FORT MEADE, Md. — Army Counterintelligence Command held a Change of Responsibility ceremony on April 3, as Command Sgt. Maj. Craig M. Hood relinquished his role as ACIC's senior enlisted leader to Command Sgt. Maj. Lance Kachermeyer. The ceremony marked the end of Hood's time at ACIC and the transition of leadership within the command.
Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, ACIC's commanding general, presided over the ceremony at Fort Meade's McGill Training Center, reflecting on his time with Hood and welcoming Kachermeyer into the position.
“You always took care of ACIC Soldiers, Civilians, and contractors, no matter the circumstance,” said Cox about Hood. “I could not have asked for a better command team teammate.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Hood served over 30 months as ACIC’s first nominative command sergeant major and was preceded by the now retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Crawford, who served in the role when the 902nd Military Intelligence Group transitioned to ACIC.
“We look forward to Command Sgt. Maj. Kachermeyer’s mentorship and leadership,” said Cox. “I am confident that he is the right leader at the right time to enable this command to execute its mission, continue to build this command, professionalize our force, and most importantly take care of our people.”
After Brig. Gen. Cox’s remarks and the ceremonial passing of the command colors to Command Sgt. Maj. Kachermeyer, outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Hood took to the podium.
“To say I’ve been blessed the last two and a half years just doesn’t do it justice, but honestly, no words likely could,” said Hood. “Just know, from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for the support and teamwork to help get this Command to where it is today.”
“Our adversaries remain persistent, ever present, and sanctuary is no longer a guarantee,” said Hood. “But fortunately, we have a solution and it’s the men and women of Army Counterintelligence Command.”
During Hood’s time, ACIC had purview of over 900 national security investigations, conducted over 100,000 covering agent engagements, 15,000 polygraph examinations, executed over 500 days surveillance operations, and many other operations that cannot be publicly discussed.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kachermeyer followed Hood in speaking.
“Serving the Officers, Soldiers and Civilians of the U.S. Army CI Command has been a dream since I was provided the privilege of serving as a sergeant major,” said Kachermeyer.
“To the people of ACIC: I have big shoes to fill. But I work for you, from every Agent to every staff member supporting the organization. I truly believe that leaders are emplaced to help others achieve greatness, not help themselves. Hold me to that. I look forward to working alongside and with you.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Hood is a native of Fairplay, Maryland. He entered the U.S. Army in November 1997 and completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO before attending Advanced Individual Training at Fort Huachuca, AZ. He graduated in May 1998 with the MOS 97B (Counterintelligence Agent).
Command Sgt. Maj. Kachermeyer is from Dunkirk, New York. He entered active-duty service in the United States Army in September 1998 in Buffalo, New York. He most recently served as the brigade command sergeant major for the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Kachermeyer previously served with ACIC’s predecessor organization as the former first sergeant and an operations noncommissioned officer.
The command sergeant major position officially entered the U.S. Army rank structure in 1967. Before, sergeant majors served as senior enlisted Soldiers and staff officers rather than as senior enlisted advisors to their commanders.
Army Counterintelligence Command conducts worldwide counterintelligence activities to detect, identify, neutralize, and exploit foreign intelligence entities, international terrorists, insider threats, and other foreign adversaries to protect the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense.
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