FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (March 4, 2010) - Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. assumed command of the Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth at a ceremony March 3 in the Lewis and Clark Center's Eisenhower Auditorium.
Caslen, whose last duty assignment was as commander of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, replaces Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, who left in November to take command of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.
Brig. Gen. Edward Cardon, deputy commandant of the Command and General Staff College, served as acting commander of CAC and Fort Leavenworth after Caldwell's departure.
With the help of his wife, Shelly, Caslen pinned on his third star at a promotion ceremony in the Lewis and Clark Center's Arnold Conference Room before the assumption of command ceremony.
Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, commander of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, hosted the promotion and assumption of command ceremonies. Dempsey charged Caslen in his new role to develop the core competencies of doctrine training, leader development and mission command.
"What I'm going to ask Bob Caslen to do here as the commander of Fort Leavenworth and the Combined Arms Center is to reassess what are those leader skills and attributes that we need to focus on, not only for the near fight, but for the future," Dempsey said. "I have absolute confidence in his ability to get the job done."
Caslen said he was honored to join the CAC team, which he described as one of the most important catalysts for change in the Army.
"It is an honor and a privilege for an old guy like me to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each and every one of you today. I am well aware of the great gift that has been given to me today - command is always a privilege, and command in time of war is a distinct honor," Caslen said.
He said CAC's success will be measured by how well the latest doctrine and strategies are implemented in CAC and across TRADOC schools and centers.
"We also will continue to do what we have done best for so many years, to educate and develop our leaders, and to help develop our Army's doctrine and oversee major collective training, collect lessons from the training and ongoing combat operations, and in turn feed those lessons back into the process of shaping the future," Caslen said.
Caslen has served in a number of command and leadership positions during his 35 years of Army service, and his overseas and combat experience includes tours in Afghan-istan, Iraq, Haiti, and operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Caslen is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and has served as a training officer and coach, assistant S1, tactical officer, and commandant of cadets at USMA. His other academic degrees includes a master of science in industrial engineering from Kansas State University.
Caslen has been married to his wife, Shelly, for 32 years and they have three sons; their eldest serves as a firefighter in Hinesville, Ga., their middle son works for the Transportation Security Administration at Washington Dulles International Airport, and their youngest son is a second lieutenant in field artillery training at Fort Sill, Okla.
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