Good afternoon and welcome to Clay Kasern, the home of headquarters United States Army in Europe and Africa. On behalf of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of United States European Command, General Todd D. Walters and Lieutenant General Kirk Smith, Deputy Commander, United States Africa Command. Welcome to the United States Army, Europe and Africa Change of Command Ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we would like to recognize and welcome distinguished guests who are with us today. First, the family members of general officers participating in today's ceremony. Mrs. Charlene Walters, Mrs. Christina Cavoli and Mrs. Erin Williams. Also with us today are several Land Force Commanders and military representatives of our partner nations, along with distinguished host nation military and civilian leaders. U.S. Guests include Lieutenant General Stephen Basham, United States Air Forces Europe and Africa, and Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commanding general of United States Army Europe. Taking part in today's ceremony are General Todd D. Walters, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander United States European Command. Lieutenant General Kirk Smith, Deputy Commander, United States Africa Command. General Christopher G. Cavoli, outgoing commander of United States Army Europe and Africa. General Daryl A. Williams, incoming commander, United States Army Europe and Africa. And Command Sergeant Major Jeremiah E. Enman, Command Sergeant Major, United States Army Europe and Africa. The commander of troops for today's ceremony is Brigadier General Jared Zimbritsky, Chief of Staff, United States Army Europe and Africa. Units arrayed on the field participating in today's ceremony as you view them. In the first rank from left to right are United States Army Europe and Africa Band and Chorus, Fifth Corps, 18th Airborne Corps, Southern European Task Force Africa, 1st Infantry Division, 56th Artillery Command, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, 7th Army Training Command, 7th Mission Support Command, Regional Health Command Europe, Installation Management Command Europe, and Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, United States Army Europe and Africa. In the second rank from left to right are 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, 41st Field Artillery Brigade, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 207th Military Intelligence Brigade Theater, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 18th Military Police Brigade, 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, 510th Regional Support Group, 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, 414th Contracting Support Brigade, 30th Medical Brigade, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, U.S. Army NATO Brigade, 2nd Signal Brigade, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, 598th Transportation Brigade, U.S. Army Garrison Onsbach, U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, U.S. Army Garrison Ryland Falls, U.S. Army Garrison Italy, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, U.S. Army Garrison V-Spotting, 409th Contracting Support Brigade, 405th Army Field Support Brigade, 19th Battlefield Coordination Detachment, 7th Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, and 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Centered on the field is the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Color Guard, under the direction of the command sergeant major, Jeremiah E. Inman. The salute battery is from the 529th Military Police Company, and is led by Captain Paige Lehman and Sergeant First Class Anthony Bonaldi. At this time, Master Sergeant Matthew Kendall from Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, is presenting a bouquet of red flowers to Christina Cavoli, on behalf of General Cavoli for her support and dedication to the command and their families. Staff Sergeant Anastasia Swegen, from the 529th Military Police Company, is now presenting a bouquet of yellow flowers to Erin Williams, on behalf of General Williams, in appreciation of her continued support. With these flowers, we recognize that great units are more than the soldiers that make them up, but are strengthened by our family support. We deeply appreciate the role of our spouses in the difficult, yet critical job of maintaining and improving the quality of life for our soldiers and families. