Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley attend the change of command ceremony for the U.S. Special Operations Command. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke is relinquishing command to Army Gen. Bryan P. Fenton in Tampa, Florida. August 30, 2022.

Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome to the United States Special Operations Command Change of command ceremony in which General Richard D Clarke, United States Army, will transfer command to General Brian P. Fenton, United States Army. We are honored to have the secretary of defense, Lloyd J. Austin, the third and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley, join us for today’s ceremony. Secretary Austin will serve as the presiding official. We would like to welcome representatives from our foreign partners, special operations forces, members of the diplomatic corps, interagency and senior leaders of the federal, state and civilian community. Thank you to all the former SOCOM. commanders and senior enlisted leaders for attending today’s ceremony. We are honored to have a number of distinguished guests in attendance this afternoon. Please hold your applause until all of our distinguished guests have been recognized the honorable Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator from Iowa. The Honorable Kathy Castor, Congresswoman, 14th District of Florida. The Honorable Steve Womack, Congressman. Third District of Arkansas. The Honorable Stephanie Murphy, Congresswoman. Seventh District of Florida. The Honorable Michael Waltz, Congressman. Sixth District of Florida. The Honorable Jason Crow Congressman. Sixth District of Colorado. Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, United States Army. Retired Former National Security Advisor. The Honorable Mark Esper. 27th Secretary of Defense. The Honorable John Tierney, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Honorable Christine Warmoth US Secretary of the Army. The Honorable Joe Maguire, the former Acting Director of National Intelligence. The Honorable John Rood, the former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy the Honorable Louis Freeh, the former Director of the Federal Bureau Bureau of Investigation. General James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army General Erik Kurilla Commander. United States Central Command. General Chris Cavoli Commander. United States European Command. And a special welcome to the class of 84 U.S. Military Academy classmates that we have with us today. The United States Special Operations Command was formally established as a unified combatant command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, on April 16th. 1987 Congress established US SOCOM to address the unconventional threats posed by the world’s increasing complexity. The World War two era Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, was the fundamental building block for us. SOCOM today. US SOCOM synchronizes the planning of Special Operations Forces with persistent networked and distributed capabilities to assist the geographic combatant commands in order to protect and advance our nation’s interests. US SOCOM service component commands or the Army Special Operations Command located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Naval Special Warfare Command located in Coronado, California. The Air Force Special Operations Command located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. And the Marine Forces Special Operations Command located at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Each component provides the capabilities needed to meet worldwide national security demands, providing reconnaissance, counterproliferation, counterterrorism, military information, support operations, countering insurgency security force assistance, foreign internal defense and civil affairs. U.S. US SOCOM eight sub unified commands are the seven theater special operations commands supporting the geographic combatant commands in the Joint Special Operations Command, as evidenced by the global support we provide The world is truly our area of responsibility. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and the rendering of honors to the Secretary of Defense. music music music please remain standing for the presentation of the colors, the singing of our national anthem and the invocation present arms oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light. Was so proudly held at the twilight’s last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oh the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs by bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner get yet wave For the land of the free and the home of the brave let us pray, almighty God we invoke your divine presence upon our change of command ceremony today that honors two exceptional leaders committed to service of nation and the defense of freedom we are grateful for the accomplishments of General Richard D Clarke as our SOCOM commander. His enthusiastic spirit and notable professionalism served as an inspiration for those who were privileged to work with him and provided an example of encouragement and motivation throughout the entire Special Operations Enterprise. We now ask your blessing upon General Brian P. Fenton as he assumes command, bring success and achievement to his efforts as he continues to work through the many extraordinary and demanding challenges before him. May he continue to be a source of inspiration for his fellow service members and for everyone within the SOCOM community. Watch over all of us now as we celebrate this transition and may our new leadership and our continued commitment to freedom bear the fruit of security, liberty and peace. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Well, thank you all for being here today. And it’s truly a big day. Earlier, we retired, Richard Clarke and I was falsely accused of giving a 40 minute speech and that was fake news. And and Brian Fenton reminded me earlier of what I had said to him earlier about the Gettysburg Address lasting 2 minutes and Caesar stood up here and gave a two hour address and he was murdered by his friend. So I cut my remarks way down here. So, hey, but this is a big day, and thank you all for making time for being here as we celebrate the great work of Richard Clarke and what he’s done over the last four years here. It’s SOCOM what Brian Fenton is about to do and so thank you all. There’s many, many dignitaries here, senators, congressmen, generals, sergeants, majors, all kinds of folks. And in the words of Carter Ham, all protocols are observed. But there is one group that should be recognized a little bit more, and that is sitting over here to my right, your left. And that’s the families, the Gold Star, families of our fallen. We represent a greater community. They really represent hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines since the founding of our nation who have given their lives on the altar of freedom. And I want to recognize them. And they know that there’s no words that I can say. And those of you who are at the retirement ceremony heard the same thing. There’s no words I can say or anyone else can ever say. These are the gaping wounds that are in your hearts they will be there all of your life. But what we can do and what we will do is always remember your fallen. We will always honor them with our service. We will always honor their sacrifice for all of our freedoms. They gave their tomorrows for our today’s. And we know that. And we will honor them for the rest of our day. So to you, each of you, thank you. And I know that it’s difficult. This a particularly difficult time. And I know without naming names that one of the Gold Star mothers here lost her son at Abbey Gate a year ago. And this is extraordinary painful and the memories swell up. But she is an inspiration to every single one of us. She and every Gold Star family shows us the way they show us the way forward. They show us how to put one foot in front of the other, how to persevere in the face of hardship. So to each of you, thank you thank you for your example. Thank you for your service and thank you for your sacrifice. Although we recognize Richard Clarke and Bryan Fenton today, this ceremony is really about something much bigger than either one of them is about the command. It’s about SOCOM and SOCOM as we know creates and develops the most elite forces from across the Joint Force and integrates their skills into all the domains of space and cyber air, land, maritime and subsurface. SOCOM provides globally integrated capabilities for every geographic combatant command. And this capability is not something that you can create very quickly. There are no shortcuts. Special Operations personnel and units are built through rigorous selection, incredible discipline, excellence and all the fundamentals of war fighting, tremendous leadership and flat out hard demanding and dangerous work that requires exceptional courage. SOCOM is, in fact, the world’s most credible and capable force. There is no other organization with the extraordinary talent and skill found in the United States Special Operations Forces and Rich Clarke led. SOCOM he led them in building partner capacity, strengthening relationships with our allies and partners, building capable, incredible fighting forces and currently SOCOM has over 5000 troops deployed in 80 countries under Richard’s command. So come team’s rescue to US citizen in Nigeria. Just 96 hours after capture they eliminated Soleimani Baghdadi and most recently in the last 48 hours they recovered another hostage they finished off ISIS if constantly led the CT fight around the world in Afghanistan Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. On the Rich Clark’s leadership. This command played a significant role in the largest military air evacuation in history, with 124,000 Afghans a free today because of the United States military and the incredible capability of our Special Operations forces. And as we know, that came at a heavy price and no one knows that better. Than the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, United States Army and United States Special Operations Forces. Every soldier sailor, airman, Marine and special operator that has ever served in Afghanistan should always be proud of their sacrifice that protected our country for 20 consecutive years from terrorist attack. And we gave unprecedented hope to millions of Afghanistan and the fight continues. SOCOM, leading the way, providing over the horizon capabilities not only in Afghanistan, but all around the globe. And this command has also shifted to meet the significant challenge of China and Russia as part of the SECDEF, the integrated deterrence strategy. Today we are at day 188 since Russia unlawfully and illegally invaded the sovereign territory of Ukraine, a country that has been free and independent since the fall of the Wall SOCOM teams are providing necessary training to Ukrainian special operations forces so they can counter this aggression this command. In fact, and additionally SOCOM so forces are building partner capacity with all the NATO’s allies while Rich and SOCOM are accomplishing all of this threat you know, as an amazing friend and partner in Suzanne 31st 34th anniversary this December, how are you, Rich? As you know, as an amazing friend and partner and Suzanne high school sweethearts from Germany. They’ll celebrate their 31st 34th anniversary this December. How you put up with him for 34 years is amazing if anyone deserves a if anyone Suzanne deserves a medal at the ceremony for you as we all know Suzanne is a resource to our families as well as our soldiers and has spent countless hours helping others. She has comforted our wounded. She has great families of the fallen she’s been fully committed to this mission from the very beginning. She’s passionate about supporting our military families and she helps to address their every challenge and she does it all with character, compassion and grace. And all the while she is raised to amazing adults Madeline and Will I instantly knew Madeline Will were a force to be reckoned with as they both left home immediately and went to Boston Madeline graduated from Tufts recently and now is working. Some do some great work up there in the Boston area and Will is attending Northeastern as a rising senior and is currently interning in L.A. at a law firm. So just what we need. Another lawyer Will, thank you you know our family sacrifice way more than we do Will. And Madeline a representative of all the children of those of us in uniform. And when we go off to war, we deploy anywhere it is they deal with the stress, the uncertainty, the many moves of military life. And clearly, they are constantly concerned about whether their soldier will come home Will and Madeline, thank you. Thank you for supporting your father. Thank you for supporting your mother. Thank you for your own sacrifice over so many years of service sacrifice is known all too well to the members of this command. 