Central Louisiana News

FORT  POLK, LA.--In a change of command ceremony this morning at 9 a.m. at  Fort Polk’s Warrior Field, Brig. Gen. David Doyle relinquished command  of Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center to Brig. Gen. David  W. Gardner.  

Board members of Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance were in attendance to bid Doyle farewell.

Brig.  Gen. David Doyle (right) relinquishes command of Fort Polk and the  Joint Readiness Training Center to Brig. Gen. David W. Gardner (far  left). 

“We  wish Gen. Doyle all the best in this next step of his career,” said  Chairman Rick Allen. “He’s been the man for the job in facing some tough  challenges, such as Covid-19 and hurricane recovery. We very much  appreciate his leadership in a demanding time.” 

From  2017 to 2018, Doyle served as the Commander, Operations Group, at the  Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk. From 2019 to 2020, he  served with the 82nd Airborne Division as the Deputy Commanding General -  Support. Then he became the commanding general of Fort Polk and the  JRTC on October 13, 2020.

Doyle  received his commission in the Infantry from the United States Military  Academy at West Point in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Military  History. He has served in Panama; in support of Operation Enduring  Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom; in the Pentagon; in support of  Operation New Dawn; in Kabul, Afghanistan; and in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In  August 2018, BG Doyle joined the Combined Joint Task Force, Operation  Inherent Resolve in Baghdad, Iraq, as the Director of Operations, CJ3.  

His  awards include the Silver Star Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal,  and Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, and many others.  

Doyle’s next assignment is Chief of Staff, United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. 

“We  always look forward to working with Army Command to help make Fort Polk  an installation of choice, not just for soldiers and their families,  but also for civilian workers,” Allen said, referencing Doyle’s recent tour of installations seeking talent for open positions at Fort Polk. 

"I’m  certain that Gen. Gardner will be a pleasure to work with,” Allen  continued. “We’re very much looking forward to sitting down with him to  see how we, our communities, the Louisiana legislature and our  Congressional delegation in Washington can continue supporting the  mission at Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center.”  

Gardner’s  most recent assignment, since July 2020, was Commander, United States  Army Operational Test Command/Deputy Commander for Operational Testing,  United States Army Test and Evaluation Command, Fort Hood, Texas. 

As the Army’s only independent operational tester, Operational Test Command enlists the  “Total Army” (Active, National Guard, and Reserve) when testing Army,  joint, and multi-service warfighting systems in realistic operational  environments, using typical Soldiers to determine whether the systems  are effective, suitable, and survivable. OTC is required by public law  to test major systems before they are fielded to its ultimate customer –  the American Soldier. 

No stranger to Fort Polk, from 2018 to 2020, Gardner served as Commander, Operations Group, Joint Readiness Training Center. 

Gardner  graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1994 and has  served in a variety of maneuver assignments, including commands  in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe.  

Gardner’s  non-troop assignments include: Strategist on the Army Staff; Division  Future Operations Lead Planner; Military Assistant to the Commander,  International Security and Assistance Force/US Forces, Afghanistan; and,  Instructor at the School of Advanced Military Studies. 

He  holds a Bachelor’s in Physics and Masters Degrees from Harvard  University, National Defense University, and the U.S. Army Command and  General Staff College.  

His  awards and decorations include the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals  (with 6 Campaign Stars), Kosovo Campaign Medal, Combat and Expert  Infantryman Badges, Ranger Tab, and Master Parachutist Badge.

Original source can be found here.