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the invocation given by Jacqueline Jack Stummy. I invite you to pray with me. Almighty God, thank you for this day, those before us and the many they represent who have answered the call to preserve freedom and liberty. Lord, thank you for General Cavoli and providing him the strength and wisdom to superbly lead the women, men and families of the United States Army, Europe and Africa, through many challenges over these last four years. And thank you for his and Mrs. Cavoli's modeling of service and genuine care to all. As General Cavoli soon takes on new responsibilities, I ask that you would continue to give him success and to rest your hand of blessing upon his family. Father, I lift up to you now General Williams. As he assumes command today, please grant him your strength as he executes the many responsibilities that come with command and insight and discernment to address the challenging issues he will face. I also ask that you would afford Mrs. Williams and the Williams family in their time here. May it be marked with joy and many friends from the UCRF family. Finally Lord, please provide your protection over our military and civilian servants and their families. Our valued European and African allies, partners and friends and all those who love liberty. In your most holy name, amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Bugle calls have a marked place in military history. They have been used for hundreds of years in armies throughout the world to signal, alert and inform soldiers and units. Bugle calls will be used in today's change of command ceremony in place of verbal commands. Your attention is invited to the line of troops while the adjudant will prepare the soldiers of United States Army, Europe and Africa for review. The adjudant for today's ceremony is Colonel LeSher M. Campbell, United States Army, Europe and Africa, G1. The adjudant will now bring the command to attention. The command sound adjudance call is used by the United States Army to indicate that the adjudant, the officer responsible for accounting for soldiers informing the unit, is about to form the command. It was first used by the Army in 1874. It advises subordinate commanders to prepare their troops for formation and follow on commands. The commander of troops, Brigadier General Zimbritsky, will now receive the formation from the adjudant. The U.S. Army, Europe and Africa command staff consists of Colonel J. Haley, G2, Colonel Levi-Dunton, G3, Colonel Ben Caffo, G4, and Lieutenant Colonel George Coleman, G6. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the rendering of honors to General Todd D. Wolters. General Wolters defers honors to General Cavoli in recognition of his successful time as commander of the United States Army, Europe and Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. At this time, Captain Lehman of the 529th Military Police Company salute battery presents General Cavoli the shell of the last round of salute as a memento of the change of command ceremony. The commander of troops will retrieve the national colors of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America. He will march them forward to render honors to both nations. For more than two centuries, the Stars and Stripes has been the banner under which Americans have lived, fought and died. More than a symbol, the flag is the embodiment of our government, people, ideals and values. All military units serving in this host country display the national flag of Germany next to the Stars and Stripes. Together, the two flags show the commitment and partnership of these two nations. Thus, as the flags are presented to the reviewing officer, respect is paid to both nations. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and join us for the singing of the national anthems of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. The very soul of a military unit is symbolized by the colors under which it fights, for they record the glories of the past, stand guardian over its present destiny and ensure inspiration for its future. From the earliest times, warriors have used a banner or other symbols to identify units and to serve as a rallying point for their troops. The position of the unit on the battlefield and the location of its command were revealed by the location of its banner in battle. The color party marched at the front of the formation. The color party bore the brunt of the battle and often suffered heavy casualties. If the commander fell, another would rally to the colors and assume the position of unit leadership. Today, Command Sergeant Major Inman will present the colors symbolizing the duty and responsibilities of command to the outgoing commander, General Cavoli. General Cavoli will relinquish the colors to General Walters symbolizing the passing of the command of U.S. Army in Europe, never leaving the command without officer leadership. General Walters will pass the colors to the new commander of the United States Army, Europe and Africa, General Daryl A. Williams. General Williams will then return the colors to Command Sergeant Major Inman. Next, Command Sergeant Major Inman will again pass the colors to General Cavoli, who will then pass them to Lieutenant General Smith symbolizing the passing of the command of U.S. Army in Africa, never leaving the command without leadership. Lieutenant General Smith will pass the colors to the new commander of the United States Army, Europe and Africa, General Daryl A. Williams. General Williams will then return the colors to Command Sergeant Major Inman for safekeeping. By authority of AR 600-20, paragraph 2-8, alpha 1, the undersigned assumes command of United States Army, Europe and Africa, effective 28 June 2022, signed General Daryl A. Williams, commanding. Ladies and