Army Gen. Stephen Townsend takes over command of AFRICOM
Gen. Stephen Townsend is pictured in Wyvern, Mosul, Iraq. (Photo/ETHAN HUTCHINSON/U.S. ARMY handout)
Poetrooper sends us a couple articles on General Townsend as he takes the helm at AFRICOM, where he’ll oversee U.S. military relations with African nations and coordinate security missions with regional partners.
“To say that we ask a lot of this team ladies and gentlemen is an understatement,” stated Richard V. Spencer, U.S. Secretary of the Navy. “If disenfranchisement, insecurity, and extremism flourish here, we can expect a very very dangerous tomorrow — not only in Africa, but also in America and Europe and across this world.”
Townsend has an interesting background as well. Born in Scheinfeld, Bavaria in 1959 to a German art student mother and an Afghan medical student father, he was soon adopted by an American military family. His adoptive father, James Townsend, was a staff sergeant in an armored unit.
He graduated from North Georgia College in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and was commissioned into the Infantry from the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. No ring knocker here.
His campaign record includes Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Just Cause, Operation Uphold Democracy, Operation Anaconda, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He led Task Force Arrowhead during the Iraq War. Townsend led the brigade in the Battle of Baqubah in June 2007. Townsend became commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. He commanded US forces as they engaged in an air war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Under Townsend, the CJTF-OIR coalition together with allies from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Iraqi Security Forces, and the Libyan Government of National Accord launched simultaneous successful offensives against ISIL’s capitals in Syria, Iraq, and Libya respectively: the Raqqa campaign, the Battle of Mosul, and the Battle of Sirte.
Clearly, this man has seen the elephant, and has earned the awards and decorations that go with it.
Thanks for the links, Poe. More about General Townsend may be viewed here: Wiki and here: One America News Network
Category: Afghanistan, Army, Guest Link, Iraq, Isis, Military issues, Terror War, The Warrior Code, Veterans in the news
A no-bullshit accomplisher for sure!
Welcome to AFRICOM sir! ( I’m currently deployed somewhere in Africa)
General Townsend’s bio is unique to the point that it’s almost the stuff of fiction. Born out of wedlock to a creative, artistic, European mother and a scientifically oriented, medical student, Afghan father, then raised in Georgia by an Army NCO adoptive father, Townsend clearly could be the protagonist in some epic war novel. But I can just hear some prospective publisher dismissing the draft version with, “Nah, that could never happen in real life.”
We should wish General Townsend well in the task before him, defending the West against the countless Islamic threats currently incubating on that huge continent with its Heart of Darkness.
Worked with him here at Army Central (ARCENT) as the Deputy CG (then appointed to head OIR) until he returned as the DCG. Down to earth, thinker like a lot of the Generals out of CENTCOM lately (Brooks, Garrison, and now Ferrell). His bio definitely reads like fiction.
Good luck to him and AFRICOM our next door neighbor!
Apparently very popular w/ the romance scammers. I guess I can see why from his TRADOC command photo.
BZ General, another adult in charge. And NOT a ring knocker? Dahell? Wonder what the WPPA has to say about that. Maybe that’s why he got the job. Didn’t just study how to be a Soldier, he went out and did Soldier stuff.
Wiki sez the LTG has the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with “C” device. I never heard of a “C” device before; behold my Google-Foo:
There’s also an “R” device for Remote (actually, I think it’s for REMF).
I guess the next step is the “F” device for FOBbit, followed by the “P” device for Poser.
Curmudgeon 3E (aka rgr1480)
— out.
Les Brown is a walking “C” device.
Never heard of a “C” device before, so why aren’t the MSMs now awarded in combat coming with a “C” device? And ACMs? Or is that a DSM only device?
What the flipflop happened to the “V” device? Friggin’ officers keep thinking up new shit tomake their uniforms look purty.
Just like Mattis, I’ll bet he doesn’t know half as much as Trump knows about how to win a war. In fact, why the fuck are we even still appointing Generals? Trump should be the SecDef, Deputy SecDef and literally every General all at once. Let’s put John Bolton in charge of all Divisions and let him lead us to victory in North Korea and Iran! MAGA and all that stuff!
Impressive vowel movement. Don’t forget to flush.
He has more, and worse, in moderation jail. I approved this one because it’s my post, and I want to expose the troll.
That’s not lcpl Rhodes is it?
No, a new troll. Just what we need.
Ed, a thought–why don’t you periodically post a piece featuring some of the more egregious of those jailbirds?
You know, let all us delicate little flowers here see what we’re being sheltered from. Might be worth some laughs.
And some very interesting comments…
Sounds good to me. I must confess, I do get a bit curious about all the jerks you folks talk about.
WHAT were you sniffing when you came up with that?
Yakoff, is that you? How’s Branson?
I served under under then LTC Townsend as his Fire Support Officer in 4-31 Infantry when he was the Battalion Commander
Great Commander then and I’m sure now
Looks like another Soldier I’d follow on a bayonet charge thru the gates of hell.
WELL YES HE HAS BEEN GOOD IN THE LOVE DEPARTMENT I HAGE HAD TWO OF HIS FAKES AFTER ME AT TGE SAME TIME HIS FAKES USED ME AND THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER 30,000.00 FROM US MAY HE REST IN PEACE
I pray to all who listen above, PLEASE let this guy be as good as he appears to be ! NO moral/legal issues ever to surface, we pray!
They changed the reign
in AaaaaaaafriCom………
“Gonna take some time to do the things we never had…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY
Please..Please Start hammering the shit head terrorist over there…Take the gloves off and go medieval on Boko Haram and the like…
I always like Procol Harum. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was a great slow dance song.