Your excellencies, Members of Parliament, Admiral Foggo, Fellow General Officers, Honored guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning and thank you for attending this transfer of authority ceremony. It’s an honor to speak to you as the Commander of NATO Headquarters – Sarajevo.
Admiral Foggo, thank you for the trust and confidence that today’s ceremony represents. I am truly honored to bear the mantle that comes with this responsibility. I won’t let you down.
General Bissell, thank you for your leadership and your tutelage these past several days and the past several weeks that have led up to today. I also want to recognize your commitment to this mission and the work this headquarters and Bosnia and Herzegovina has achieved during your tenure and for setting the stage for the work that remains before it. Your commitment has been inspiring and something I aim to continue.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William J. Edwards, NATO Headquarters Sarajevo commander, provides remarks during a transfer of authority ceremony at the Army Hall, Dec. 12, 2019, in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Edwards, a career infantry officer and member of the Oregon National Guard, is the new senior military representative for NATO in Bosnia-Herzegovina. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Victor J. Caputo)
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William J. Edwards, NATO Headquarters Sarajevo commander, accepts the unit guidon from U.S. Navy Adm. James Foggo, Allied Joint Force Command Naples commander, during a transfer of authority ceremony at the Army Hall, Dec. 12, 2019, in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Edwards, a career infantry officer and member of the Oregon National Guard, is the new senior military representative for NATO in Bosnia-Herzegovina. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Victor J. Caputo)
To my newest friends and colleagues: those of you in the international community, in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in NATO, in the EUFOR and other organizations working here in Sarajevo, I say Good Morning and Greetings! I have met some of you already during my time with General Bissell this past week. I want to thank you for the warm welcome I’ve received thus far. I look forward to developing our relationships together and I hope to establish and maintain an open dialogue with each of you. And you have my commitment, that I will maintain the same level of dedication that General Bissell has shown – and indeed your actions have shown – here in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I’ve heard it said that if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. As Admiral Foggo stated, NATO HQ Sarajevo has been supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina for 15 years now. We have further to go. And I intend to go far and together with all of you. My goal is to continue with your partnership to help provide for a prosperous, more stable and secure country here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I look forward to your help.
Thank you