U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) bid farewell and best wishes to its Deputy Commanding General-Operations, Maj. Gen. Neil S. Hersey, in a retirement ceremony at the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta, Ga., Aug. 4, 2023.
Hersey served as ARCYBER’s deputy since July 2021, capping a total of 37 years of Army service as an Army Military Intelligence officer, aviator, airborne Ranger and cyber officer who deployed numerous times in support of Army and joint operations. (To read his full biography, click here.)
Lt. Gen. Maria B. Barrett, ARCYBER’s Commanding General, said Hersey has been pivotal in the development of Army cyber from its inception to today.
Barrett spoke of meeting Hersey at the Cyber National Mission Force when the CNMF and U.S. Cyber Command were just being built. She said that from the first meetings with him she knew he was the right person in the right place at the right time. His experience and skill in those early days helped establish cyber in the U.S. military, she said, from building the training and doctrine that underpins it, to the development of the electronic warfare mission, to setting the conditions for today's information advantage capabilities.
"Neil's stewardship in getting it together, bringing the right people under the tent, really set the conditions … early on in Cyber Command's history, of knowing there was a place and a purpose for cyber with our warfighters on the battlefield. That was it, and we knew we could do it, and we're still doing it today. And so,
I just can't say enough."
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mary A. Legere, former U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, spoke at length about the uniqueness of her long association with Hersey as a colleague and friend.
She described Hersey as an innovator who is unafraid to take on hard tasks, challenge conventions, and look continually to the future, and a “breathtakingly diverse and stunningly consistent” leader who has contributed to many communities within the Army, including the cyber, special operations, intelligence, and aviation professions.
“Anything he does will be done with amplitude and to the best standard,” Legere said. “There's not an organization that I've ever visited that Neil has been a part of or commanding, that has not met the challenge from him to go from meeting standards to exceeding standards. Non-negotiable. From a preoccupation with the present to an organization infused with enthusiasm about thinking how they change and get better."
In his remarks Hersey thanked the many family members, friends and colleagues he said helped and stood by him during a long career in which he "got to work with the smartest and bravest of men and women, great people who dedicate their lives to defending our nation."
He also admitted it was an unusual career.
"Looking back on my career as general, it's been so unusual. I think even Francis Ford Coppola would have rejected the script, saying it was unbelievable. I'm an anomaly, and I am proof that you can do anything in the Army. I said I wanted to be a Ranger; the Army gave me that opportunity. I wanted to be Intel; did that. I wanted to fly airplanes and helicopters. I wanted to jump out of airplanes. Army said, okay. I wanted to travel. That's pretty much guaranteed in the Army.
If it wasn't for the help that I have received over the years though, I wouldn't even be able to tell you how I got here. … I worked hard and got a helping hand from those that came before me. The Army made me a better professional and molded me into a better person."
"One of the main lessons that I've learned from the Army is you help others, period. Never forget, as a leader, your ability to have a positive impact on people's lives. If you can open doors for people, if you can give them a helping hand, you do it."
During the ceremony Hersey was presented with the Army Distinguished Service Medal, and his spouse, Dr. Kathleen Hersey, was presented with the Army Meritorious Public Service Medal, for their more than three decades of service to the Army and the nation.
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ABOUT ARCYBER: U.S. Army Cyber Command integrates and conducts cyberspace operations, electromagnetic warfare, and information operations, ensuring decision dominance and freedom of action for friendly forces in and through the cyber domain and the information dimension, while denying the same to our adversaries.
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ARMY CYBER ON THE U.S. ARMY WEBSITE: https://www.army.mil/armycyber
Interested in the challenge of joining the Army Cyber team? Check out military and civilian cyber career and employment opportunities by clicking on the "Careers" tab at www.arcyber.army.mil
Members of the U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard interested in pursuing Active Duty for Operational Support (ADOS) or Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) tours or other opportunities with ARCYBER can get more information at https://go.usa.gov/xsZYG
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