REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Gone is the signature e-mail tag and greeting that has been the hallmark of a Team Redstone war fighter, whose singular contributions to the Free World's defense have been acknowledged across the globe.
Maj. Gen. Genaro Dellarocco is completing his time as the program executive officer for missiles and space, his assignment since June 2007. His successor is Col. Ole Knudson.
The change of command ceremony was Oct. 7 in Bob Jones Auditorium. Dellarocco will become commander of the Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Knudson served in Afghanistan from February through August as deputy director for the security assistance office within the NATO Training Mission/Combined Security Assistance Command. He was in Iraq from August 2009 through January as the director for operations forward for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.
Dellarocco said being assigned as a major to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in 1988 has helped him over the years and now in his current role.
"I got to work on the THAAD program, and got my first dip into the missile business," Dellarocco said. "I was the program integrator, and participated in the first three flight tests. Plus, I have had three commands and worked on the Joint Staff."
More recently, he has served at the Research Development and Engineering Command, as the system of systems integrator.
"I also rely on what I learned at the Army War College to have prepared me for the PEO tour of duty," he said. "I consider Generals Mike Cannon, John Urias and Roger Nadeau as key mentors."
Management style
"I would say that putting people first is the key," the Hamilton, N.Y., native said. "Plus, you need to work on bringing your team up to the next level of proficiency to optimize your mission. You've got to have your people on board, and there are a lot of ways to do that. I am not a micro manager, and I do, wholeheartedly, believe in continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma and value engineering."
Initiatives
"Right now, we have more business than we know what to do with," said Dellarocco, who once served as a captain at the Anniston Army Depot. "Foreign military sales in this community have emerged as the unforeseen growth area. FMS has a great future and will grow to a height that we have never experienced before. FMS is a stimulus package using somebody else's money. That, coupled with BRAC, and the work force that is coming in to manage programs of record, will be a big Hooah! This community is going to benefit tremendously."
Challenges
"Bringing together the Air and Missile Defense family together with the Tactical Missiles family has required bringing two different cultures together," Dellarocco said. "But we have successfully melded the families as typified by the efforts of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office, serving as the catalyst to work with the Cruise Missile Defense, and Lower Tier Project Offices to produce much-needed hardware and satisfy a critically-urgent requirement. Our precision guidance efforts, as measured in terms of Hellfire, the Army Tactical Missile System and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, are the result of synergies and creative ideas in one large family."
Life cycle management command
"We've got teaming at all levels," Dellarocco, a 1978 ROTC graduate, said. "The PEO Missiles and Space has been a real game changer. We treat each other with dignity and respect. I think that we have the best LCMC in the Army, and that's a tribute to the personalities, chemistries and leadership environment that produces a coalition of the willing. Our singular focus is on the war fighter. There are no organizational boundaries when it comes to supporting the force downrange on the battlefield."
Pain from deaths
"We have had a mix of military and civilians who, sadly, have passed away," Dellarocco said. "For three years running, we have been trying to ease the pain for those in bereavement. People have really rallied behind folks, and even Gen. Petraeus sent in a note asking about our efforts to help our family members through the grieving process."
As a general officer he has also participated in many Soldier funerals during the ongoing war against terrorism.
"I think that we've done 19," he said. "Plus, by Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology direction, Brig. Gen. Tim Crosby and I have been on the Dover, Del., tarmac, rendering arrival honors many times. Redstone Arsenal general officers have a great reputation. If something can't be covered, we'll cover it."
Community
"The hub of the area's economic future is Redstone Arsenal," Dellarocco said. "This is a good place to work, live and with a superb quality of life. This is a good thing and a good place all the way around. Hands down, this area of north Alabama and south central Tennessee is the most pro-military location in the country. The level of expertise, both on the civilian side and the military side is second to none. And here, you are always number one for takeoff; you never have to wait for a gate. That's pretty sweet business."
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