106th Signal Brigade holds change of command ceremony

Col. Chante Pondexter relinquished command of the 106th Theater Signal Brigade to Col. Christopher Green at a change of command ceremony on 9 July on Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Presiding over the ceremony Brig. Gen. Anne-Marie Wiersgalla, Commander, 7th Signal Command (Theater) and Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Command (NETCOM).

In her remarks, Brig. Gen Wiersgalla said for the past two years, Colonel Chanté Pondexter has led this Brigade with a rare combination of technical acumen and strategic foresight. He embraced the immense responsibility of securing and defending the Army’s network for over 160,000 personnel across more than half the continental United States.

“Chante’s leadership was also pivotal in supporting critical national security objectives, from enhancing the cybersecurity posture of our Network Enterprise Centers to providing vital command and control capabilities for the Southern Border Mission.,” said Brig. Gen. Wiersgalla.

Col. Pondexter thanked command leadership for the opportunity to serve and said he was grateful for the team of Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, and contractors who supported him during his tenure. “During my time in command, we strengthened readiness, expanded enterprise capabilities, modernized our infrastructure, supported operations and continued transforming how the Army delivers secure communications in an increasingly contested cyber environment.,” said Col. Pondexter. “Those accomplishments do not belong to one commander.

“They belong to every teammate, and every leader who chose every single day to make this brigade better than they found it.”

The 106th Signal Brigade’s new commander, Col. Christopher Green, hails from Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1999 as a 97B Counterintelligence Agent and completed initial training before assignment to Alpha Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion (Airborne). In 2003, he commissioned as a Signal Corps officer through the Army Green-to-Gold Program. Col. Green served with U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He then completed consecutive overseas tours as the S3 for the 160th Signal Brigade in Kuwait and the 25th Signal Battalion in Afghanistan. Additional assignments include Assistant Chief of Staff, G-6 and Division Network Operations Officer,10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. In a broadening assignment, he served in U.S. Army North, with duty at the 377th Theater Sustainment Command in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the G-3 Chief of Operations, Secretary of the General Staff, and later as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-6. COL Green returned to the 10th Mountain Division as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-6 for his O-5 CSL assignment, before serving as a Task Force Senior and Senior Signal Mentor at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana.

The 106th Signal Brigade operates 19 Network Enterprise Centers that support mission partners across 15 States from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. It has over 1,500 Soldier, Civilian, and Contractor personnel; supports 170,000 Army personnel; and manages $750 million worth of property and equipment.

The 106th Signal Brigade traces its history back to Birmingham Army Air Base, Alabama where it was constituted as the 932d Signal Battalion and activated on 15 February 1943 with the mission of supporting Army Air Corps operations. The following month, it was affiliated with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. In April 1944 the 932d was reorganized and re-designated as the 932d Signal Battalion, Separate (Tactical Air Command).

The 932d served in Europe during World War II earning five campaign streamers there. The unit returned to the United States in October 1945 and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. The 932d was activated again on 12 August 1963 at Camp des Loges near Paris, France and re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 106th Signal Group as part of U.S. Army Europe. It was later assigned to U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command on 1 July 1964. The unit remained in France until March 1967 when it was relocated to Stuttgart, Germany. The 106th was inactivated in Germany in November 1967.

On 16 October 1991, the 106th was again activated, this time in Corozal, Panama, re-designated as the 106th Signal Brigade, and assigned to US Army Information Systems Command (USAISC) providing strategic and tactical communications support to the U.S. Army South and U.S. Southern Command. The Brigade was later inactivated in October 1997 as part of the provisions of the Panama Treaty of 1977 as all US forces left Panama.

On 16 July 2008 the 106th Signal Brigade was reorganized and activated again at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, as part of the 7th Signal Command (Theater) with a new mission, to secure and defend the western portion of the CONUS LandWarNet, exercising capabilities in support of current operating and generating force requirements and operations.