4 questions with new commander of the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command

Brig. Gen. Bruce Hackett has taken over leadership of the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command, a Wichita-based Army Reserve unit set to deploy overseas this year.

Hackett officially assumed his duties as commander of the 451st on Jan. 1 but was formally introduced at a ceremony on Tuesday.

Hackett, 53, succeeds Brig. Gen. Gerard Schwartz, who had been commander of the unit since July.

Hackett was an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and served with the Kuwait Emergency Recovery Office in 1991. He also served a combat tour in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 as a battalion commander.

His most recent deployment was in Kuwait from 2012 to 2013 with the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. The 451st’s deployment to Kuwait this spring will be his fourth.

As a civilian, he works full time as a staff operations and training officer for the 316th ESC, which is based near Pittsburgh, Pa. The 316th happens to be the unit that will replace the 451st after its deployment ends.

From Camp Parks in Dublin, Calif., where the 451st is currently training, Hackett talked about the unit’s upcoming deployment and about his leadership style.

Responses have been edited for length.

Q. You’ve been in leadership roles with various units during your career with the U.S. Army Reserve. How, if at all, will commanding the 451st be different?

A. Having deployed with the 316th, I’m experiencing a lot of the same preparation issues for the 451st’s mobilization. The training is going smooth … but I can tell you the mission has changed a lot since I was (in Kuwait) in ’12 and ’13.

What’s changed now are emerging regional threats, and ... we’re back in Iraq. We’re conducting an advise-and-assist mission with the Iraqi Army and teaching them how to operate logistical functions at the operational level.

Q. Since being assigned to the 451st, how have you been preparing to lead it?

A. I had the opportunity to go to Kuwait earlier this month to assess the mission that we’re going to fall in on. I’ve gotten to know the 4th (ESC), the unit we’re going to replace, and what their current mission sets are. At this point in time, we’re at Camp Parks, which gives me an opportunity to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the unit. It allows us to be able to refine our team prior to moving out to Fort Hood for more detailed mobilization training.

Q. In your opinion, how important is the role the 451st will play to the Army’s overall mission in the Middle East?

A. We have quite a bit of American-supported assets within the Middle East that need sustained. You’ve got a lot of men and women that are involved in the fight and are also providing training to foreign armies. Those individuals need (to be) equipped, fed and supplied in some way. In essence, we’re like an organization that tracks all services and supplies that come from (the United States) or from other countries to support American initiatives in theater.

Q. On a personal note, you and your family live in Pittsburgh. How is your family preparing for you to deploy overseas?

A. Since I’ve had my children, they’ve experienced the last three deployments. They know what it’s like to be a military dependent. They support my effort in deploying. My children are older, and they understand how important it is. My wife and kids are very supportive of my mobilization, having experienced it and what it means to me both personally and professionally.

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "4 questions with new commander of the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command."