FORT BELVOIR, Va. – The 2nd Information Operations (IO) Battalion, 1st IO Command, hails a new commander during a Change of Command Ceremony at Humphrey Engineer Center, June 4.
Lt. Col. Reginald Guillet assumed command from Lt. Col. Richard Cruz during the ceremony presided hosted by Col. Matthew Sheiffer, commander, 1st IO Command.
Sheiffer welcomed attendees to the ceremony, especially the families of outgoing and incoming commanders, and reinforced that a commander's priority is taking care of their people.
"The Army entrusts its commanders with responsibility for its most important weapon system – its people," said Sheiffer. "It is a privilege to command in the Army, and for most of us, especially for those working in the functional areas, it's a privilege many of us never thought we would see again."
Sheiffer noted how Cruz bent over backward to live up to the honor that the Army emplaced on him.
"Together with Sergeant Major Underwood, the command team internalized that all of you are the Army's number one priority," said Sheiffer. "They did everything possible to make you all its greatest strength."
Sheiffer assured the audience he is confident Guillet is the right fit to command the battalion.
"I am confident that he demonstrates the initiative, flexibility, and adaptability we expect of our Army Battalion Commanders," said Sheiffer. I know he will execute his responsibilities as the commander with the same dedication he demonstrated throughout his career."
Guillet, who most recently completed a tour with the 106th Signal Brigade, Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NetCom), expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to command the 2nd IO Battalion.
"Thank you for the incredible privilege and awesome responsibility to command this battalion," said Guillet. "No Army organization is better postured than this battalion. To help units obtain a more realistic understanding of cyber risk for their organization, demonstrate how real-world attackers can combine exploits to achieve their goal, navigate the complexities and rise to the challenges in today's information environment. I am honored and humbled to be the commander of such an incredible team of professionals."
Cruz, who led the battalion for over a year, reflected on the support from his family and his team.
"My dedication to this battalion and mission could not be accomplished without the love, support, and understanding of my wife and kids. Thank you for all the support," said Cruz. "To all the accomplishments that Col. Sheiffer talked about, it was truly this battalion. This battalion was phenomenal."
Cruz closed by noting that the battalion, regardless of the source tasking, executed with professionalism and technical skilled expertise to accomplish the mission.
"I am proud to have led this battalion in the tradition of closing all our meetings, and what my family heard while I teleworked…Fear the Dragon," said Cruz.
The change of command is a military tradition representing a transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit or command. The history, tradition, and accomplishments of the command are embodied in the colors. The passing of colors from an outgoing commander to an incoming commander ensures that the unit and its Soldiers are never without official leadership, represents a continuation of trust, and signifies an allegiance of Soldiers to their unit commander.
2nd IO Battalion deploys multi-functional Information Warfare (IW) teams worldwide to assess, aggress, train and provide operational support to the Department of Defense and the U.S. Military in order to improve readiness, provide freedom of action in the information environment and deny the same to our adversaries.
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