1st Special Forces Command gets new leader

Maj. Gen. James E. Kraft Jr. took command of a unit that was still being born two years ago.

On Friday, he bid farewell to a combat-tested, but still evolving 1st Special Forces Command during a ceremony on Fort Bragg.

Kraft relinquished command of the unit to Maj. Gen. Fran M. Beaudette in a ceremony outside of the 1st SFC’s headquarters. Lt. Gen. Kenneth E. Tovo, the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, oversaw the change of command.

Tovo said the command, provisionally activated in May 2014, was meant to combine the nation’s regionally orientated special operations capabilities within a single headquarters that would then be able to deploy to support wars around the world.

When Kraft took command in August 2015, Tovo said that mission was still taking shape.

Previous commanders of the unit, which was formed from the former U.S. Army Special Forces Command and other special operations units across Fort Bragg, had set the foundation, Tovo said. But for the most part, the unit was still “largely a vision awaiting interpretation.”

“You had the outlines of a picture, but it was absent of color in the detail,” he said.

Under Kraft’s leadership, the 1st Special Forces Command was officially approved in October 2016. Later that year, it received orders to deploy to Iraq to oversee special operations forces based in Iraq, Syria and Jordan while fighting the Islamic State.

The command deployed about a month later.

Tovo compared Kraft’s job to building an airplane in flight.

“Jim has been the design engineer, the construction manager and the pilot,” he said.

While deployed for much of the past year and a half, Kraft guided and directed the continued development of the command at Fort Bragg, oversaw the building of readiness across the force and ensured warfighters deployed to more than 70 countries were supported.

At the same time, Tovo said, Kraft was in the middle of a shooting war against a determined enemy in one of the most complex geopolitical environments ever seen as part of the anti-ISIS fight, known as Operation Inherent Resolve.

In addition to fighting the Islamic State, special operations forces are navigating a battlefield that includes Russian, Iranian, Lebanese Hezbollah and Syrian regime forces.

Tovo said those troops aren’t enemies, but they also aren’t friends.

Despite the challenges, special operations forces have helped turn the tide against ISIS and have laid the groundwork for the terrorist group’s eventual defeat, the general said.

In doing so, Kraft has proven the value of the still relatively new command, Tovo said.

“You have taken the vision of 1st SFC and you have given it form and substance,” he said.

Beaudette takes over a division-sized command that consists of 11 subordinate groups and brigades and more than 23,000 troops. That includes seven Special Forces groups, two military information support groups, a civil affairs brigade and a sustainment brigade.

The soldiers are trained to work closely with indigenous partners around the world. They are trained as combat advisors, in military deception, in sabotage and subversion and as experts in other forms of special warfare.

They work closely with allied forces, in support of regional military commanders, ambassadors and other governmental agencies, providing crisis response, precision targeting and regional understanding.

Kraft will return oversees to finish an ongoing mission, Tovo said, but he will eventually return to serve as Tovo’s deputy at U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

The 31-year Army veteran previously served in the 7th Special Forces Group on Fort Bragg and in various roles within U.S. Army Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command.

Beaudette finds himself following Kraft into an assignment for the third time in their careers. He was most recently the assistant commanding general for Joint Special Operations Command, but also served within the 1st, 10th and 3rd Special Forces groups.

The general was first commissioned in 1989. He has deployed in support of Desert Storm, peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

Tovo said Beaudette has the broad experience across special operations that one would expect for his new position.

He called him a proven warrior with an impeccable record that speaks for itself and a universally respected member of the special operations brotherhood.

And his mission is straightforward, Tovo said. Finish the development of the 1st Special Forces Command headquarters, continue to train and deploy special operators to combat zones around the world and prepare the unit and its soldiers for new challenges.

“Win today,” Tovo said. “Make sure we are ready to win tomorrow.”

Kraft said his time in command was an incredible ride. He thanked his staff, the soldiers and their families and said the change of command was more than a transfer of authority.

He called the event a celebration of families, the transformation of the command, the success of the unit and the sacrifices of the wounded and fallen.

Kraft noted that the command lost seven soldiers during his time in command. Another 83 were wounded. He said those soldiers and others who serve within the command are what makes the unit special.

“I would gladly fight beside them anytime, anywhere,” he said.

Beaudette thanked friends, family and mentors for helping him rise to his newest position.

He said the command has already accomplished so many incredible things around the world and would continue to do whatever it is asked.

“It truly is an honor to be back here,” Beaudette said. “… I’m proud of the role we play with and within our Army… we will continue to do our best.”

Military editor Drew Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@fayobserver.com or 486-3567.