JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (July 5, 2022) -- Members of the 925th Contracting Battalion and Mission and Installation Contracting Command-Fort Drum welcomed their new commander during a change of command ceremony June 30 at Fort Drum, New York.
Lt. Col. Desiree Dirige assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Rickey Torres in a ceremony officiated by Brig. Gen. Doug Lowrey, the MICC commanding general from Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Lowrey praised Torres for his leadership and care for his unit during his tenure. Lowrey next welcomed Dirige and her family to the command and commended her as an incredible leader who will continue to provide unparalleled contracting support to Fort Drum mission partners through exceptional business strategies and acquisition vehicles.
“Under Rickey’s leadership, the battalion successfully delivered outstanding support to 10th Mountain Division, Installation Management Command-Fort Drum, and 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division located at Fort Polk, Louisiana,” Lowrey said. “Rickey led this amazing battalion the last three years through the COVID pandemic, hurricane missions, Operation Allies Welcome support, and further enhanced the Simplified Acquisition Threshold Supply Procurement Program. You have provided outstanding service to our Soldiers, mission partners, and family members. Thank you for taking care of our Soldiers and Army civilians under your command, and for giving the 925th, the MICC and the Army your best.”
More images: Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division Flickr
Dirige returns to the 925th CBN after serving as the chief of the G-4 Acquisitions and Contract Services Branch with the U.S. Army Futures Command-Futures and Concepts Center at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
During the ceremony, Dirige said her preparation to take command of the 925th CBN began when she was Torres’ executive officer at the 925th CBN.
“I am truly humbled to be here and pledge my commitment to ‘people first’ and supporting our mission partners worldwide. My family and I are truly honored to be a part of this organization again and look forward to all we will accomplish together,” Dirige said. “We will continue the momentum of what has made us one of the finest contracting organizations in the Army. I encourage all of you to continue taking care of each other and building cohesive teams, stand ready to support and enable our warfighters with power through winning contracting solutions, and be proactive in influencing our Army’s modernization efforts to win.”
Dirige, a native of Kalihi, Hawaii, enlisted in the Army in 1999. She was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in 2002 through the Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico.
Dirige earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Development from Hawaii Pacific University, Master of Management from University of Phoenix, and Master of Business Administration in Acquisition and Contract Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. She is also a graduate of the postal operations and supervisory courses, adjutant general basic and advanced courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Functional Area 51 Qualification Course. She is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certified in contracting and a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.
Her acquisition assignments include contracting management officer, 737th Contracting Team, Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Illinois; chief, contract support operations and later battalion executive officer, 920th CBN, 408th Contracting Support Brigade, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve; contracting officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Baltimore District, Baltimore, Maryland; Training with Industry fellow, DOD Sales and Direct Federal Contracts Team, Amazon Web Services, Herndon, Virginia; executive officer, 925th CBN and MICC-Fort Drum; chief of contracting, Regional Contracting Office-Afghanistan, ACC-Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
Torres departed to serve as the military deputy at MICC-Fort Knox, Kentucky.
The tradition of changes of command is rooted in military history dating back to the 18th century when organizational flags with colors and symbols unique to each unit were developed. During a change of command conducted in front of the unit, the organizational flag is passed to the individual assuming command to which Soldiers of the unit would dedicate their loyalty and trust.
About the MICC
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,300 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
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