Transcom Nominee: U.S., Partners Face Increasingly Complex Security Environment

By Terri Moon Cronk, DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON -- The United States and its global partners face an increasingly complex security environment that requires a joint force that’s relevant to the times, the nominee to be the next commander of U.S. Transportation Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.

Army Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lyons told senators that such a joint force must be one that can compete, deter, and if necessary, respond and win decisively.

“Transcom’s mission is to project and sustain military power globally, at our time and place of choosing, providing an immediate force tonight and a decisive force when needed,” he said.

“If confirmed, I recognize that I indeed have big shoes to fill,” Lyons said. “The Transcom team is absolutely exceptional, and I have been the beneficiary of that unparalleled professionalism throughout my entire career.”

Projecting Power Globally

The general told the senators that if he’s confirmed, he looks forward to working with the committee to ensure that the Defense Department’s ability to project power globally remains a comparative advantage, capable of providing multiple options to national leaders and multiple dilemmas to potential adversaries.

Lyons serves as the Joint Staff’s director for logistics, responsible for integrating logistics planning and execution to support joint operations to drive joint force readiness, maximize the joint force commander's freedom of action and advise the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on logistics matters.

He previously served as Transcom’s deputy commander at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. If confirmed, he would be the first Transcom commander from outside the Air Force.