gentlemen, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of United States European Command, General Todd D. Walters. Distinguished local national leaders, to all the wonderful warriors that represent Team Cavoli and Team Williams. To all of our fellow flag officers, all of our C-cells, all of our distinguished service leads from our NATO ally and partner nations, and most importantly, to the proud soldiers that represent U.S. Army, Europe. It's an honor to be on this parade field with you and a privilege to be in your company this afternoon. Let me start by thanking all of our proud soldiers in the presentation on the field, our proud band members, and all the great warriors behind the scenes that made all this happen. Your blood, sweat and tears are worth every ounce of energy that you expended to deliver this excellence. It represents our value system, our nation's value system, our adherence to precision, and our ability to be ready at all times. Let me start by thanking the outgoing commander and the wonderful family of the Cavoli's. Four and a half short years ago I had the first opportunity to serve side by side within Lieutenant General Cavoli. And there were many things that stood out, and I could stand here for hours, but I'm certain that these smart soldiers would prefer that I not. And the one takeaway that I had was, this fellow's got courage. The courage to lead from the front, the courage to deliver tough, tough military advice when senior civilian leadership isn't fond of that military advice. And the courage to take the guidance from our senior civilian leadership and find a way to make it positive and conform to the needs of the nations. And Chris Cavoli has done that. Yet Chris Cavoli's a very, very capable human being. The good news about Cavoli is, he's a lot like many of our soldiers. He married significantly above his pay grade, and his adorable bride, Christina, needs him for absolutely, positively nothing. And he needs Christina for absolutely, positively everything. Along the way for the last three and a half decades, she, many times by herself, raised two beautiful boys, who are now great patrons and servants to our nation. And Christina, we know that this transition from your current posting to your new posting is exciting, but it has been fraught with what I'll say is missteps. And as you well know from all of your years of service, those things just happen. And we continue to work through them, and you continue to lead from the front with distinction. And on behalf of a grateful nation, and I know a grateful U.S. Army Europe, we thank you for the sacrifices, Christina, that you have made, and for the sacrifices that you'll continue to make. From all of us to the great Cavoli family, we are super, super excited in several short days to address you as Mr. and Mrs. Sackier and Commander of USUCOM. And on behalf of the Walters, as your great admirers and dear friends, we wish you the bluest of skies in the commas of seas. As this afternoon, you head out in two-ship lead trail in two vehicles and drive your way to Mons. Congratulations on a tremendous tour, and we're grateful to have the opportunity to serve under your command in the future. Well done. We're lucky to be in NATO, a nation that represents the other 29 that has a tremendous quality. And that quality is this. When one commander leaves, you dip into the bucket, and odds are, the next commander that you get will be just a little bit quicker, a little bit faster, a little bit smarter. And in this particular case, maybe just a little bit grayer in the hair color. And we are so lucky to have back with us one of the greatest commanders in the history of the United States Army, who I've had the good fortune to serve side by side with when he served as our Landcom commander. It seemed like yesterday, but it was four long years ago. And it is so nice to have with us his adorable bride, Erin. And if I were to tell this entire group what she's experienced in the last 48 hours with respect to travel, you wouldn't believe it. But needless to say, Erin is here side by side with her loved one, leading from the front one more time on basically zero hours of sleep in the last 72 hours to make sure that she could show us all how it's done. And Erin, it is so good to have you back in Europe. We're so grateful for what you've done for the kids. We know they're no longer kids anymore. We know that they serve. We know that they're patriots. And it's just a testimony to the power of what great parents do for our nation. And that is certainly the case for the Williams family. We're uber excited to have both of you on board. We're uber excited for what's in store for us next. General Williams brings with him 39 years of active duty experience since the day that he graduated from the West Point Academy or whatever they call that thing up in New York back in 1983 with a pretty decent football team that he happened to play on. And I'll just leave it at that. But Daryl, we know that you have a ton of experience to draw upon. And we know that we're at a pivotal phase. A lot of your soldiers have suffered from lack of sleep over the course