The chief of staff of the Army announces the following officer assignments:

Lt. Gen. James E. Rainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.

Maj. Gen. (Promotable) Maria R. Gervais, director, Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Team, Orlando, Florida, to deputy commanding general/chief of staff, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

Maj. Gen. Richard E. Angle, deputy commander, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to commanding general, 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Maj. Gen. Robert L. Edmonson II, deputy chief of staff, G-6, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to commanding general, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

Maj. Gen. James B. Jarrard, commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, to chief of staff, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii.

Maj. Gen. Mitchell L. Kilgo, commanding general, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to deputy, The Inspector General, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.

Maj. Gen. Joel K. Tyler, director, J-3 operations/cyber, U.S. Africa Command, Germany, to chief of staff, U.S. Africa Command, Germany.

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Brig. Gen. Shan K. Bagby, commanding general, Brooke Army Medical Center; and deputy market manager, San Antonio Military Health System, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, to commanding general, Regional Health Command-Central, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

Brig. Gen. Edward H. Bailey, command surgeon, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to commanding general, Regional Health Command-Pacific; and market manager, Puget Sound Enhanced Multi-Service Market, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

Brig. Gen. William M. Boruff, deputy commander, Combined Security Command-Afghanistan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, Afghanistan, to program executive officer, U.S. Army Joint Program Executive Office, Armaments and Ammunition; and commanding general, Picatinny Arsenal, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey.

Brig. Gen. Winston P. Brooks, commandant, U.S. Army Field Artillery School, U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to deputy chief of staff for operations, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, NATO, United Kingdom.

Brig. Gen. Timothy D. Brown, director, J-2, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida, to director, J-2, U.S. European Command, Germany.

Brig. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, commandant of cadets, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, to deputy chief of staff, operations, Resolute Support Mission, NATO; deputy commanding general (operations), U.S. Forces-Afghanistan; and commander, U.S. National Support Element Command-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, Afghanistan.

Brig. Gen. Jack M. Davis, commanding general, Regional Health Command-Pacific; and market manager, Puget Sound Enhanced Multi-Service Market, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, to deputy chief of staff, quality and safety, U.S. Army Medical Command, Washington, D.C.

Brig. Gen. Johnny K. Davis, chief of staff, U.S. Army Futures Command, Austin, Texas, to commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Brig. Gen. Christopher L. Eubank, commanding general, 7th Signal Command; and deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, Fort Gordon Georgia, to commanding general, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Brig. Gen. Wendy L. Harter, commanding general, Regional Health Command-Central, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, to deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Medical Command, Falls Church, Virginia.

Brig. Gen. John D. Kline, deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to senior advisor to the Ministry of Defense, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, Afghanistan.

Brig. Gen. Mary V. Krueger, deputy chief of staff, G-1/4/6, U.S. Army Medical Command, Falls Church, Virginia, to commanding general, Regional Health Command-Atlantic, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Brig. Gen. Michael B. Lalor, commanding general, Army Medical Logistics Command, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, to commandant, U.S. Army Ordnance School, U.S. Army Sustainment Center of Excellence, Fort Lee, Virginia.

Brig. Gen. Michelle M. Letcher, commandant, U.S. Army Ordnance School, U.S. Army Sustainment Center of Excellence, Fort Lee, Virginia, to chief of staff, U.S. Army Futures Command, Austin, Texas.

Brig. Gen. Paula C. Lodi, commanding general, Regional Health Command-Atlantic, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to deputy commanding general (Support), U.S. Army Medical Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

Brig. Gen. Joseph A. Ryan, deputy chief of staff, operations, Resolute Support Mission, NATO; deputy commanding general (operations), U.S. Forces-Afghanistan; and commander, U.S. National Support Element Command-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, Afghanistan, to commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Brig. Gen. Michael J. Talley, commanding general, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command and Fort Detrick, Fort Detrick, Maryland, to deputy commanding general (operations), U.S. Army Medical Command, Falls Church, Virginia.

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U.S. Army Reserve

Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Mosser, commander (Troop Program Unit), 377th Theater Sustainment Command, Belle Chasse, Louisiana, to deputy commanding general (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Brig. Gen. John W. Aarsen, commander (Troop Program Unit), 451st Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Wichita, Kansas, to deputy commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 79th Theater Sustainment Command, Los Alamitos, California.

Brig. Gen. Christopher Z. Barra, deputy commanding general – Support (Troop Program Unit), 63d Readiness Division, Mountain View, California, to commander (Troop Program Unit), 451st Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Wichita, Kansas.

Brig. Gen. Mark E. Black, commander (Troop Program Unit), 350th Civil Affairs Command, Pensacola, Florida, to director of operations, (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), J-3 (Wartime), U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea.

Brig. Gen. Aida T. Borras, commanding general (Troop Program Unit), Military Intelligence Readiness Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to deputy commanding general, Southern European Task Force – Africa, Vicenza, Italy.

Brig. Gen. Timothy D. Connelly, commander (Troop Program Unit), 9th Mission Support Command, Honolulu, Hawaii, to deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7 (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), Office of the Chief of Army Reserve, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Brig. Gen. Joseph D’costa, Reserve vice director (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), J-7, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., to deputy commander - Support (Troop Program Unit), 412th Engineer Command, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Brig. Gen. William B. Dyer III, assistant judge advocate general - operations (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., to commanding general (Troop Program Unit), U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey M. Farris, commander (Troop Program Unit), 352d Civil Affairs Command, Fort Meade, Maryland, to deputy commander (Troop Program Unit), 108th Training Command (Initial Entry Training), Charlotte, North Carolina.

