although change is inevitable in Army organizations, it is great to see units such as the 599th with a very resilient backbone," he said. "That resilience shows every day in a workforce that is welcoming, competent and proficient. I have enjoyed every minute of my time in the 599th."
Evans now will return to his assignment as the chief of staff for SDDC.
A true transporter, in the past Castro has commanded transportation units at all levels of responsibility up to brigade.
He is also familiar with the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations. He is originally from Guam, and his recent battalion command was at Army Field Support Battalion-Korea, 403rd Army Field Support Brigade at Camp Casey, Republic of Korea.
Nor is he a stranger to U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).
In an earlier assignment, Castro served as joint transportation plans officer, then executive officer to the director of operations and plans for USTRANSCOM at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
He joins the brigade from his latest assignment as the chief of the Transportation Policy Division, Enterprise Systems, Operations Directorate, Headquarters, Department of the Army, at the Pentagon.
The 599th Transportation Brigade is U.S. Pacific Command's only transportation brigade and is responsible for all military movements within the Pacific, which includes strategic surface movements supporting more than 360,000 military and civilian personnel and half of the world's surface, across 16 different time zones.
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