of the last seven months as they continue to work on all of the problems that exist in the region to include what we face with respect to the senseless invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And we know this. This component has led from the front to serve that cause and support Ukraine. And we also know that there is no better soldier on planet Earth, better equipped to lead U.S. Army Europe to success over the course of the next several months in tackling this problem. And on behalf of all of us in Europe and certainly all of us that extend into the NATO regime who knew you so well at Landcom, it is great to have you back. And Erin and Daryl, welcome aboard. Let me close with a quick comment to the world's greatest soldiers that represent the world's greatest army that services the greatest set of value systems that exist on planet Earth, those value systems that represent the 30 nations of NATO. What you've done for the last seven months is miraculous. Every nation, every continent needs leaders who are ready. And each and every one of you are leaders. And each and every one of you demonstrates the qualities of resiliency, responsiveness and lethality that ensures this. NATO will not give up one inch of its sovereign soil. And the group of human beings on planet Earth, most responsible for ensuring that that remains a fact, is you. And you've done that with distinction for the last six months. And you've done that with care and charisma for the last six months. When you've sent the signal loud and clear to the entire universe, you'll do whatever it takes to continue that far in the future to ensure that our sovereignty remains intact. May God bless U.S. Army Europe and the wonderful soldiers and their families that represent your cause. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, the Deputy Commander of United States Africa Command, Lieutenant General Kirk Smith. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. It's an honor to be here to represent General Townsend. General Walter is impossible to follow your comments. You've always been a magnificent speaker. Get right to the point and absolutely hit the highlights of what everyone in attendance should understand about those folks that you recognize. And so I appreciate that. For our distinguished visitors, guests who are here, fellow General Officers, Command Sergeant Majors, Sergeant Majors, and most importantly, just a fraction of the soldiers of U.S. Army, Europe, U.S. Army, Africa that are represented on the field. Thank you very much for the opportunity. I'm sure there's a historian present to note that the first two speakers at the U.S. Army, Europe, and Africa change of command are Air Force Officers, Sergeant General Walter, so if you'll make note of that. So one quick story about General Cavalli before I read General Townsend's comments, and I obviously want to read General Townsend's comments as the Commander. So my previous job, Commander of Special Operations Command, Europe, I had been in the job maybe two months. I got an invitation to come to the USERA Commanders Conference. My predecessor, an Army officer, told me, you have to maintain a relationship with USERA. It's one of the most important relationships you'll have. So I willingly, eagerly accepted the invitation, came up at General Cavalli's request. We were having dinner that night at the club, and I looked around the room and realized I was the only one in Spice Brown Thread. What distinguishes an Air Force officer now from an Army officer in the uniform. And General Scaparotti happened to be the speaker, and General Scaparotti was like, Kirk, what are you doing here? And I said, I don't know, sir. General Cavalli invited me, and I was certainly going to come up. He goes, well, it is a joint command, and I said, sir, that's right, and we spell joint, A-R-M-Y. General Cavalli quickly corrected me and said, no, actually, we spell it capital, A-R-M-Y. So, sir, it's been an honor to work with you as a fellow component at my time at Sockier, and now, obviously, as a Usuraf commander, as a component for AFRICOM, U.S. Africa Common. Really appreciate what I have learned talking to you off topic conversations, whether it's a ride that you graciously offered me to and from Morone or Rota, and in other types of meetings in Tbilisi, Georgia, where we kind of met off chance and had the opportunity to really do some good talking there. I appreciate it. So, on behalf of General Townsend, good afternoon, General Townsend. The U.S. AFRICOM commander is unable to be here today as he engaged in his last battlefield circulation in Africa, so he asked me to deliver these remarks on his behalf. This is a bittersweet day of transition for AFRICOM, as we farewell one great commander and welcome another. In fact, the past three years have been one long transition as we have gone from two separate Army component commands in Europe, U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Army Africa to now one merged Army component command, U.S. Army Europe Africa. When General Townsend assumed command of AFRICOM three years ago, USERAF was in Vicenza. General