11 years ago this month, we lost 38 killed just a few miles outside of Kabul. Their Chinook extortion, 17 was shot out of the sky by a rocket propelled grenade it was the single deadliest event of the war in Afghanistan, and they were killed while supporting a raid to root out terrorists. The daily freedoms we all have and all enjoy, we the living is paid for and the blood of our fallen One year ago, as I previously mentioned, we lost 13, 11 Marines, one sailor and one soldier. Staff sergeant, Canals this command all killed it every a day in a brutal terrorist attack as they were trying to save Afghans fleeing from the tyranny of the Taliban. SOCOM is always at the intersection where freedom meets fear. Special Operations forces are always at the point of the spear. They are literally at the edge of liberty. Our enemies around the world take note of what our operators do. It gives them pause. It changes their calculus. Well, we ask our special operations soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to do is amazing. These men and women execute some of the nation’s most complex and dangerous missions that most will never hear about. They do it at night. They do it in horrible weather. They do it against fanatical enemies, and they are risking it all. And every objective in the bloody crucible of ground combat sometimes you may hear about the mission or what they accomplished, and oftentimes you never will They don’t do these missions for glory. They do it for you. They do it for us. They do it for America. And they do these missions consistently and routinely without complaint. And while our special operators are very successful at what they do, we can never stop improving. We we’re not perfect in the way we fought wars for the last 20 years. It’s not the same way we’re going to fight wars in the future. The special operations maximum of the human is more important than the hardware will always be true. We must honor operators with the right equipment. We must arm them with the right intelligence, to arm them with the right sensor, fusion and data analytics. We must arm them with the right relationships and partners. And right now, we are at an inflection point, an historical inflection point. And while the nature of war does not change, the character of war does. And right now, the character of war is changing rapidly. How we fight the doctrine. We fight with the organizations that we fight with the weapons. We fight with the enemies. We fight and the locations. All of that is changing. It’s changing fast. And it’s changing in a very real fundamental way. And it’s changing at a pace that’s unprecedented in history. Information is flowing much more rapidly at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Autonomous systems and artificial intelligence will be foundational to the conduct of future war, unlike the last 20 years. SOCOM will lead this nation SOCOM to this nation in the next 20 years and beyond. Point four, our joint force as we adapt to the changing character of war. And Brian Fenton is the right leader He’s the right leader at the right time, the right skills to lead this command. Like Richard Clarke, Brian Fenton has the perfect blend of character, competence, and courage is all the right expertise and knowledge. Take what Richard’s done and take it to the next level. Brian understands service He’s led soldiers on ten deployments in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and across Africa in the Pacific. Throughout his time in Special Forces, he commanded at the the troop, the battalion, squadron, brigade levels and his command as a general officer, various special mission units to include Json. Brian knows how to lead High-Performing organizations. He knows how to build effective teams to maximize your strength and accomplish their mission. And he’s led Special Operations Forces for over 30 years across five continents in peace and war. And together with his spouse, Dawn. Brian’s an example for his children. His daughter Nora commissioned 2021 as a collection platoon leader in the Army Reserve and their second daughter, CC is starting her junior year at Notre Dame and is an Army ROTC. So Nora CC and Dawn to each of you know that Brian could not have done what he has done without your unconditional love and support over so many years. And I can tell you, he’s going to need it again. He’s going to need it in spades in the next several years without your support Brian Fenton will not make it. He’s hard. He’s tough, but he needs every ounce of it. Sacrifices inherent in this line of work. Everyone in uniform knows that. Every one of us knows that we raised our right hand and we committed an oath to an idea. The idea that is America and defending that idea will always be dangerous. Hundreds of thousands have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our nation free in the last two and a half centuries. Each of them gave the last full measure of devotion so that our nation would remain free Special Operations Forces answer that call every day. They fight for the same cause, and every one of us is prepared to give our lives to support and defend the Constitution and our American values. What this command has done for 20 years protecting our country from terrorists. We forever enshrined in military history. The challenge does not end. We must continue to look forward and focus on the threats of our future. The threats to our Constitution will always be there. They will always be met by the courage of our Special Operations Forces. So let me take a moment now to introduce our secretary of defense. He’s a man of incredible character and integrity. He leads with honor and compassion. He’s a man that I have known for 25 years. I have personally seen him lead in combat under fire. We are very fortunate to have Lloyd Austin leading us. Ladies and gentlemen, the 28th Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, the third Well, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, General Milley, for that introduction and for all that you do for our military. And I join the chairman in honoring the Wounded Warriors and the Gold Star families who are here with us today. Your loved ones, extraordinary bravery and service and sacrifice. It’s something that we can never repay and we will never forget I’m also pleased to welcome members of Congress and so many current and former military and civilian leaders You know, it’s great to be back in Tampa. When I served in uniform. I’ve spent a lot of time at MacDill and in this community. So being here always feels like coming home Now, today, we’re celebrating, General Clarke, for his leadership of this command and his lifetime of service And we’re welcoming General Fenton, who I know will do an exceptional job. So this is a special day that Special Operations Command but it’s also a day for reflection Today, we mark one year since the end of the war in Afghanistan. And I remain enormously proud of the U.S. military’s professionalism and bravery over 20 years of war Proud of the work of NATO’s allies and partners who supported our hope for a better future for the Afghan people. And proud of this command’s relentless fight. Doing only what special operations special operators can do You know, it was the quiet professionals of SOCOM who were among the first on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001 And when I led troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and served as a CENTCOM commander, I relied on special operators and support teams for your skill, for your precision, and for your bold determination to confront any threat, any time and you remain vigilant every day. For SOCOM, the mission ahead will also require your expertise as we focus on today’s security environment One where China’s aggression is our number one facing challenge and where Russia remains an acute threat, especially after President Putin’s reckless invasion of Ukraine At the same time, Special Operations Forces will maintain the watch to protect their country from terrorists. For in Afghanistan, this command has been instrumental in diving in the horizon counterterrorism approaches And no one should doubt the resolve of the United States to protect our homeland. The world saw that back in February. And the successful mission that took out the global leader of ISIS And again, just a back then, working closely with the interagency and with our strong network of allies and partners around the globe, Every day you are helping us realize that vision for our security SOCOM is hard at work here in Tampa. And that theater of Special Operations Command and in more than 80 countries around the world, they’re working hard to set the conditions to prevent conflicts before they start and to create multiple dilemmas for our adversaries and to deliver the right effect at the right place at the right time. And for decades. So you have supported interoperability with our allies and partners around the globe. And it’s SOCOM. You also know that how you do what you do matters So you’ve embraced civilian oversight with your counterparts at Solid. And when military and civilian leaders share a true partnership That’s a powerful combination. And that’s how we’ll make sure that special operations forces have the broadest range of resources and technologies and the best people to succeed in today’s security environment. So we are enormously proud of the men and women of. SOCOM So, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a round of applause. For the men and women of SOCOM It is clear that SOCOM has done vital work these past three years. And that’s a testament to the principle old and dedicated leader that you’ve had. And General Richard Clarke The military service runs deep in the Clarke family. So I want to add my appreciation to all of them. For their dedication to our country. I also want to thank Suzanne for all the work that she’s done with military families over the years. And a special thanks to the Clark children who, as the chairman pointed out, are not really children they are full adults and doing well Will, and Madeline, we are grateful for your sacrifices you have been by your dad’s side for every move and supported him during every deployment over the last 38 years. So thanks for your sacrifices. And again, Suzanne, thanks for all that you have done on behalf of our families. And in support of Rich You know, Rich is also the product of a West Point class of 1984 Rich. It’s also the product of the class the West Point class of 1984 Okay Rich, I think some of your classmates are in fact here today. So welcome classmates. Now, according to those classmates at the academy, Rich was considered the least likely to stay in the military for more than five years. And at the time, staying in for five years was in fact, Rich and Suzanne’s plan. But then a Ranger regimental commander invited Rich to try out for the Rangers, and that changed everything in the Rangers. Rich found a team living by their creed to move further and faster and fight harder. And not for personal glory, but because, as Richard said, when you push yourself to the next level, every ranger to your left and right will meet you there. Now, that focus on character and on excellence has formed you. General Clarke’s leadership style ever since is what has defined his two decades of command, two decades of command and it’s what made him such a successful commander at West Point. Those are significant accomplishments, especially when you consider that he was a guy that was only