The change of command took place Friday at Fort Campbell Division Parade Field.
Maj. Gen. David Gardner became the 101st Airborne Division’s 50th commanding general.
Gardner is from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Training (G-3/5/7) at the United States Army Forces Command.
“It is the honor of a lifetime,” Gardner said. “It is unbelievably humbling to join the ranks of the former and current members of our nation’s most storied and recognized division.”
Gardner has previously served as commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson in Louisiana.
(Courtesy: 101st Airborne Division)
(Courtesy: 101st Airborne Division)
(Courtesy: 101st Airborne Division)
(Courtesy: 101st Airborne Division)
(Courtesy: 101st Airborne Division)
(Courtesy: 101st Airborne Division)
Community leaders, local officials, and others said goodbye to Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who took command of the division in July 2023. Sylvia contributed to the development of a large-scale, long-range air assault capability and oversaw the United States Army’s “Transformation in Contact” program.
Under Sylvia’s leadership, the 101st Airborne Division sent soldiers to North Carolina to assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts, as well as to several European countries to support Operation European Assure and the US southern border.
“Few could have predicted how the events of the next two years would create an environment of unprecedented opportunity and challenge,” Sylvia told me. “And in the face of each of those challenges, the men and women standing before you today not only rose, but soared!
Today, I stand before you with great pride, knowing that the 101st Airborne Division has not only built on a tremendous legacy, but has also solidified itself as the unit of choice for any mission, any time, any place, and against any foe.”