Townsend presided over the last change of command when Lieutenant General Roger Cloutier passed the USERAF commanders to Major General Andy Rowling. The idea of merging the two headquarters was then only a proposal. It took another year for the Army and Department of Defense to negotiate the bureaucracy and to bring the merger to fruition. There were skeptics for sure to include members of Congress to put some of the concerns at rest. Then Secretary Army McCarthy, Chief Staff of the Army General McConville, asked General Townsend what he thought merged Army headquarters would look like. General Townsend listed three attributes. First, the merged headquarters should have some portion of its staff dedicated to Africa. As General Townsend said at the time, there would be soldiers who would wake up thinking about Africa every morning all day. Second, the merged headquarters would retain the deployable Joint Task Force headquarters capability that USERAF had at the time. And third, the down-trace units of USERAF would not also be consolidated with US Army Europe units. With those three attributes or principles in mind, the obstacles were overcome and the merger occurred as envisioned. In General Townsend's view, the Army got it right and the merger has been a tremendous success. First, the three principles were followed and remain in place. The CTAF AF headquarters in Italy wakes up thinking about Africa as their primary duty every day, even if the larger USERAF headquarters is focused on other priorities such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And at this moment, CTAF AF headquarters is in Morocco undergoing the final phase of JTF headquarters certification even as they run AFRICOM's largest exercise on the continent. But more importantly, the merger has succeeded because of the leadership of General Cavoli and the concerted and professional efforts of the entire leadership staff at USERAF. With an AOR three-and-a-half times larger than a continent in the United States with mission sets that are exceptionally challenging and very few resources, AFRICOM is truly an economy of forced theater. But one that America can ill afford to ignore. The dedicated and professional soldiers of this USERAF team may be deployed in austere locations and in harm's way have strengthened US access and influence. Countered threats and malign actors responded to crises and provided critical support to our government's engagements throughout Africa. General Cavoli, your partnership with AFRICOM has been phenomenal. We have appreciated your steady leadership as you navigated between the competing demands and crises in both Europe and Africa. And on a personal level, General Townsend asked me to convey his thanks for your thoughtful insight and always sound advice as we work together in advance of America's security in Africa and to do right by the troops. All our thoughts are with you and Christina as you move to US European Command and begin a new march there. My own personal comment, you come AFRICOM longest seven kilometers in the world. General Townsend looks forward to working with you as a fellow combatant commander, even if only for a short while. To General Williams, General Townsend asked me to convey that he has known you for a long time and knows your previous experience, especially at the command of both USERAF and Landcom. He knows that has prepared you well for this new role. We all welcome you to the AFRICOM team and look forward to working with you. General Townsend is confident you will keep AFRICOM's Army rolling along. Today is a great day for the Army and a great day for AFRICOM. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, General Christopher G. Cavoli. Good morning, General Mrs. Walters, Lieutenant General Smith, Lieutenant General Basham, Lieutenant General Langenegger, Lieutenant General Valemaki, Major General Nielsen, Brigadier General Kendi, Minister Putrich, Minister Levins, Consul General Sharf, distinguished guests, family and friends, allies, partners, service members, teammates, supporters, and lifelong friends. Thank you for attending today's ceremony.  I'm filled with gratitude for the privilege of having served in this command for the last four and a half years. Gratitude is about saying thank you, so that's exactly what we'll do. Thank you, General Walters, and before you, General Scaparotti, for allowing me to command and for giving me this precious opportunity and responsibility. I hope I have fulfilled your expectations. Thank you, General Townsend, for helping us as we consolidated this command with US Army Africa. Thank you for being the boss that you have been. Thank you to the United States Army, to the Chiefs and to the Secretaries of the Army I have served under. Thank you for the steadfast support you have given this command to the soldiers in it, and above all to the two combatant commanders whom we serve. Thank you to my colleagues from across the Alliance, from across Europe, from across Africa. Working with you, collaborating with you, has been the highlight of my career. Your Army's commitment to your nation's national security and to our