planning to stay in for five years And I would note, instead of the least likely to stay in the military today, General Clark retires as the last member of the class of 1984 and continue with active duty service Now I actually saw General Clarke’s relentless pursuit of excellence for myself when I was a CENTCOM commander at the time, General Clark was leading our effort to train and equip Iraqi soldiers as a commander of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. And as they were preparing for the battles of Ramadi and Mosul, I pushed him in the 82nd Airborne Division to speed up their timeline and true to form. Rich and his team worked hard and moved further and faster. And they fought harder. And they absolutely got the job done. Here at SOCOM, General Clark has made this command more resilient. He’s improve the quality of special operators and he’s strengthened. SOCOM fear force and families. Rich, I want to personally thank you for all that you’ve done to keep America safe and to serve all those under your command. You have done a magnificent job and I wish you and Suzanne all the best in the well-deserved return And so, as we say farewell to one outstanding leader, it’s SOCOM. We are welcoming another. And General Brian Fenton, Now, if you had to pick a few words to sum up, Brian, they would be God, country and Notre Dame a couple of Notre Dame guys in the crowd, too. One more Notre Dame They’re there Brian’s love for the University of Notre Dame began at a young age, and he said that wanting to go to college, there was what prompted him to fill out an ROTC application. Now, that application set him on a path to spend the next 35 years in uniform. And General Fenton have served in and commanded at every level of Special Operations Forces. He’s been a part of operations in nearly every region around the world. And General Fenton has built up extensive expertise in the Indo-Pacific In fact, he managed to get four consecutive assignments in Hawaii four assignments in Hawaii. And it culminated in General Fenton becoming the first special operations officer to serve as a deputy commander at U.S. Indo-Pacific command. Now, Brian, following your time in Hawaii, it must have felt like you’re luck run out when you had to leave surfing behind and you took your next assignment at the Pentagon as a senior military assistant to the secretary of defense. But when I walked into the office on my first day, I have to say, Brian, I was really glad to have you there, too. As one of the first people that I met I will be forever grateful for your steady leadership through historic challenges and for the spirit of teamwork that you instilled and for your sound judgment and wise counsel I also want to echo the chairman’s recognition of your wife, Dawn, who has served and served right alongside you for the past three decades, and your two daughters who have done amazing work in their in their lifetime as well. Your daughter Nora, graduated from Notre Dame in 20, 21, and she is in the Army Reserves. Your daughter Cecilia is a junior at Notre Dame and also enrolled in Army ROTC. Brian, I want to hazard a guess on whether it’s the Army or the Notre Dame part of their resumes that make you the most proud What makes general Fenton ideal for this command is his focus on people everywhere he’s worked. He’s created the kind of environment where people want to perform. He’s invested in his teammates and trusted them to get the job done. He’s embodied the S.O.F. for truth, truths that guide everything that you do here. So, General Fenton, congratulations And I know that you will take this command bravely forward Now, I know that your S.O.F truths are unique to this command, but they also drive at something that’s fundamental to our entire military. And it’s this. United States has the strongest fighting force in the world. And it’s not because we have superior weapons, although we do. It’s not because we have better tactics. Though. We have those, too. Ladies and gentlemen, we are the world’s strongest fighting force because our people and the values that our people stand for are far and beyond what everybody else brings to the table. Our strength is our people and it’s SOCOM. I’m proud of the way that you prove that every single day Thank you for all that you do and the service of our great nation. And may God bless you and keep you safe. And may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you, Secretary Austin and General Milley. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 12th commander of the United States Special Operations Command, General Rich Clark, Hey, to the many, many, many friends and teammates and to the distinguished visitors. Thank you all for joining me today. Mr. Secretary and Chairman, I’m sincerely grateful for the trust and confidence that you provided to me. This command and most of all to our Special Operations Forces. Thank you for your leadership. And most of all, thank you both for your example. Mr. Secretary, as you mentioned. Yeah, we work. We first worked closely together when I was commanding in Iraq. Underneath was the CENTCOM commander. And every single day you pushed me and you pushed the 82nd Airborne to drive faster. You know, to make, you know, they could get the Iraqis, you know, make the Iraqis successful. And I got to watch your personal courage and leadership for that, for that year long period. And I’ll tell you, it mattered. But thank you for driving this department to change in defending our nation. Succeeding through teamwork and most of all, taking care of our people. And thank you for raising your hand again. After military retirement to serve. And what I would argue is an even increasingly more demanding position today To my family, Suzanne. Madeleine. Will, I love all you dearly. You care just as deeply about this nation and SOCOM families as I do. Thank you for serving alongside me these many years to our Tampa community and so many incredible leaders, Suzanne. And I’d relished our time here And we’re sad to go. Few communities support the men and women who protect this nation like Tampa Bay. My deepest thanks to all of you, to my predecessors. Many of them here, the loyal team of former SOCOM commanders. You have always made yourselves available to me. And for that, I will always be appreciative. Luckily, many of you love Tampa dearly. America’s there. I see you there. Thanks for you all to make it make Tampa your home. And if I can find a good real estate deal later, I will be back here too to my fellow SOCOM leaders Pat McAuley, Greg Smith, Tony Valentine, Tim Szymanski, Colin Green, Marcus Evans, and our subordinate commanders like Jim Slack, John Braga, Jim Glenn, Fran Burdette and I counted up almost 20 TSOC commanders during the three and a half years that I’ve been in command. I couldn’t have wished to serve with a better group and a finer group of leaders You, you and your and your command. Senior enlisted leaders cared deeply about our special operations community today, but more importantly, we’ve talked about every time we get together, care about our special operators in the future. I am thrilled to welcome and turnover this great unit to Brian and Dawn Fenton. Brian, congratulations. No one I say again No one is more ready to lead our special operations community than you. There have only been two SOCOM commanders that commanded both a t soc and j soc. And the other guy was a name, a guy named McRaven. Some of you may have heard of Brian. The second one with a depth of experience in the Pacific, you’re already poised for our most pressing security challenges. But more importantly, I have watched you lead with enthusiasm and positivity. You had the vision. You had the experience. And most of all. You live and breathe. Our first soft truth. Humans are more important than hardware. Our people are, without question, the unmatched advantage of this command. They’re innovative, their problem solvers. They are absolutely committed to keep Americans safe at home and our nation free. So this afternoon, I’m going to tell four brief stories about them, about the people in our special operations formations. First story started with the phone call The chairman, General Milley, pulled me into a conference call at 4:00 in the morning on on the morning of February. 24th. And those early morning hours, Russia began its unprovoked, unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine. When he called, I was actually in West Africa I’ve been visiting our special operations, our special operators who had been partnered with ten African nations and allied nations for the annual flintlock exercise, the largest SOCOM exercise on the African continent. Our men and women were working with partners to counter the persistent threat of violent extremism that continues to threaten regional stability. But even as the Chairman made that call, our special operators in Europe were already prepared for Russia’s active acts of aggression. They had already trained, as I mentioned, for for the previous eight years with the Ukrainian special operations forces, where they had increased both their capability and their capacity, doubling the size of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces. They had already established those deep relationships with our other allies, special operations forces. Long term trusted relationships with our allies, our NATO allies, that we had been fighting shoulder to shoulder with in Afghanistan and Iraq for the previous 20 years. This is all of us know you cannot surge trust in crisis. We also know relationships are what enable our partnerships and those in our people are the foundation of those relationships and those partnerships. I want to thank our interagency partners here today, represented by just a few of a few select individuals. Deputy Secretary Chin from DHS, former Director Louis Freeh from the FBI, and so many others. The level of integration between SOF and our interagency today is as strong as it has ever been. I thank our international partners, our fearless J three international directorate with leis on exchange officers from 28 nations that serve directly in our headquarters as well as many of our fellow special operations commanders that are that came from around the world to be present here today. Your attendance means a great deal and speaks to the power of partnerships. And lastly, I want to thank our joint force partners, my fellow combatant commanders, past and present and service secretaries and chiefs like Secretary Warman and my old friend John McConville. Our force is ready to provide strategic options and asymmetric advantages to our joint force to ensure that our nation prevails if and when threatened. To it all. SOCOM people are our unmatched advantage. It’s those partnerships which generate credible options in crises and allow us to defend freedoms across the globe. The second story that I want to share is about courage, the courage of our men and women on the battlefield. Last June, I had the honor of Recognize, one of our SOF legends, Colonel retired Ralph Puckett. President Biden awarded Colonel Puckett our nation’s highest battlefield honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. But he did this at the age of 94 where he was recognized for his actions in 1950 leading you know leading our rangers against with along with Korean partners when they were being overrun on the battlefield. For me that serves as a reminder that our special operations warriors have been displaying courage since their very inception long before this command came into being in 1987. The last two decades since nine 11 were no different since nine 11 1212 special operators have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. And three of those still serve on active duty today. I would argue that’s unprecedented and it speaks to the courage of our men and our women and it’s only a fraction of the countless valorous awards that this unit has received since 2001 This past April, we we celebrated and recognized another milestone in our history. We recognized the 35th anniversary since SOCOM was founded in 1987 when Congress Congress courageously created this command against the recommendations and advice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I want to thank many of our