Up & Coming Weekly

July 16, 2019

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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10 UCW JULY 17-23, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Fort Bragg is probably best known as head- quarters of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. But it's one of several major combat commands on post. ey include U.S. Army Forces Com- mand, Army Reserve Command, 18th Airborne Corps, Army Special Forces Command, the Army Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, 528th Sustainment Brigade (Airborne) and the 4th Military Information Support Group (Airborne). An estimated three dozen general officers, including a four-star and half a dozen three-star generals, are stationed at Pentagon South, as Fort Bragg is colloquially known. A veteran of the 75th Ranger Regiment is on his way to Fort Bragg to become senior NCO of the secretive Joint Special Operations Com- mand. Command Sgt. Maj. Craig Bishop is currently the senior non-commissioned officer of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was named to replace JSOC Command Sgt. Maj. David Blake, according to a Pentagon press release. JSOC oversees elite special operations strike forces, including the Navy's SEAL Team six, the Air Force's 24th Special Tactics Squadron and the Army's Delta Force, officially designated the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment. JSOC is also responsible for studying special operations requirements, ensuring equipment standardiza- tion and developing joint tactics among special operations forces. Bishop enlisted in the Army in September 1992 from Sweetwater, Tennessee. Over the course of his Army career, he has performed all NCO lead- ership positions, from team leader to command sergeant major for the 75th Ranger Regiment. Bishop has been through all levels of the NCO education system, including Special Operations Command Summit course and the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy. Bishop will serve under Air Force Lt. Gen. Scott Howell, JSOC commander and the first Air Force general to lead the legendary unit that was born out of the Iran hostage crisis in 1980. Since 9/11, few elements of the U.S. military have been more involved in the fight against terrorism than soldiers of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, or USASOC. Established at Fort Bragg on Dec. 1, 1989, to enhance the readiness of Army Special Operations Forces, USASOC also functions as the Army component of the U.S. Special Operations Command, which is located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. In Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and numerous other hotspots around the world, USASOC soldiers have been among the first forces to deploy in support of U.S. and coali- tion force objectives. Many of these soldiers, most of them having served in numerous combat rotations, remain de- ployed to those locations along with conventional forces and multinational partners to help ensure the success of all GWOT operations, whether in a frontline combat role or a humanitarian as- sistance function. Green berets ordinarily serve shorter deployments than traditional forces but are sent into combat more often. New Special Operations leader comes to Fort Bragg by JEFF THOMPSON Command Sgt. Maj. Craig Bishop NEWS 2019 national day of the COWBOY RODEO PRESENTS The 6 th annual July 26 th & 27 th 7 B r a n c h a r e n a 6 2 M c G o u g a n r d . L u m b e r b r i d g e , n c 2 8 3 5 7 ONLINE AT DAYOFTHECOWBOYNC.COM GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! OR AT THE GATE GATES OPEN AT 5PM SHOW STARTS AT 8PM FRI/SAT

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