collective security is vital to the peaceful and prosperous future that we hope for. I know that with colleagues such as you, we will reach that future. Thank you to those government civilians who have supported this command over the last four and a half years and continue to do so today. To our host from Bavaria, Bodden-Virtenburg, Rheinland-Falz, and Hessen and to our host from Italy, Poland and Romania, I say thank you. Your support for this command, your support taking care of our soldiers and our families who live in your communities has been vital to the conduct of our mission. So thank you. Thank you to the Army, again, for sending us General Daryl Williams and his lovely wife, Erin. Daryl is no stranger to this command. He has been the operations officer of U.S. Army Europe. He has commanded U.S. Army Africa and he has commanded NATO Landcom. So as I hand this command over to this legendary soldier, I am filled with confidence. I know that under Daryl's leadership, U.S. Army Europe and Africa will continue to be the bedrock of security, stability, and prosperity on two continents. Thank you to my family. Thank you to my sons, Alex and Nick, both of whom graduated from Department of Defense schools right here in Europe and both of whom wish they could be here today, although I have to admit Nicky's in Santa Barbara surfing, so perhaps he's okay with how things stand. I'm so proud of the young men that they have become. Thank you to my wife, Christina. Thank you for being here with me, Christina. Thank you for serving with me. Thank you for being the gracious and beautiful person that you are. You are my strength and my fortitude. Finally, above all, thank you to the soldiers of U.S. Army Europe and Africa represented by those assembled before you on the field today who look magnificent. The soldiers, the sergeants, the officers of this command are what make everything go. These remarkable individuals have accomplished feats that have secured the peace and security that we enjoy. Their selfless dedication to their mission, their professional expertise and their unflagging devotion to our nation are admiral and something that we should all study and emulate. I am thankful for them. I am thankful for you. As I look to the future, I know that the men and women of this command, together with the combatant commands they serve and with the international colleagues who are gathered with us here today will always fulfill our greatest hopes and aspirations. I know those requirements will be demanding. The security situation today is fraught with dangers that continue in our world. But this team, those in front of us on the parade field and those they represent, those in the stands and those whom they represent, this team will prevail. Darrell, Aaron, Christine and I wish you good luck and we wish you all the greatest fortune in this new command. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending today. Your presence does honor to me, but not just to me. It has done honor to our relationships and our commitment to each other. It is that commitment which will bear us into the bright future of our tomorrow. God bless you all. God bless all of your nations. God bless the United States Army and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Ladies and gentlemen, the Commander United States Army Europe in Africa General Darrell A. Williams. Thank you. It's great to be here. General Walters, thank you for being here today and for your kind and inspiring words and thank you for the leadership of our armed forces in Europe. Lieutenant General Smith, thank you for being here today and for representing General Townsend in U.S. Africa Command. I'd like to thank General McConville, President Biden, Secretary Austin and Secretary Warmooth for your confidence in my ability to serve in this critical leadership assignment for our Army. General Cavoli, thank you for your leadership over the past few years. You're a tough act to follow and it's pretty humbling to see such a tremendous leader. You and Christina will be missed here at USERF, but we're grateful to have your continued leadership as our combatant commander in Europe. To my fellow General Officers and representatives from our allied and partner nations in Europe and Africa, thank you for honoring us with your presence here today. It's wonderful to see so many of you again and I look forward to reconnecting with you in the days ahead. And to our many distinguished guests, General Officers, friends and family, thank you all for being here to welcome Aaron and I. To the U.S. Army, Europe and Africa team, leadership and service is both an honor and a privilege and I am both honored and privileged to continue serving our Army and our nation and especially honored and privileged to join this outstanding team again to serve as your commander. Throughout the last century, the United States Army has played a crucial role in the security and stability in Europe and also more recently in Africa. Today, our role is as crucial as ever. General McConville and our Army senior leadership refer to us as the tip of the joint force spear. In this current