POZNAN, Poland (May 16, 2024) – The U.S. Army V Corps held a Victory Honors ceremony to bid farewell to U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert, the outgoing deputy commanding general of support for V Corps, and to welcome U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Matthew Brown into the position at Camp Kosciuszko, Poland, on May 16, 2024.
V Corps Commanding General Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza hosted the ceremony.
"Victory Honors is a special event," said Costanza. "It's a ceremony where we welcome the incoming deputy commanding generals, and we say goodbye to those that have been with us here for a while."
Costanza, who previously worked with Lambert at the 3rd Infantry Division, expressed gratitude for his outgoing deputy commanding general.
"I wish we could have worked together longer, but the Army has bigger and better things for you to go do as you take on the Security Forces Assistance Command back in Fort Liberty, North Carolina," he said. "[Security Forces Assistance Command], a two-star level command… is responsible for security force assistance all over the world. [Lambert] is now expanding from Europe to the whole world."
Lambert, who served as the V Corps deputy commanding general of support from July 2023 to May 2024, was presented with the Legion of Merit for his service to V Corps.
"It's been a real pleasure working alongside [V Corps staff] and collaborating as we take this incredibly complex mission and move it forward," said Lambert. "I am super proud to have been part of V Corps. I'm really excited about the direction that V Corps is going and the mission that we have as the U.S. action arm for reassuring our allies, deterring further Russian aggression, and potentially spearheading U.S. efforts with the alliance in large-scale combat operations should that deterrence fail."
Brown comes to V Corps from the U.K., where he worked at the 3rd United Kingdom "Iron Division" as part of the U.S. Army's Military Personnel Exchange Program, or MPEP. The program is designed to strengthen bonds of friendship, understanding, and interoperability between the countries and their respective military organizations.
"I, and the V Corps team, look forward to working with you during what I think is probably the most critical, and perhaps the most dangerous, time in Europe since the end of the Cold War," said Costanza to Brown. "Your experience in [U.S. Army III Corps] as the corps operations officer, and most recently as the deputy commanding general in the 3rd U.K. Division, will be invaluable as we set ourselves as the warfighting headquarters here in Poland and assist our partner NATO corps and divisions to deter Russian aggression and if necessary, defend every inch of NATO territory."
During his speech, Lambert echoed Costanza's sentiment about the incoming deputy.
"Because of his unique operational, combat, and European experience, there is no better officer to serve as [V Corps' deputy commanding general of support]," said Lambert.
Brown delivered his remarks before concluding the ceremony with the Victory March and the Army Song.
"Our time in history is uncertain and its volatile, and, especially given this backdrop, there is a whole lot of certainty around being assigned to America's Forward Deployed Corps, building lethality alongside our closest allies and at the heart of the greatest defensive alliance in history," said Brown. "I am so proud to be part of this mission alongside every one of you in this combat-credible warfighting organization and I look forward to getting to work."
As America's forward-deployed Corps, V Corps works alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces; executes joint, bilateral, and multinational training exercises; and includes command and control for rotational and assigned units in the European theater while building local community relationships.
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