congressional leaders and yet he was he wasn’t here though in general Milley would have voted for it as a Green Beret But I do think our congressional members that are here today, many of them who serve on our subcommittee Senator are a good friend. Representative Castor Womack, Murphy, Walsh and Crow. Thank all of you for being here. Thanks for your steadfast support. You represent our freedom, our democracy, and most of all, you remind us of the oath that we have taken to support and defend the Constitution. The last two stories I’ll share are about a different bit of courage there, about courage when faced with the steep cost of defending freedom. And the chairman and the secretary both already addressed this. But I want to make it a little bit close and personal as already mentioned, one year ago last week, Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Canals are one of our special operators. Lost his life in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. He was the last member of this command to lose their life in combat. When I had the honor of officiating the funeral at Arlington for Ryan, his family told me this. Ryan generally loved serving this country. He started his service in the 82nd airborne division. But he is especially wanted to strive to come and loved serving in our special operations forces. His family, including his mother, Paula, who is here today, remind all of us of the Gold Star families who have sacrificed so much for this country. They are the epitome of courage. They reflect the selflessness of our men and women in uniform. And we must never forget. But my final story today is one I shared when I took command three years ago, but it was only part of the story. I first met Cory Remsburg as a motivated young Army Ranger specialist and First Ranger Battalion when an IED changed his life in 2009. Cory battled back as he recovered from his wounds much with the assistance of his mom and dad, Greg Anderson. Thank you. But just last week, I got to see Cory competing at the Warrior Games. In Orlando as one of our SOCOM athletes yet again. Cory is charged as challenge himself year after year. Competing with seems SOCOM and with so many other wounded to teammates. Cory, you are still the same motivated somewhat irreverent Army Ranger that I met so many years ago with your dad, Craig by your side, you exemplify the spirit of sacrifice of all of our wounded warriors and our so-called families. You and your family have given so much for this country. Cory, you have been to most of my changes of command. I was at your retirement in Savannah is only fitting that I recognize you Thank you all for saving me with that applause. Because what I was going to finish, it’s only fitting that I recognize you on my last day in uniform. You inspire me, and you remind all of us of the honor, of the undaunted, undaunted courage of our operators. That spirit is why I’m hopeful. Your courageous example is why I’m hopeful for you and the Gold Star families and all of our wounded warriors. You make me proud. You make me honor to have served in this uniform for almost 34 over 38 years. As I close today, we must always remember the almost 5000 men and women from the Special Operations Committee overseas in over 80 countries as we speak about keeping our nation free while providing a for defense at all times What I love is that they probably don’t know, and I truly hope they don’t care about this change of command and we should not want them to care because what we want them to be right now is 100% laser focused on the mission at hand, listening to their NCOs, listening to their seniors to defend the freedoms that we all hold dear. It’s been the honor of my career to serve alongside them. May God continue to bless this great command and this great country rangers lead the way. Thank you very much. Thank you, General Clarke. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. The change of command is a military tradition that is rich with symbolism and heritage dating back to medieval times. Soldiers often carried staffs or standards into battle that identified them as a unit. Throughout military history, unit colors have marked the position of the commander on the battlefield and served as a rally point. Soldiers would follow the standard or guideline of their leader, most often found at the forward edge of battle. All others within the organization might perish, but the killers live forever. In more recent times, the colors represent not only the heritage and history of the unit, but also the unity and loyalty of its service members. Wherever the commander is, there also are the colors. Today, United States Special Operations Command continues this tradition, as Secretary Austin General Clarke and General Fenton Join Command Sergeant Major Shorter for the exchange of the United States Special Operations Command colors. Please remain seated. The senior enlisted leader represents the importance of noncommissioned officers to the armed forces of the United States and within United States Special Operations Command. At this time, Command Sergeant Major Shane Shorter will pass the colors to the outgoing commander, General Clark General Clark now relinquishes the colors to Secretary Austin, thereby signifying the conclusion of his time in command Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the reading of the official orders Attention to orders by the authority of Title Ten, United States Code, Section one 164 and one 167. The undersigned assumes command of the United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, effective 30 August 20, 22 signed. Brian P. Fenton. General. United States Army Commander. Secretary Austin presents the colors to the new Commander. General Fenton, charging him with the responsibility for mission accomplishment and the welfare of his force. General Brian Fenton assumes command and returns the colors to command Sergeant Major Shorter, signifying his acceptance of command responsibility and the continuation of the mission Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. And now, please welcome the 13th commander of United States Special Operations Command, General Brian Fenton. There was only one book left up here. I guess it must be mine. It’s probably the longest one Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for being here today and for traveling from so many places near and far. You honor, the so come team with your presence and the gift of your time. I’ll start my remarks by thanking the teammates who made this change a command possible. We all know these events don’t just happen They take a lot of time and effort by some really incredible people. So if I can, I’d like to get a round of applause for that. SOCOM protocol team The 82nd airborne element. And how about Miss Jessie Sullivan for her rendition of that national anthem and all the other heroes? How about that Incredible. I also want to recognize our wounded warriors and Gold Star family members in the audience. You are national treasures. You’ve given so much to this nation. And your strength and resilience are a source of inspiration. To us all. Thank you so much for honoring us with your presence and reminding of us of our sacred obligations. Could I also ask for a moment of silence in memory of our U.S. service members? And international teammates who have made the ultimate sacrifice Thank you very much for that. Now there’s a military custom that says if you’re coming in as the new commander, you should be brief, be brilliant, and be gone. In your remarks, I don’t understand that General Khairallah doesn’t think this is possible for me, at least to be brief part. So I’ll try to prove him wrong, but it will be tough for a lot of folks to think. And while we’ve already welcomed the VIPs, the VIPs and the devs here in this room, I would like to call out a couple notable guests. Mr. Secretary, Chairman, thank you for officiating today’s ceremony You all must be the busiest people on the planet, yet you are SOCOM with your presence today. And we’re extremely grateful for that presence, your trust and your confidence in this command. Thank you. Rich and Suzanne Clarke, you, along with Greg and Tina Smith, have done an amazing job leading the so come force and family these last three years. Thank you for your steadfast commitment to our enterprise and for your 38 years of service to this nation. Dawn and I and the whole SOCOM team wish you fair wins and following seas. Our friends and and welcome as well. To all the family, friends and colleagues of the Clarkes and Fentons. You make this day very special for us. And to my immediate family. Dawn, Nora and C.C.. Thank you for everything. You know I love you very much. But most importantly, I want to welcome the men and women of SOCOM those in this room today. Those listening via broadcast and those who are deployed otherwise standing the watch for our nation. This is really your day in a command where humans are more important than hardware. This is a day to pause for a moment and recognize those exceptional men and women who make up the United States Special Operations Command, along with their incredible achievements. A day to pause and to note that these SOCOM teammates these quiet professionals who work tirelessly at home and abroad to keep our nation safe are the comparative and competitive advantage of this command. They answered the call every day. Forging enduring relationships with partners and allies, responding to crisis, countering terror or whatever else our nation might require. This team has been and will continue to be called upon to protect our country. And even more so now at this crucial time with the National Defense Strategy outlining challenges with China, Russia, Iran, al Qaeda and ISIS, to name but a few. Yet your special operations forces were born for challenges just like these. It’s in our DNA and has been since the beginning because for more than 70 years, special operations forces have delivered the department and our nation exquisite solutions to some of the most vexing problems one could imagine from facing down communism during the Cold War or Special Operations Forces contested and campaigned in the gray zone, competed in a manner similar to what we will ask of them today and tomorrow to responding to crisis when the nation call to more than 20 years of combat experience in the fight against terror. All the while being a small but incredibly lethal force, consistently delivering high return on investment because of this, your special operations forces are ever more ready, ready to provide unique asymmetric capabilities and options to confront strategic competitors such as China and Russia, ready to counter persistent threats from terrorist organizations and other actors like Iran, ready to respond rapidly to crisis when called and ready if required to provide a range of options for high end conflict as part of our unrivaled joint force and do so as part of a whole of U.S. government team with an incredible network of allies and partners so soft and ready ready to compete. Contest, campaign and win to advance U.S. national security objectives. But we couldn’t do this without our special operations families, their commitment, resolve, and most importantly, their trust form the bedrock, the strength of our force. Special Operations families, thank you. Thank you for being such a critical part of who we are as a team. SOCOM team having grown up in your ranks. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve again alongside the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, space guardians, civilians, contractors and families of this remarkable command. And I’m honored to be your commander. Thank you for what you do for this country each and every day. Thank you in advance for what we will do together. Going forward. And I’ll end where I began by expressing my gratitude to everyone for taking the time to be here today and honoring the SOCOM team with your presence. May God bless everyone in this room, our military, our whole of U.S. government team our incredible allies and partners and the United States of America. The impressively bare thank you, General Fenton. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the playing of the Armed Forces medley and the departure of the official party. We ask that you remain in place as the ushers escort the families to the receiving lines music music music music

Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome to the United States Special Operations Command Change of command ceremony in which General Richard D Clarke, United States Army, will transfer command to General Brian P. Fenton, United States Army. We are honored to have the secretary of defense, Lloyd J. Austin, the third and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley, join us for today’s ceremony. Secretary Austin will serve as the presiding official. We would like to welcome representatives from our foreign partners, special operations forces, members of the diplomatic corps, interagency and senior leaders of the federal, state and civilian community. Thank you to all the former SOCOM. commanders and senior enlisted leaders for attending today’s ceremony. We are honored to have a number of distinguished guests in attendance this afternoon. Please hold your applause until all of our distinguished guests have been recognized the honorable Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator from Iowa. The Honorable Kathy Castor, Congresswoman, 14th District of Florida. The Honorable Steve Womack, Congressman. Third District of Arkansas. The Honorable Stephanie Murphy, Congresswoman. Seventh District of Florida. The Honorable Michael Waltz, Congressman. Sixth District of Florida. The Honorable Jason Crow Congressman. Sixth District of Colorado. Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, United States Army. Retired Former National Security Advisor. The Honorable Mark Esper. 27th Secretary of Defense. The Honorable John Tierney, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Honorable Christine Warmoth US Secretary of the Army. The Honorable Joe Maguire, the former Acting Director of National Intelligence. The Honorable John Rood, the former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy the Honorable Louis Freeh, the former Director of the Federal Bureau Bureau of Investigation. General James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army General Erik Kurilla Commander. United States Central Command. General Chris Cavoli Commander. United States European Command. And a special welcome to the class of 84 U.S. Military Academy classmates that we have with us today. The United States Special Operations Command was formally established as a unified combatant command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, on April 16th. 1987 Congress established US SOCOM to address the unconventional threats posed by the world’s increasing complexity. The World War two era Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, was the fundamental building block for us. SOCOM today. US SOCOM synchronizes the planning of Special Operations Forces with persistent networked and distributed capabilities to assist the geographic combatant commands in order to protect and advance our nation’s interests. US SOCOM service component commands or the Army Special Operations Command located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Naval Special Warfare Command located in Coronado, California. The Air Force Special Operations Command located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. And the Marine Forces Special Operations Command located at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Each component provides the capabilities needed to meet worldwide national security demands, providing reconnaissance, counterproliferation, counterterrorism, military information, support operations, countering insurgency security force assistance, foreign internal defense and civil affairs. U.S. US SOCOM eight sub unified commands are the seven theater special operations commands supporting the geographic combatant commands in the Joint Special Operations Command, as evidenced by the global support we provide The world is truly our area of responsibility. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and the rendering of honors to the Secretary of Defense. music music music please remain standing for the presentation of the colors, the singing of our national anthem and the invocation present arms oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light. Was so proudly held at the twilight’s last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oh the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs by bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner get yet wave For the land of the free and the home of the brave let us pray, almighty God we invoke your divine presence upon our change of command ceremony today that honors two exceptional leaders committed to service of nation and the defense of freedom we are grateful for the accomplishments of General Richard D Clarke as our SOCOM commander. His enthusiastic spirit and notable professionalism served as an inspiration for those who were privileged to work with him and provided an example of encouragement and motivation throughout the entire Special Operations Enterprise. We now ask your blessing upon General Brian P. Fenton as he assumes command, bring success and achievement to his efforts as he continues to work through the many extraordinary and demanding challenges before him. May he continue to be a source of inspiration for his fellow service members and for everyone within the SOCOM community. Watch over all of us now as we celebrate this transition and may our new leadership and our continued commitment to freedom bear the fruit of security, liberty and peace. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Well, thank you all for being here today. And it’s truly a big day. Earlier, we retired, Richard Clarke and I was falsely accused of giving a 40 minute speech and that was fake news. And and Brian Fenton reminded me earlier of what I had said to him earlier about the Gettysburg Address lasting 2 minutes and Caesar stood up here and gave a two hour address and he was murdered by his friend. So I cut my remarks way down here. So, hey, but this is a big day, and thank you all for making time for being here as we celebrate the great work of Richard Clarke and what he’s done over the last four years here. It’s SOCOM what Brian Fenton is about to do and so thank you all. There’s many, many dignitaries here, senators, congressmen, generals, sergeants, majors, all kinds of folks. And in the words of Carter Ham, all protocols are observed. But there is one group that should be recognized a little bit more, and that is sitting over here to my right, your left. And that’s the families, the Gold Star, families of our fallen. We represent a greater community. They really represent hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines since the founding of our nation who have given their lives on the altar of freedom. And I want to recognize them. And they know that there’s no words that I can say. And those of you who are at the retirement ceremony heard the same thing. There’s no words I can say or anyone else can ever say. These are the gaping wounds that are in your hearts they will be there all of your life. But what we can do and what we will do is always remember your fallen. We will always honor them with our service. We will always honor their sacrifice for all of our freedoms. They gave their tomorrows for our today’s. And we know that. And we will honor them for the rest of our day. So to you, each of you, thank you. And I know that it’s difficult. This a particularly difficult time. And I know without naming names that one of the Gold Star mothers here lost her son at Abbey Gate a year ago. And this is extraordinary painful and the memories swell up. But she is an inspiration to every single one of us. She and every Gold Star family shows us the way they show us the way forward. They show us how to put one foot in front of the other, how to persevere in the face of hardship. So to each of you, thank you thank you for your example. Thank you for your service and thank you for your sacrifice. Although we recognize Richard Clarke and Bryan Fenton today, this ceremony is really about something much bigger than either one of them is about the command. It’s about SOCOM and SOCOM as we know creates and develops the most elite forces from across the Joint Force and integrates their skills into all the domains of space and cyber air, land, maritime and subsurface. SOCOM provides globally integrated capabilities for every geographic combatant command. And this capability is not something that you can create very quickly. There are no shortcuts. Special Operations personnel and units are built through rigorous selection, incredible discipline, excellence and all the fundamentals of war fighting, tremendous leadership and flat out hard demanding and dangerous work that requires exceptional courage. SOCOM is, in fact, the world’s most credible and capable force. There is no other organization with the extraordinary talent and skill found in the United States Special Operations Forces and Rich Clarke led. SOCOM he led them in building partner capacity, strengthening relationships with our allies and partners, building capable, incredible fighting forces and currently SOCOM has over 5000 troops deployed in 80 countries under Richard’s command. So come team’s rescue to US citizen in Nigeria. Just 96 hours after capture they eliminated Soleimani Baghdadi and most recently in the last 48 hours they recovered another hostage they finished off ISIS if constantly led the CT fight around the world in Afghanistan Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. On the Rich Clark’s leadership. This command played a significant role in the largest military air evacuation in history, with 124,000 Afghans a free today because of the United States military and the incredible capability of our Special Operations forces. And as we know, that came at a heavy price and no one knows that better. Than the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, United States Army and United States Special Operations Forces. Every soldier sailor, airman, Marine and special operator that has ever served in Afghanistan should always be proud of their sacrifice that protected our country for 20 consecutive years from terrorist attack. And we gave unprecedented hope to millions of Afghanistan and the fight continues. SOCOM, leading the way, providing over the horizon capabilities not only in Afghanistan, but all around the globe. And this command has also shifted to meet the significant challenge of China and Russia as part of the SECDEF, the integrated deterrence strategy. Today we are at day 188 since Russia unlawfully and illegally invaded the sovereign territory of Ukraine, a country that has been free and independent since the fall of the Wall SOCOM teams are providing necessary training to Ukrainian special operations forces so they can counter this aggression this command. In fact, and additionally SOCOM so forces are building partner capacity with all the NATO’s allies while Rich and SOCOM are accomplishing all of this threat you know, as an amazing friend and partner in Suzanne 31st 34th anniversary this December, how are you, Rich? As you know, as an amazing friend and partner and Suzanne high school sweethearts from Germany. They’ll celebrate their 31st 34th anniversary this December. How you put up with him for 34 years is amazing if anyone deserves a if anyone Suzanne deserves a medal at the ceremony for you as we all know Suzanne is a resource to our families as well as our soldiers and has spent countless hours helping others. She has comforted our wounded. She has great families of the fallen she’s been fully committed to this mission from the very beginning. She’s passionate about supporting our military families and she helps to address their every challenge and she does it all with character, compassion and grace. And all the while she is raised to amazing adults Madeline and Will I instantly knew Madeline Will were a force to be reckoned with as they both left home immediately and went to Boston Madeline graduated from Tufts recently and now is working. Some do some great work up there in the Boston area and Will is attending Northeastern as a rising senior and is currently interning in L.A. at a law firm. So just what we need. Another lawyer Will, thank you you know our family sacrifice way more than we do Will. And Madeline a representative of all the children of those of us in uniform. And when we go off to war, we deploy anywhere it is they deal with the stress, the uncertainty, the many moves of military life. And clearly, they are constantly concerned about whether their soldier will come home Will and Madeline, thank you. Thank you for supporting your father. Thank you for supporting your mother. Thank you for your own sacrifice over so many years of service sacrifice is known all too well to the members of this command. 