Brig. Gen. Stephanie Q. Howard, deputy commander (Troop Program Unit), 108th Training Command (Initial Entry Training), Charlotte, North Carolina, to commander (Troop Program Unit), U.S. Army Reserve Sustainment Command, Birmingham, Alabama.

Brig. Gen. Robert T. Krumm, Reserve deputy commander (Troop Program Unit), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division, Fort Hamilton, New York, to deputy commanding general - operations (Troop Program Unit), 81st Readiness Division, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Brig. Gen. Susie S. Kuilan, deputy commanding general - operations (Troop Program Unit), 200th Military Police Command, Fort Meade, Maryland, to commander, (Troop Program Unit), 95th Training Division (Initial Entry Training), Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Brig. Gen. Jonathan C. Moyer, deputy commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 335th Signal Command (Theater), East Point, Georgia, to commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 335th Signal Command (Theater) Operational Command Post (Forward), Operation Spartan Shield, Kuwait.

Brig. Gen. Robert S. Powell, Jr., director J6/8/9 (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), Cyber National Mission Force, U.S. Army Element U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland, to deputy commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 335th Signal Command (Theater), East Point, Georgia.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey D. Pugh, commander (Troop Program Unit), Mission Command Support Group, 88th Readiness Division, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, to commander (Troop Program Unit), 350th Civil Affairs Command, Pensacola, Florida.

Brig. Gen. David M. Samuelsen, deputy commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 80th Training Command (The Army School System), Richmond, Virginia, to deputy commanding general - operations (Troop Program Unit), 200th Military Police Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.

Brig. Gen. Charles S. Sentell III, commander (Troop Program Unit), 95th Training Division (Initial Entry Training), Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to deputy commanding general - support (Troop Program Unit), 377th Theater Sustainment Command, Belle Chase, Louisiana.

Brig. Gen. Katherine A. Simonson, commander (Troop Program Unit), 2d Medical Training Brigade, Salt Lake City, Utah, to director, research and development (Individual Mobilization Augmentee) Defense Health Agency J-9, Falls Church, Virginia.

Army launches second demonstration satellite

By Jason Cutshaw

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.,

The Army is learning more about small satellites with the launch of its newest technology demonstrator.

Gunsmoke-J, a U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Assured Position Navigation and Timing/Space Cross Functional Team joint capability technology demonstration satellite, launched into orbit March 22. Gunsmoke-J’s experiments will show how its sensors can provide critical data and information key in multi-domain operations.

The launch is the second of three launches. The first Gunsmoke-J technology demonstrator launched Feb. 20 with the next launch scheduled in the coming weeks.

“The command is very excited to have this capability,” said Chip Hardy, chief of the Space Applications Division, Space Directorate, USASMDC Technical Center. “The experiments done on orbit will be the culmination of five years of hard work done by the entire Gunsmoke team, led by Mr. Eddie Johnson, in designing, building, integrating and testing these satellites. If successful, Gunsmoke could lead to a follow-on acquisition with a capability that could be a game changer for the tactical warfighter.”

Gunsmoke-J is a joint capability technology demonstration executed by SMDC and APNT/CFT, and is sponsored by the Army and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. If successful, this science and technology effort will help inform future acquisition decisions.

Gunsmoke and potential follow-on small satellite systems are designed to provide information or sufficient data relative to tactical decision-making that is delivered in a timely manner.

Willie Nelson, APNT/CFT director, said Gunsmoke demonstrates the Army’s determination to maintain and lead in advanced capabilities, which will directly benefit the Army’s ability to operate with unmatched speed and precision.

“Modernizing space requires a unity of effort,” Nelson said. “This launch could not have happened if it were not for the strong leadership at USASMDC and strong partnerships we forged across the Army Modernization Enterprise with our program executive offices, centers of excellence and the intelligence community throughout the development process.”

Defense of Taiwan Vital to Regional, National Security, Admiral Says

By DAVID VERGUN DOD NEWS

WASHINGTON – The Indo-Pacific is the most consequential region for America's future and remains the priority theater for the United States.

While Russia, North Korea and violent extremist organizations are a threat to the Indo-Pacific region, China is of most concern, particularly in its stated number one priority of taking control of Taiwan, said Navy Adm. John Aquilino testifying today before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The committee is considering his nomination for commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Aquilino noted that various studies predict that China might decide to launch a military strike against Taiwan sometime between now and 2045.

"My opinion is this problem is much closer to us than most think," he said.

If China is allowed to take over Taiwan, it would be a severe blow to the credibility of the United States as a strong and trusted partner in the region, he said.

To meet this challenge, it will take all elements of national power, working together and with a sense of urgency, he said, adding that allies and partners will also play a key role.

The Pacific Deterrence Initiative is a strong example of the effort required to compete and win in the region, Aquilino said.

The initiative focuses on acquiring advanced military capabilities to deter China, including space-based radars, missile defense, long-range precision fires, logistics, experimentation and innovation, and improved interoperability and exercises with allies and partners.

In accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. and multinational partners conduct training exercises with Taiwan, he said.

Also, Aquilino said he was encouraged by Taiwan's purchase of defensive military capabilities.

The need to defend Guam is also incredibly important, he said. That island, west of the International Dateline, hosts thousands of U.S. forces and is home to 170,000 U.S. citizens.

Aquilino noted many important partnerships in the region, including the so-called "Quad Partnership" the U.S. has with Japan, Australia and India.

He noted that China's only partner in the region is North Korea, although China and Russia sometimes conduct joint military exercises.

As the administration's Interim National Security Strategic Guidance points out, he said, "America's fate is intertwined with events beyond our shores. Global peace and prosperity depend on our presence in the Indo-Pacific."