III Corps commanding general nominated for fourth star, TRADOC command

By III Corps and Fort Hood Public AffairsMarch 10, 2011

III Corps commanding general nominated for fourth star, TRADOC command
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, answers questions from members of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee general membership meeting at the Shilo Inn in Killeen, Texas, March 10. Following t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
III Corps commanding general nominated for fourth star, TRADOC command
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, answers questions from members of the Central Texas media following the announcement of his nomination for promotion to general and command of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

KILLEEN, Texas - A Fort Hood official announced that the President nominated Fort Hood and III Corps Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, for promotion to general and command of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at the conclusion of a general membership meeting of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee here March 10.

Ron Perry, director of the installation's Mission Support Element, informed the audience following a 30-minute presentation by Cone to more than 150 civic and business leaders at the Shilo Inn. With his wife, Jill, standing next to him, the news of the nomination was greeted by a standing ovation.

"You know, it's an absolute honor to continue to serve our great Soldiers and our great nation," Cone said to media following the announcement. "I'm humbled by this selection. It is a real passion of mine in terms of training and leader development, so I'm pretty excited about this job, in particular."

Cone was assigned to TRADOC previously and has a strong training and operational background.

In September 2004, he became the Commanding General of the Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. During his 33-month command, Cone implemented a broad array of changes reorienting training to counterinsurgency operations.

The general deployed to Afghanistan in June 2007 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and assumed command of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan. His 19-month command focused on developing the Afghan National Army and Police. During his tenure, the Afghan National Army expanded from 50,000 troops to close to 80,000.

After returning from Afghanistan, Cone served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General of TRADOC where he was responsible for officer and enlisted Soldier Initial Military Training.

He assumed command of III Corps and Fort Hood in September 2009 and deployed to Iraq with the corps headquarters in February 2010. During the year-long deployment, he served as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, the second highest ranking military officer in United States Forces - Iraq. The general had responsibility for operations throughout the entire country, including the development and training of fielded Iraqi Security Forces. He oversaw the drawdown of U.S. Forces from approximately 100,000 to 50,000 troops and the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn.

Cone said he will be replaced at Fort Hood by Lt. Gen. Don Campbell, currently the commanding general of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky. The timeline for Cone's departure for his new assignment has yet to be determined, he said, as he is slated to replace Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who has been nominated as the next Army Chief of Staff.

Cone said one of the biggest things he'll miss moving onto his next assignment at Fort Monroe, Va., is his Central Texas neighbors. Having served at seven other installations, Cone said "this one is truly special."

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