11 years ago this month, we lost 38 killed just a few miles outside of Kabul. Their Chinook extortion, 17 was shot out of the sky by a rocket propelled grenade it was the single deadliest event of the war in Afghanistan, and they were killed while supporting a raid to root out terrorists. The daily freedoms we all have and all enjoy, we the living is paid for and the blood of our fallen One year ago, as I previously mentioned, we lost 13, 11 Marines, one sailor and one soldier. Staff sergeant, Canals this command all killed it every a day in a brutal terrorist attack as they were trying to save Afghans fleeing from the tyranny of the Taliban. SOCOM is always at the intersection where freedom meets fear. Special Operations forces are always at the point of the spear. They are literally at the edge of liberty. Our enemies around the world take note of what our operators do. It gives them pause. It changes their calculus. Well, we ask our special operations soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to do is amazing. These men and women execute some of the nation’s most complex and dangerous missions that most will never hear about. They do it at night. They do it in horrible weather. They do it against fanatical enemies, and they are risking it all. And every objective in the bloody crucible of ground combat sometimes you may hear about the mission or what they accomplished, and oftentimes you never will They don’t do these missions for glory. They do it for you. They do it for us. They do it for America. And they do these missions consistently and routinely without complaint. And while our special operators are very successful at what they do, we can never stop improving. We we’re not perfect in the way we fought wars for the last 20 years. It’s not the same way we’re going to fight wars in the future. The special operations maximum of the human is more important than the hardware will always be true. We must honor operators with the right equipment. We must arm them with the right intelligence, to arm them with the right sensor, fusion and data analytics. We must arm them with the right relationships and partners. And right now, we are at an inflection point, an historical inflection point. And while the nature of war does not change, the character of war does. And right now, the character of war is changing rapidly. How we fight the doctrine. We fight with the organizations that we fight with the weapons. We fight with the enemies. We fight and the locations. All of that is changing. It’s changing fast. And it’s changing in a very real fundamental way. And it’s changing at a pace that’s unprecedented in history. Information is flowing much more rapidly at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Autonomous systems and artificial intelligence will be foundational to the conduct of future war, unlike the last 20 years. SOCOM will lead this nation SOCOM to this nation in the next 20 years and beyond. Point four, our joint force as we adapt to the changing character of war. And Brian Fenton is the right leader He’s the right leader at the right time, the right skills to lead this command. Like Richard Clarke, Brian Fenton has the perfect blend of character, competence, and courage is all the right expertise and knowledge. Take what Richard’s done and take it to the next level. Brian understands service He’s led soldiers on ten deployments in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and across Africa in the Pacific. Throughout his time in Special Forces, he commanded at the the troop, the battalion, squadron, brigade levels and his command as a general officer, various special mission units to include Json. Brian knows how to lead High-Performing organizations. He knows how to build effective teams to maximize your strength and accomplish their mission. And he’s led Special Operations Forces for over 30 years across five continents in peace and war. And together with his spouse, Dawn. Brian’s an example for his children. His daughter Nora commissioned 2021 as a collection platoon leader in the Army Reserve and their second daughter, CC is starting her junior year at Notre Dame and is an Army ROTC. So Nora CC and Dawn to each of you know that Brian could not have done what he has done without your unconditional love and support over so many years. And I can tell you, he’s going to need it again. He’s going to need it in spades in the next several years without your support Brian Fenton will not make it. He’s hard. He’s tough, but he needs every ounce of it. Sacrifices inherent in this line of work. Everyone in uniform knows that. Every one of us knows that we raised our right hand and we committed an oath to an idea. The idea that is America and defending that idea will always be dangerous. Hundreds of thousands have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our nation free in the last two and a half centuries. Each of them gave the last full measure of devotion so that our nation would remain free Special Operations Forces answer that call every day. They fight for the same cause, and every one of us is prepared to give our lives to support and defend the Constitution and our American values. What this command has done for 20 years protecting our country from terrorists. We forever enshrined in military history. The challenge does not end. We must continue to look forward and focus on the threats of our future. The threats to our Constitution will always be there. They will always be met by the courage of our Special Operations Forces. So let me take a moment now to introduce our secretary of defense. He’s a man of incredible character and integrity. He leads with honor and compassion. He’s a man that I have known for 25 years. I have personally seen him lead in combat under fire. We are very fortunate to have Lloyd Austin leading us. Ladies and gentlemen, the 28th Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, the third Well, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, General Milley, for that introduction and for all that you do for our military. And I join the chairman in honoring the Wounded Warriors and the Gold Star families who are here with us today. Your loved ones, extraordinary bravery and service and sacrifice. It’s something that we can never repay and we will never forget I’m also pleased to welcome members of Congress and so many current and former military and civilian leaders You know, it’s great to be back in Tampa. When I served in uniform. I’ve spent a lot of time at MacDill and in this community. So being here always feels like coming home Now, today, we’re celebrating, General Clarke, for his leadership of this command and his lifetime of service And we’re welcoming General Fenton, who I know will do an exceptional job. So this is a special day that Special Operations Command but it’s also a day for reflection Today, we mark one year since the end of the war in Afghanistan. And I remain enormously proud of the U.S. military’s professionalism and bravery over 20 years of war Proud of the work of NATO’s allies and partners who supported our hope for a better future for the Afghan people. And proud of this command’s relentless fight. Doing only what special operations special operators can do You know, it was the quiet professionals of SOCOM who were among the first on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001 And when I led troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and served as a CENTCOM commander, I relied on special operators and support teams for your skill, for your precision, and for your bold determination to confront any threat, any time and you remain vigilant every day. For SOCOM, the mission ahead will also require your expertise as we focus on today’s security environment One where China’s aggression is our number one facing challenge and where Russia remains an acute threat, especially after President Putin’s reckless invasion of Ukraine At the same time, Special Operations Forces will maintain the watch to protect their country from terrorists. For in Afghanistan, this command has been instrumental in diving in the horizon counterterrorism approaches And no one should doubt the resolve of the United States to protect our homeland. The world saw that back in February. And the successful mission that took out the global leader of ISIS And again, just a back then, working closely with the interagency and with our strong network of allies and partners around the globe, Every day you are helping us realize that vision for our security SOCOM is hard at work here in Tampa. And that theater of Special Operations Command and in more than 80 countries around the world, they’re working hard to set the conditions to prevent conflicts before they start and to create multiple dilemmas for our adversaries and to deliver the right effect at the right place at the right time. And for decades. So you have supported interoperability with our allies and partners around the globe. And it’s SOCOM. You also know that how you do what you do matters So you’ve embraced civilian oversight with your counterparts at Solid. And when military and civilian leaders share a true partnership That’s a powerful combination. And that’s how we’ll make sure that special operations forces have the broadest range of resources and technologies and the best people to succeed in today’s security environment. So we are enormously proud of the men and women of. SOCOM So, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a round of applause. For the men and women of SOCOM It is clear that SOCOM has done vital work these past three years. And that’s a testament to the principle old and dedicated leader that you’ve had. And General Richard Clarke The military service runs deep in the Clarke family. So I want to add my appreciation to all of them. For their dedication to our country. I also want to thank Suzanne for all the work that she’s done with military families over the years. And a special thanks to the Clark children who, as the chairman pointed out, are not really children they are full adults and doing well Will, and Madeline, we are grateful for your sacrifices you have been by your dad’s side for every move and supported him during every deployment over the last 38 years. So thanks for your sacrifices. And again, Suzanne, thanks for all that you have done on behalf of our families. And in support of Rich You know, Rich is also the product of a West Point class of 1984 Rich. It’s also the product of the class the West Point class of 1984 Okay Rich, I think some of your classmates are in fact here today. So welcome classmates. Now, according to those classmates at the academy, Rich was considered the least likely to stay in the military for more than five years. And at the time, staying in for five years was in fact, Rich and Suzanne’s plan. But then a Ranger regimental commander invited Rich to try out for the Rangers, and that changed everything in the Rangers. Rich found a team living by their creed to move further and faster and fight harder. And not for personal glory, but because, as Richard said, when you push yourself to the next level, every ranger to your left and right will meet you there. Now, that focus on character and on excellence has formed you. General Clarke’s leadership style ever since is what has defined his two decades of command, two decades of command and it’s what made him such a successful commander at West Point. Those are significant accomplishments, especially when you consider that he was a guy that was only planning to stay in for five years And I would note, instead of the least likely to stay in the military today, General Clark retires as