FORT DRUM, N.Y. (May 29, 2024) – Maj. Gen. Gregory K. Anderson, 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum commander, hosted the change of responsibility ceremony for the outgoing and incoming division senior enlisted advisers, Command Sgt. Maj. Nema Mobarakzadeh (Mobar) and Command Sgt. Maj. Brett W. Johnson, May 29 on Sexton Field.
Mobar assumed responsibility of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) on July 20, 2022, after he arrived from Fort Polk, Louisiana, where he served as senior enlisted adviser of the division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Mobar is now headed to Joint Base Lewis McChord to serve as the 1st Corps command sergeant major.
Anderson said that Mobar and his family will be missed, and he praised Mobar for elevating the division’s standards in multiple areas.
“The 8-Step Training model, we had trouble getting NCOs to own that,” Anderson said. “Nema Mobar personally went down to each battalion sergeant major and had them go through each of the eight steps scheduled out. And now the 8-Step model, we don’t talk about it much anymore, it’s just happening.”
Anderson also spoke about Mobar’s contribution to the health and well-being of the division’s Soldiers.
“Mountain CARES, that’s our program and our policy to combat harmful behaviors,” he continued. “Nema Mobar surveyed the landscape when he first got here and said we need leaders to own outcomes, their Soldiers, and their problems. He drove that, and the numbers the last six months speak for themselves.”
Mobar thanked his family, his team, and the Soldiers and leaders of the 10th Mountain Division for all they have done during his time as senior enlisted adviser.
“(Maj.) Gen. Anderson, you have always given everyone in the room a voice,” Mobar said. “The structured, calm, and common sense you’ve led with has been the foundation of all the great things this division has accomplished. Thank you for having the confidence in me, providing intent, and giving me the space to lead it my way.”
After thanking Anderson for giving him leadership flexibility, Mobar welcomed the division’s new senior enlisted adviser.
“While I am sad to leave the division, I am thrilled you are receiving an upgrade,” he said. “(Command) Sgt. Maj. Johnson is an absolute terrific leader and the right leader for this job. He has a wealth of experience and an elite track record of performance.”
Mobar also said that it has been an absolute honor to serve Anderson and the division, and he left Johnson with words of wisdom.
“If I can offer you one last piece of advice, I’ll quote Teddy Roosevelt: ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ Take care of our Soldiers, and they will ‘Climb to Glory.’”
Anderson welcomed Johnson and his family to the division, and he set the expectation for Johnson’s way forward leading the division as its senior adviser.
“Growth and change, and development is on track and it’s not going to come off track based on the exceptional noncommissioned officer taking over responsibility for it,” Anderson said. “Command Sgt. Maj. Brett Johnson and his spouse Candice, welcome to the Mountain.”
Johnson most recently arrived at Fort Drum from Fort Moore, Georgia, where he previously served as sergeant major of 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and he also held the responsibility of garrison command sergeant major.
Johnson thanked leadership, family, friends, and the Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division as he assumed responsibility for their care.
“(Maj.) Gen. Anderson, thanks for your confidence in me,” Johnson said. “I promise I won’t let you down, and neither you, Mobar. To my wife Candice, you’ve endured a whole bunch in taking care of me, so I appreciate you as well, and I appreciate my family coming up here.”
“To the Soldiers of the most deployed division in the Army, thank you for continuing to stand the watch, for choosing a life that others would not. I look forward to serving our division in some of the most challenging times that our nation has to face. God bless you all. Climb to Glory.”
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