JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The 404th Army Field Support Brigade conducted a change of command ceremony here June 13 as Col. John Rotante relinquished command to Col. Jeremiah O’Connor at the Regional Logistics Readiness Center.
Maj. Gen. David Wilson, commanding general, U.S. Army Sustainment Command, presided over the ceremony. ASC is headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.
The 404th AFSB is one of seven AFSBs – there are four in the continental U.S. and three overseas in Germany, South Korea, and Hawaii.
The 404th AFSB headquarters is located here, commanding two Army Field Support Battalions, two Logistics Support Teams, and 17 Logistics Readiness Centers in its overall area of operations. These subordinate organizations are geographically dispersed over 17 installations throughout the U.S. and integrate and synchronize materiel enterprise operations across CONUS and in forward-deployed areas throughout the Pacific region.
The 404th AFSB does this by leveraging national provider capabilities and integrating those capabilities at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of support during joint, all-domain operations.
Despite the physical distance between brigade headquarters and subordinate LRCs, this did not lessen the bond between Rotante and the LRC directors. After a personal address calling each director by name, Rotante said, “I am so happy to have had the opportunity to get to know all of you.”
“This brigade continuously executed critical programs and missions to build and sustain readiness in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility that preserved the commander’s freedom of action, extended its operational reach and prolonged the endurance of the Army and the joint force,” Wilson said.
Rotante oversaw many missions over the course of his command, including support to Operation Allies Welcome, the first dynamic employment of Army Prepositioned Stocks-3 in nearly 20 years for Balikatan and Salaknib exercises in the Philippines, and APS-3 support to the upcoming Talisman Sabre 23 exercise in Australia.
The 404th AFSB’s successful missions and global impact can be attributed to Rotante’s leadership and optimistic attitude, Wilson said.
Wilson drew from an African proverb when he quoted, “Life is not so much how much you keep for yourself, but instead it’s more about how much you pour into others.”
Rotante took a moment to reflect on his command philosophy -- passion, compassion, standards, and discipline.
“It was the team of Cast Iron professionals that took this and ran with it every day,” Rotante said. “There is no limit to the things this talented team of professionals can accomplish.”
O’Connor, the incoming commander, was commissioned in 2000 as an Infantry officer through Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In 2003, he transitioned to the Transportation Corps as part of the Army’s Branch Detail Program. He has served at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels in joint and combined assignments.
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