JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (July 6, 2023) -- Members of the 900th Contracting Battalion and Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony June 23.
Lt. Col. Jonathon Gardner assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Jay Vandenbos in a ceremony officiated by Col. James Craig, the 419th Contracting Support Brigade commander at Fort Liberty, who praised the accomplishments of the departing leader while setting expectations for the new commander.
“The 900th CBN, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Jay Vandenbos, has successfully met the challenges of some of the highest (operations tempo) conditions in (Army Contracting Command) and MICC history,” Craig said. “I would like to thank Jay and his family for their sacrifices, especially during the multiple deployments that the unit accomplished. Their commitment to the mission was commendable. Jay, you have paved the way for Lieutenant Colonel Gardner to come in and allow the 900th CBN Contingency Hawks to continue to soar.”
Gardner comes to the 900th CBN from the Defense Contract Management Agency International-Middle East at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City.
Gardner was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Transportation Corps upon graduation from the University of Mississippi Army ROTC in December 2004. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Science from Troy University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia. Gardner has served a variety of assignments of increasing responsibility before joining the Army Acquisition Corps. He is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act in contracting, Practitioner in Program Management, and is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified.
Vandenbos, who commanded the 900th CBN since June 2021, departs for his next assignment at McDill Air Force Base, Florida. Craig took time to thank him for his leadership over the last three years and highlight a few of his accomplishments while leading the uniformed and civilian members of the battalion.
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 was passed to the individual assuming command to which Soldiers of the unit would dedicate their loyalty and trust. Today, a unit’s colors also represent its heritage and history.
About the MICC:
Headquartered at JBSA-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. 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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