security crisis both in deterring our enemies and reassuring our friends and allies. And you, the soldiers and civilians, the professionals of U.S. Army, Europe and Africa have done an outstanding job keeping the tip of that spear sharp. Team-Aids, our number one job is to be ready and to continue to keep that spear sharp and building on your great work under General Cavoli's leadership. We will continue to be ready, ready to deter and if necessary, defeat current and future threats to the European and African continents, ready to strengthen security and stability in the region and ready to support our allies and partners. I am confident that with your continued outstanding efforts and continued commitment to excellence, to mission success and to winning, we will continue to be ready. I promise you nothing less than my best and I know I can count on nothing less than yours. To our allies and partners, we continue to stand by you as you have stood by us for decades. As our motto states, we are stronger together and we look forward to continuing to strengthen those bonds of friendship and interoperability. Aaron and I are delighted to be back with the U.S. Army, Europe and Africa family. We look forward to all we will accomplish together. It's an honor and privilege to serve with you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the singing of the Army song. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's ceremony. Thank you for attending.


I don't know, but you guys, I don't like working out. A lot of my friends don't like working out either. A lot of them love working out. Those people, this rule is not for you, but work out every day. So about two, three years ago, during COVID, I was struggling to do these two or three time a week workouts. And what I found was like, I was listening to this voice in my head, which is like, oh my God, you've had a long day. You have so much to do tonight. There's a million emails to reply to. Why don't we skip working out today? And we'll do extra tomorrow. And that little lie, right? I started negotiating with myself. I'm like, yeah. Totally. You're right. That sounds great. Why don't we skip today? And I'll do an extra 20 minutes tomorrow. Tomorrow rolls around and that little voice is like, oh man, I got you yesterday. I'm gonna get you today. And so I just created this rule and I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna work out every day and see what happens. And that doesn't mean I have time for a 90 minute workout every day or even 60 minutes. So I reduce the duration or scope of what I'm doing, but I do it every day. It might mean I go to the gym and do squats. It might mean I just go for a little run. I do something that sweats every single day. And since I've done that, it's been so powerful because that little voice in my head doesn't say, should we work out today? You've got a lot to do. It's like, how do I fit this in? And what is the duration and scope of how I fit it in? And that conversation helps the best version of me get what I want out of life. And these things are just so powerful, right? I have all these little automatic rules. Like if I'm out with business colleagues, I stop drinking at nine o'clock. Nothing good happens at nine with people that aren't your friends. You know, I invest in an index fund every month. I don't have meetings usually until 12 o'clock in the day. Why? Because my rule is I don't have meetings. I mean, there's violations of that rule on occasion, but I want the best time of my day, which for me is the morning reserved for the biggest opportunity that I have, not opportunity. One of the reasons that we don't focus and we don't get the outcomes we want is that we don't have the time for our priority. We're always searching for this time. Oh, I know what's really important, but I don't have time to do it. Well, it's like, well, why don't we block off time every day? And I know a lot of people are probably listening to this going, oh, wouldn't it be nice to be able to block off till noon? Well, I started doing this when I worked at an intelligence agency. I didn't block off till noon because that would have been impossible. First, I started with 15 minutes and I just gradually expanded it. You look at my calendar, I was going out six months, but I was booking a meeting with myself six months out. And I'm like, okay, from 8.30 to nine every day, I don't have meetings. So I start booking and then I would go from 8.30 to 9.30 and I would gradually just increase the time the further I got in that calendar. And then lo and behold, when this time ran, came around, I'm like, oh, I got this free time and I can start doing these things that I really know I need to focus on, but I don't have to find the time so that my outcomes started to improve. And then we started to do it as a team because I'm like, well, if this works for me, I bet you it works for other people. And with it being a rule, you don't have to draw on your willpower and decision-making each and every time someone goes to try to schedule a meeting with you, each and every time someone pushes back on your morning. Yeah, totally.