REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Two of the Army’s most significant modern-day leaders were recognized July 30 by the Army Materiel Command as both prepare to retire from accomplished careers in the areas of logistics and sustainment.
During the Army Sustainment Leader Summit at AMC Headquarters, AMC Commander Gen. Ed Daly inducted Gen. Gus Perna and Gen. Stephen Lyons into the command’s Hall of Fame.
“We are here to celebrate the great careers of these two generational and transformational leaders, and what they’ve done for our Army in terms of training, mentoring and coaching the next generation of leaders,” Daly said. “They leave with us a tremendous and unbelievable legacy.”
Perna served as AMC’s 19th commanding general and then as the chief operating officer of the COVID-19’s vaccine and therapeutics acceleration program called “Operation Warp Speed.” Lyons, as commanding general of U.S. Transportation Command, assisted AMC and the Department of Defense by supporting the projection and sustainment of military power across the globe to support U.S. allies and partner nations.
Both officers, Perna as the commander of an Army Command and Operation Warp Speed; and Lyons as the commander of a functional combatant command, are leaders who thought in terms bigger that themselves in ensuring their organizations grew in credibility, business acumen and synchronization in the delivery of military logistics and sustainment worldwide, Daly said.
“Thank you for letting us honor you and thank you for your fantastic service,” Daly said.
Perna’s 40-year military career began when he graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy with an Associate’s Degree, receiving his commission in the infantry in 1981 through an early commissioning program. Soon after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland, he branch transferred to the Ordnance Corps, beginning a career in Joint logistics that includes a wide range of command and staff positions.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom I, Perna deployed as the commander of the 64th Forward Support Battalion with the 4th Infantry Division. In 2005, he deployed as the commander of the 4th Sustainment Brigade. In 2007, Perna took command of the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Defense Logistics Agency, with responsibility of procuring more than $14.5 billion worth of food, clothing, construction equipment and medical supplies to support America’s warfighters worldwide.
Perna’s association with AMC began in 2010, when he assumed command of Joint Munitions Command/Joint Munitions and Lethality Lifecycle Management Command, a major subordinate command of AMC. In that role, Perna was responsible for $40 billion in conventional ammunition.
In 2012, Perna was assigned to AMC as deputy chief of staff, G-3/4 (Operations and Logistics). In 2014, he became the Army’s deputy chief of staff G-4 (Logistics) and then returned to AMC in 2016 as commander. While at AMC, Perna operationalized the command to ensure materiel and installation readiness from the Strategic Support Area to the tactical edge.
In July 2020, Perna heeded the call to assist in leading the Federal COVID-19 response, successfully providing vaccines to Americans within six months of becoming the chief operating officer for “Operation Warp Speed.”
Lyons’ 38-year Army career began when he received his commission after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1983. His first tour of duty was in Germany during the latter part of the Cold War as a supply platoon leader with the 8th Infantry Division. He later held a variety of both Army and Joint assignments.
As a battalion commander in 2003, Lyons participated in the 3rd Infantry Division’s major combat actions in Iraq. Afterwards, he spent over 40 months deployed to the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. His responsibilities included logistics planner for the U.S. Army Central Command commander. In 2005, as the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Support Command, Lyons provided logistics support to relief operations after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.
Lyons’ association with AMC began in 2008, when he became the executive officer to AMC’s commanding general. In 2014, Lyons became the commanding general of the Combined Arms Support Command/Sustainment Center of Excellence at Fort Lee, Va.
From 2015-17, Lyons served as the TRANSCOM deputy commander and, in 2018, became TRANSCOM’s 13th commanding general.
Both general officers will retire this year.
The AMC Hall of Fame was established in 2012 to honor and memorialize Soldiers and civilians who have made significant and enduring contributions to AMC and the Army. The Hall of Fame preserves the command’s history and recognizes the leadership, service and dedication of former AMC members for their remarkable efforts.
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