the last member of the class of 1984 and continue with active duty service Now I actually saw General Clarke’s relentless pursuit of excellence for myself when I was a CENTCOM commander at the time, General Clark was leading our effort to train and equip Iraqi soldiers as a commander of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. And as they were preparing for the battles of Ramadi and Mosul, I pushed him in the 82nd Airborne Division to speed up their timeline and true to form. Rich and his team worked hard and moved further and faster. And they fought harder. And they absolutely got the job done. Here at SOCOM, General Clark has made this command more resilient. He’s improve the quality of special operators and he’s strengthened. SOCOM fear force and families. Rich, I want to personally thank you for all that you’ve done to keep America safe and to serve all those under your command. You have done a magnificent job and I wish you and Suzanne all the best in the well-deserved return And so, as we say farewell to one outstanding leader, it’s SOCOM. We are welcoming another. And General Brian Fenton, Now, if you had to pick a few words to sum up, Brian, they would be God, country and Notre Dame a couple of Notre Dame guys in the crowd, too. One more Notre Dame They’re there Brian’s love for the University of Notre Dame began at a young age, and he said that wanting to go to college, there was what prompted him to fill out an ROTC application. Now, that application set him on a path to spend the next 35 years in uniform. And General Fenton have served in and commanded at every level of Special Operations Forces. He’s been a part of operations in nearly every region around the world. And General Fenton has built up extensive expertise in the Indo-Pacific In fact, he managed to get four consecutive assignments in Hawaii four assignments in Hawaii. And it culminated in General Fenton becoming the first special operations officer to serve as a deputy commander at U.S. Indo-Pacific command. Now, Brian, following your time in Hawaii, it must have felt like you’re luck run out when you had to leave surfing behind and you took your next assignment at the Pentagon as a senior military assistant to the secretary of defense. But when I walked into the office on my first day, I have to say, Brian, I was really glad to have you there, too. As one of the first people that I met I will be forever grateful for your steady leadership through historic challenges and for the spirit of teamwork that you instilled and for your sound judgment and wise counsel I also want to echo the chairman’s recognition of your wife, Dawn, who has served and served right alongside you for the past three decades, and your two daughters who have done amazing work in their in their lifetime as well. Your daughter Nora, graduated from Notre Dame in 20, 21, and she is in the Army Reserves. Your daughter Cecilia is a junior at Notre Dame and also enrolled in Army ROTC. Brian, I want to hazard a guess on whether it’s the Army or the Notre Dame part of their resumes that make you the most proud What makes general Fenton ideal for this command is his focus on people everywhere he’s worked. He’s created the kind of environment where people want to perform. He’s invested in his teammates and trusted them to get the job done. He’s embodied the S.O.F. for truth, truths that guide everything that you do here. So, General Fenton, congratulations And I know that you will take this command bravely forward Now, I know that your S.O.F truths are unique to this command, but they also drive at something that’s fundamental to our entire military. And it’s this. United States has the strongest fighting force in the world. And it’s not because we have superior weapons, although we do. It’s not because we have better tactics. Though. We have those, too. Ladies and gentlemen, we are the world’s strongest fighting force because our people and the values that our people stand for are far and beyond what everybody else brings to the table. Our strength is our people and it’s SOCOM. I’m proud of the way that you prove that every single day Thank you for all that you do and the service of our great nation. And may God bless you and keep you safe. And may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you, Secretary Austin and General Milley. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 12th commander of the United States Special Operations Command, General Rich Clark, Hey, to the many, many, many friends and teammates and to the distinguished visitors. Thank you all for joining me today. Mr. Secretary and Chairman, I’m sincerely grateful for the trust and confidence that you provided to me. This command and most of all to our Special Operations Forces. Thank you for your leadership. And most of all, thank you both for your example. Mr. Secretary, as you mentioned. Yeah, we work. We first worked closely together when I was commanding in Iraq. Underneath was the CENTCOM commander. And every single day you pushed me and you pushed the 82nd Airborne to drive faster. You know, to make, you know, they could get the Iraqis, you know, make the Iraqis successful. And I got to watch your personal courage and leadership for that, for that year long period. And I’ll tell you, it mattered. But thank you for driving this department to change in defending our nation. Succeeding through teamwork and most of all, taking care of our people. And thank you for raising your hand again. After military retirement to serve. And what I would argue is an even increasingly more demanding position today To my family, Suzanne. Madeleine. Will, I love all you dearly. You care just as deeply about this nation and SOCOM families as I do. Thank you for serving alongside me these many years to our Tampa community and so many incredible leaders, Suzanne. And I’d relished our time here And we’re sad to go. Few communities support the men and women who protect this nation like Tampa Bay. My deepest thanks to all of you, to my predecessors. Many of them here, the loyal team of former SOCOM commanders. You have always made yourselves available to me. And for that, I will always be appreciative. Luckily, many of you love Tampa dearly. America’s there. I see you there. Thanks for you all to make it make Tampa your home. And if I can find a good real estate deal later, I will be back here too to my fellow SOCOM leaders Pat McAuley, Greg Smith, Tony Valentine, Tim Szymanski, Colin Green, Marcus Evans, and our subordinate commanders like Jim Slack, John Braga, Jim Glenn, Fran Burdette and I counted up almost 20 TSOC commanders during the three and a half years that I’ve been in command. I couldn’t have wished to serve with a better group and a finer group of leaders You, you and your and your command. Senior enlisted leaders cared deeply about our special operations community today, but more importantly, we’ve talked about every time we get together, care about our special operators in the future. I am thrilled to welcome and turnover this great unit to Brian and Dawn Fenton. Brian, congratulations. No one I say again No one is more ready to lead our special operations community than you. There have only been two SOCOM commanders that commanded both a t soc and j soc. And the other guy was a name, a guy named McRaven. Some of you may have heard of Brian. The second one with a depth of experience in the Pacific, you’re already poised for our most pressing security challenges. But more importantly, I have watched you lead with enthusiasm and positivity. You had the vision. You had the experience. And most of all. You live and breathe. Our first soft truth. Humans are more important than hardware. Our people are, without question, the unmatched advantage of this command. They’re innovative, their problem solvers. They are absolutely committed to keep Americans safe at home and our nation free. So this afternoon, I’m going to tell four brief stories about them, about the people in our special operations formations. First story started with the phone call The chairman, General Milley, pulled me into a conference call at 4:00 in the morning on on the morning of February. 24th. And those early morning hours, Russia began its unprovoked, unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine. When he called, I was actually in West Africa I’ve been visiting our special operations, our special operators who had been partnered with ten African nations and allied nations for the annual flintlock exercise, the largest SOCOM exercise on the African continent. Our men and women were working with partners to counter the persistent threat of violent extremism that continues to threaten regional stability. But even as the Chairman made that call, our special operators in Europe were already prepared for Russia’s active acts of aggression. They had already trained, as I mentioned, for for the previous eight years with the Ukrainian special operations forces, where they had increased both their capability and their capacity, doubling the size of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces. They had already established those deep relationships with our other allies, special operations forces. Long term trusted relationships with our allies, our NATO allies, that we had been fighting shoulder to shoulder with in Afghanistan and Iraq for the previous 20 years. This is all of us know you cannot surge trust in crisis. We also know relationships are what enable our partnerships and those in our people are the foundation of those relationships and those partnerships. I want to thank our interagency partners here today, represented by just a few of a few select individuals. Deputy Secretary Chin from DHS, former Director Louis Freeh from the FBI, and so many others. The level of integration between SOF and our interagency today is as strong as it has ever been. I thank our international partners, our fearless J three international directorate with leis on exchange officers from 28 nations that serve directly in our headquarters as well as many of our fellow special operations commanders that are that came from around the world to be present here today. Your attendance means a great deal and speaks to the power of partnerships. And lastly, I want to thank our joint force partners, my fellow combatant commanders, past and present and service secretaries and chiefs like Secretary Warman and my old friend John McConville. Our force is ready to provide strategic options and asymmetric advantages to our joint force to ensure that our nation prevails if and when threatened. To it all. SOCOM people are our unmatched advantage. It’s those partnerships which generate credible options in crises and allow us to defend freedoms across the globe. The second story that I want to share is about courage, the courage of our men and women on the battlefield. Last June, I had the honor of Recognize, one of our SOF legends, Colonel retired Ralph Puckett. President Biden awarded Colonel Puckett our nation’s highest battlefield honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. But he did this at the age of 94 where he was recognized for his actions in 1950 leading you know leading our rangers against with along with Korean partners when they were being overrun on the battlefield. For me that serves as a reminder that our special operations warriors have been displaying courage since their very inception long before this command came into being in 1987. The last two decades since nine 11 were no different since nine 11 1212 special operators have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. And three of those still serve on active duty today. I would argue that’s unprecedented and it speaks to the courage of our men and our women and it’s only a fraction of the countless valorous awards that this unit has received since 2001 This past April, we we celebrated and recognized another milestone in our history. We recognized the 35th anniversary since SOCOM was founded in 1987 when Congress Congress courageously created this command against the recommendations and advice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I want to thank many of our congressional leaders and yet he was he wasn’t here though in general Milley would have voted for it as a Green Beret But I do think our