Army Lt. Gen. James Terry took command of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan during a ceremony at ISAF headquarters in Kabul on June 12. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, ISAF commander, presided at the ceremony, according to ISAF’s release. Terry replaced Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who commanded ISAF Joint Command since July 2011. “Together over the last year, we have made great progress,” said Scaparrotti at the ceremony. “Our actions have delivered opportunity; opportunity for the Afghan people to secure their future, and opportunity for the Afghan people to secure peace.” In his new role, Terry will also serve as deputy commanding general of US Forces-Afghanistan and retains his post as commander of the Army’s V Corps, which is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany. “We left our comfortable homes and loved ones to become part of a team that will take the next steps in bringing lasting stability to Afghanistan,” he said. “Our success also secures our own nations by denying Afghanistan as a safe haven for terrorists.”
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.