FORT IRWIN, Calif. — The NTC and Fort Irwin welcomed Brig. Gen. Curtis D. Taylor as its newest Commanding General on April 22 at the Fort Irwin Airfield.
Speaking to those in attendance, Maj. Gen. David A. Lesperance, the outgoing commanding general, said “I thought my #1 priority remained to continue building and sustaining readiness for our Army, but little did I know that the pandemic and subsequent changes to our rotational calendar would provide the opportunity and the necessity to become community focused and see what really makes NTC and Fort Irwin a great place.”
During his tenure as commanding general of NTC and Fort Irwin, the installation has seen multiple quality-of-life improvements.
“Thanks to their (garrison command team) efforts, the installation will see improvements that have been a long time coming— new barracks, improved PX, new 24-hour shoppette, new community activity center, new youth center, and a lazy river,” said Lesperance.
Taylor is no stranger to Fort Irwin. His father, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H.G. Taylor, served as the 4th Commanding General of NTC. As a young adult, Taylor attended Silver Valley High School, eventually joining the Army and later serving as part of the Operations Group as an Observer Controller/Coach Trainer.
Since then, Taylor has served multiple tours to both Afghanistan and Iraq, and most recently commanded the Army’s newest combat brigade, the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.