congressional members that are here today, many of them who serve on our subcommittee Senator are a good friend. Representative Castor Womack, Murphy, Walsh and Crow. Thank all of you for being here. Thanks for your steadfast support. You represent our freedom, our democracy, and most of all, you remind us of the oath that we have taken to support and defend the Constitution. The last two stories I’ll share are about a different bit of courage there, about courage when faced with the steep cost of defending freedom. And the chairman and the secretary both already addressed this. But I want to make it a little bit close and personal as already mentioned, one year ago last week, Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Canals are one of our special operators. Lost his life in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. He was the last member of this command to lose their life in combat. When I had the honor of officiating the funeral at Arlington for Ryan, his family told me this. Ryan generally loved serving this country. He started his service in the 82nd airborne division. But he is especially wanted to strive to come and loved serving in our special operations forces. His family, including his mother, Paula, who is here today, remind all of us of the Gold Star families who have sacrificed so much for this country. They are the epitome of courage. They reflect the selflessness of our men and women in uniform. And we must never forget. But my final story today is one I shared when I took command three years ago, but it was only part of the story. I first met Cory Remsburg as a motivated young Army Ranger specialist and First Ranger Battalion when an IED changed his life in 2009. Cory battled back as he recovered from his wounds much with the assistance of his mom and dad, Greg Anderson. Thank you. But just last week, I got to see Cory competing at the Warrior Games. In Orlando as one of our SOCOM athletes yet again. Cory is charged as challenge himself year after year. Competing with seems SOCOM and with so many other wounded to teammates. Cory, you are still the same motivated somewhat irreverent Army Ranger that I met so many years ago with your dad, Craig by your side, you exemplify the spirit of sacrifice of all of our wounded warriors and our so-called families. You and your family have given so much for this country. Cory, you have been to most of my changes of command. I was at your retirement in Savannah is only fitting that I recognize you Thank you all for saving me with that applause. Because what I was going to finish, it’s only fitting that I recognize you on my last day in uniform. You inspire me, and you remind all of us of the honor, of the undaunted, undaunted courage of our operators. That spirit is why I’m hopeful. Your courageous example is why I’m hopeful for you and the Gold Star families and all of our wounded warriors. You make me proud. You make me honor to have served in this uniform for almost 34 over 38 years. As I close today, we must always remember the almost 5000 men and women from the Special Operations Committee overseas in over 80 countries as we speak about keeping our nation free while providing a for defense at all times What I love is that they probably don’t know, and I truly hope they don’t care about this change of command and we should not want them to care because what we want them to be right now is 100% laser focused on the mission at hand, listening to their NCOs, listening to their seniors to defend the freedoms that we all hold dear. It’s been the honor of my career to serve alongside them. May God continue to bless this great command and this great country rangers lead the way. Thank you very much. Thank you, General Clarke. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. The change of command is a military tradition that is rich with symbolism and heritage dating back to medieval times. Soldiers often carried staffs or standards into battle that identified them as a unit. Throughout military history, unit colors have marked the position of the commander on the battlefield and served as a rally point. Soldiers would follow the standard or guideline of their leader, most often found at the forward edge of battle. All others within the organization might perish, but the killers live forever. In more recent times, the colors represent not only the heritage and history of the unit, but also the unity and loyalty of its service members. Wherever the commander is, there also are the colors. Today, United States Special Operations Command continues this tradition, as Secretary Austin General Clarke and General Fenton Join Command Sergeant Major Shorter for the exchange of the United States Special Operations Command colors. Please remain seated. The senior enlisted leader represents the importance of noncommissioned officers to the armed forces of the United States and within United States Special Operations Command. At this time, Command Sergeant Major Shane Shorter will pass the colors to the outgoing commander, General Clark General Clark now relinquishes the colors to Secretary Austin, thereby signifying the conclusion of his time in command Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the reading of the official orders Attention to orders by the authority of Title Ten, United States Code, Section one 164 and one 167. The undersigned assumes command of the United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, effective 30 August 20, 22 signed. Brian P. Fenton. General. United States Army Commander. Secretary Austin presents the colors to the new Commander. General Fenton, charging him with the responsibility for mission accomplishment and the welfare of his force. General Brian Fenton assumes command and returns the colors to command Sergeant Major Shorter, signifying his acceptance of command responsibility and the continuation of the mission Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. And now, please welcome the 13th commander of United States Special Operations Command, General Brian Fenton. There was only one book left up here. I guess it must be mine. It’s probably the longest one Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for being here today and for traveling from so many places near and far. You honor, the so come team with your presence and the gift of your time. I’ll start my remarks by thanking the teammates who made this change a command possible. We all know these events don’t just happen They take a lot of time and effort by some really incredible people. So if I can, I’d like to get a round of applause for that. SOCOM protocol team The 82nd airborne element. And how about Miss Jessie Sullivan for her rendition of that national anthem and all the other heroes? How about that Incredible. I also want to recognize our wounded warriors and Gold Star family members in the audience. You are national treasures. You’ve given so much to this nation. And your strength and resilience are a source of inspiration. To us all. Thank you so much for honoring us with your presence and reminding of us of our sacred obligations. Could I also ask for a moment of silence in memory of our U.S. service members? And international teammates who have made the ultimate sacrifice Thank you very much for that. Now there’s a military custom that says if you’re coming in as the new commander, you should be brief, be brilliant, and be gone. In your remarks, I don’t understand that General Khairallah doesn’t think this is possible for me, at least to be brief part. So I’ll try to prove him wrong, but it will be tough for a lot of folks to think. And while we’ve already welcomed the VIPs, the VIPs and the devs here in this room, I would like to call out a couple notable guests. Mr. Secretary, Chairman, thank you for officiating today’s ceremony You all must be the busiest people on the planet, yet you are SOCOM with your presence today. And we’re extremely grateful for that presence, your trust and your confidence in this command. Thank you. Rich and Suzanne Clarke, you, along with Greg and Tina Smith, have done an amazing job leading the so come force and family these last three years. Thank you for your steadfast commitment to our enterprise and for your 38 years of service to this nation. Dawn and I and the whole SOCOM team wish you fair wins and following seas. Our friends and and welcome as well. To all the family, friends and colleagues of the Clarkes and Fentons. You make this day very special for us. And to my immediate family. Dawn, Nora and C.C.. Thank you for everything. You know I love you very much. But most importantly, I want to welcome the men and women of SOCOM those in this room today. Those listening via broadcast and those who are deployed otherwise standing the watch for our nation. This is really your day in a command where humans are more important than hardware. This is a day to pause for a moment and recognize those exceptional men and women who make up the United States Special Operations Command, along with their incredible achievements. A day to pause and to note that these SOCOM teammates these quiet professionals who work tirelessly at home and abroad to keep our nation safe are the comparative and competitive advantage of this command. They answered the call every day. Forging enduring relationships with partners and allies, responding to crisis, countering terror or whatever else our nation might require. This team has been and will continue to be called upon to protect our country. And even more so now at this crucial time with the National Defense Strategy outlining challenges with China, Russia, Iran, al Qaeda and ISIS, to name but a few. Yet your special operations forces were born for challenges just like these. It’s in our DNA and has been since the beginning because for more than 70 years, special operations forces have delivered the department and our nation exquisite solutions to some of the most vexing problems one could imagine from facing down communism during the Cold War or Special Operations Forces contested and campaigned in the gray zone, competed in a manner similar to what we will ask of them today and tomorrow to responding to crisis when the nation call to more than 20 years of combat experience in the fight against terror. All the while being a small but incredibly lethal force, consistently delivering high return on investment because of this, your special operations forces are ever more ready, ready to provide unique asymmetric capabilities and options to confront strategic competitors such as China and Russia, ready to counter persistent threats from terrorist organizations and other actors like Iran, ready to respond rapidly to crisis when called and ready if required to provide a range of options for high end conflict as part of our unrivaled joint force and do so as part of a whole of U.S. government team with an incredible network of allies and partners so soft and ready ready to compete. Contest, campaign and win to advance U.S. national security objectives. But we couldn’t do this without our special operations families, their commitment, resolve, and most importantly, their trust form the bedrock, the strength of our force. Special Operations families, thank you. Thank you for being such a critical part of who we are as a team. SOCOM team having grown up in your ranks. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve again alongside the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, space guardians, civilians, contractors and families of this remarkable command. And I’m honored to be your commander. Thank you for what you do for this country each and every day. Thank you in advance for what we will do together. Going forward. And I’ll end where I began by expressing my gratitude to everyone for taking the time to be here today and honoring the SOCOM team with your presence. May God bless everyone in this room, our military, our whole of U.S. government team our incredible allies and partners and the United States of America. The impressively bare thank you, General Fenton. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the playing of the Armed Forces medley and the departure of the official party. We ask that you remain in place as the ushers escort the families to the receiving lines music music music music