FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – The U.S. Army’s only active-duty chemical brigade welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony on Fort Cavazos, Texas, May 25.
Col. Johannie San Miguel assumed command of the 48th Chemical Brigade “Spartans” from Col. Alexander C. Lovasz during the widely attended ceremony.
A native of Columbus, Georgia, Lovasz commanded the 48th Chemical Brigade for two years and he will now serve at the Department of the Army Headquarters as the chief of the G8 Force Development Branch.
An Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, Lovasz earned his bachelor’s degree in international affairs at Florida State University. He also earned his master’s degree in international management from Troy University. Lovasz, who speaks French fluently, studied at the Institute of Higher National Military Education in Paris, France, and he served as the director of staff for the NATO Rapid Reaction Corps-France in Lille, France.
During his time in command, Lovasz planned and participated in multiple exercises, including numerous exercises in South Korea.
The 48th Chemical Brigade also supported a Defense Civil Response Force mission in Mexico and Immediate Response Force mission in Europe.
San Miguel assumes command of the one-of-a-kind brigade following a tour as the Command Inspector General for U.S. Southern Command.
A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, San Miguel deployed to Guatemala following Hurricane Mitch and to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. She is fluent in Spanish.
San Miguel is also a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Western Hemisphere for Security Cooperation, and she graduated from the National War College. She has served in numerous command and staff positions around the world.
From its headquarters on Fort Cavazos, Texas, the 48th Chemical Brigade commands four battalions and 15 companies stationed across nine Army installations in eight states.
The brigade deployed to Liberia to support the U.S. Department of Defense mission to combat the Ebola outbreak in June 2015 as a part of Operation United Assistance.
The brigade is part of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier deployable and multifunctional all hazards command.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
Brig. Gen. Daryl O. Hood, the commanding general of 20th CBRNE Command, and Command Sgt. Maj. Dave Silva, the command senior enlisted leader, attended the ceremony.
Hood thanked Lovasz for his leadership and accomplishments at the brigade and he welcomed San Miguel to the command.
Hood also thanked the Spartans for their continued service around the world.
“This ceremony is meant to focus on the commander, but I just want to say well done to you, the Soldiers. Any time in command, whether it be at the company level or the brigade level or even higher, is only successful because of the Soldiers who are part of that unit,” said Hood. “Keep striving to make a difference in what you do. No one else can do that but you.”
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