Harrington takes command of U.S. Army Africa
By Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs
VICENZA, Italy (June 1, 2016) - Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams relinquished command of U.S. Army Africa to Maj. Gen. Joseph P. Harrington today during a ceremony on Hoekstra Field here.
Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commanding general of U.S. Africa Command presided over the change of command ceremony.
“Today, we honor Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams for his superb leadership, dedication and commitment to our partners, the United States, U.S. Africa Command and the Soldiers and civilians he leads," said Rodriguez.
“Before I talk about Darryl and thank his family, I'd like to congratulate the entire USARAF staff on a job well done,” said Rodriguez. “You all have a difficult and demanding job managing a large portion of AFRICOM's efforts on the continent.”
“This organization engages in security force assistance, coordinates exercises, executes operations, and establishes posture and presence in Africa to build our partners' capacity," said Rodriguez. "By the end of this fiscal year, you will have executed 235 security cooperation events and managed over 1600 USARAF personnel on the continent."
Rodriguez praised Williams' leadership of USARAF and wished him well on his next assignment.
"Darryl, your work and leadership here have been stellar. You are a credit to the Army and I am proud to have you on the team. I am specifically impressed by your astute understanding of human nature which you have put to purpose here at USARAF and further strengthened partnerships across the continent," said Rodriguez. "The benefits of those relationships will last long after you depart."
Rodriguez welcomed Maj. Gen. Joseph P. Harrington as the incoming USARAF commander.
“Welcome to Maj. Gen. Joe Harrington and his wife Nancy and son Patrick. On behalf of AFRICOM, welcome to this dynamic command,” said Rodriguez.
Harrington comes to USARAF with a wealth of Army command and staff experiences.
Harrington most recently served with the British-led NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corp in the United Kingdom. According to Rodriguez, Harrington had built teams, developed exercises and training that has improved confidence in multinational teams that has strengthened each other's capacity.
Harrington has commanded units at company, battalion and division levels. His service as a staff officer includes tours at battalion, brigade, division, corps, and Headquarters Dept. of the Army levels.
Harrington graduated from the Stockton State College and was commissioned as a field artillery officer. He holds Master Degrees in Public Administration and National Security Strategies.
Harrington offered thanks for the opportunity to serve as USARAF’s commander.
"Nancy and I are honored to be here, in this beautiful country, for this ceremony. I have been fortunate to spend a few weeks here preparing for this new assignment. In that time, I’ve gotten to know some of you and look forward to working with you," said Harrington.
Recently, Harrington observed the USARAF team at work on the African Continent.
"A couple of weeks ago, I travelled with many of you to Arusha in Tanzania and attended the African Land Forces Summit. This was a crash course on learning what you do and seeing, first hand, the important relationships you’ve developed with African Land Force commanders," Harrington said.
Williams thanked the Soldiers and Civilians of the USARAF team and emphasized their accomplishments during the past two years.
"Gen. Rodriguez, thank you for your leadership and giving me the opportunity to command U.S. Army Africa. This assignment has been more than I could have imagined. It was more challenging and more rewarding,” said Williams. “The men and women who are USARAF have made it more. Thank you for your service, dedication and professionalism.”
Williams cited few of the events that took place during his tenure and how the USARAF team ensured their success.
"Within a few months of my taking command, USARAF was tasked to lead the all-of-government response to an international health crisis,” said Williams. “A small team of USARAF leaders deployed to Monrovia, Liberia where we set the theater enabling the courageous Liberian people to stop the spread of and recover from a country-wide Ebola epidemic. We worked with the Liberian president and senior Liberian military leaders as well as U.S. and international aid relief agencies in coordinating a remarkably effective response to the epidemic. Within weeks the infection rate and death count slowed and stopped."
Williams passed on the mantle of command by welcoming Harrington and his family and giving a final thanks to the USARAF team.
"Joe, Nancy and Patrick, welcome to Vicenza and U.S. Army Africa. Erin and I have enjoyed our time here and we wish you the same," Williams said. “Thank you."