Vincent K. Brooks

Vincent Keith Brooks (born October 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army general who last commanded United States Forces Korea, United Nations Command, and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as the commanding general of United States Army Pacific and prior to that as the commanding general of Third Army.[1] Brooks was the United States Central Command Deputy Director of Operations during the War in Iraq, and frequently briefed the media, which raised his public profile. He also served as the Chief of Army Public Affairs The Pentagon. He was the deputy commander of 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad during the 2006–2008 "surge" and upon returning to the United States became the commanding general of the same division. He later was commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division. Brooks assumed command in Korea on April 30, 2016 and was succeeded by Robert B. Abrams in November 2018, and he retired on January 1, 2019.

Vincent K. Brooks
General Vincent K. Brooks
Nickname(s)"Vince"
Born (1958-10-24) October 24, 1958
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1980–2019
RankGeneral
Commands heldUnited States Forces Korea
United Nations Command
ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command
United States Army Pacific
Third Army
1st Infantry Division
1st Cavalry Division
1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsKosovo War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal (4)
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (4)
Bronze Star Medal (2)
RelationsMajor General Leo A. Brooks Sr. (father)
Brigadier General Leo A. Brooks Jr. (brother)
Francis K. Brooks (uncle)

Family

Brooks was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on October 24, 1958. He grew up as an Army brat in a prominent military family in California. His father, Major General Leo A. Brooks Sr., and brother, Brigadier General Leo A. Brooks Jr., both retired after careers in the United States Army.[2][3] His uncle, Francis K. Brooks, was the majority leader of the Vermont House of Representatives and a member of the Vermont Senate.[4][5] Brooks attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia for two years, and then Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, where he graduated in 1976. He was a varsity basketball player, and decided to follow his brother to United States Military Academy at West Point to earn a commission as an officer.

Military service

Brooks as a cadet in 1980
Brooks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2018

At West Point, Brooks was the academy's first African-American Cadet First Captain, the highest position (Cadet Brigade Commander) a cadet can hold, an appointment that brought much public visibility at an early age in life. He graduated from West Point in 1980. After graduating, Brooks served in South Korea and Kosovo among other places. In Kosovo, he concurrently served as the deputy commander of the U.S. force in Kosovo (Task Force Falcon) and as commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart in Georgia. From that position he moved to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. While serving there he was temporarily assigned to be Deputy Director of Operations at United States Central Command (CENTCOM). Returning to the Pentagon and the Joint Staff in April 2003, he became the Lead Strategic Planner for the Global War on Terrorism working closely with the CIA, the Departments of State, Treasury and Justice, the FBI and the military's United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

In his role as Deputy Director of Operations, Brooks also became the spokesperson of CENTCOM, the main force in the Middle East. At that time he was the youngest general officer in the army. From 2006 to 2008 Brooks served as the Deputy Commanding General of 1st Cavalry Division, serving for fifteen months in Baghdad as second-in-command of the main effort (Multinational Division – Baghdad) stabilizing the Iraqi capital city and province during what is now called "The Surge." Upon return from Iraq, he took command of the 1st Cavalry Division until April 2008. Following an assignment as the Deputy Commanding General of the Army's III (Third) Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, he again took command of a combat unit, serving as the Commanding General of the historic 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley in Kansas from April 2009 to May 2011. He deployed the unit to Iraq for a year, serving as U.S. Division – South, responsible for securing the heavily Shi'ite areas of the southern half of the country. The headquarters was in Basra, Iraq. Following two years in a second division-level command, Brooks took command of U.S. Army Central and Third Army responsible for all U.S. Army operations throughout the Middle East and Central Asia (from Egypt to Kazakhstan). During this time, Brooks oversaw the reduction of forces in Iraq as well as the build up of forces in Afghanistan.

As the Commanding General of United States Army Pacific and as a part of the "Asia Pivot" of the Obama administration foreign policy, Brooks envisioned and executed the "Pacific Pathways" program. The program consists of a single United States Army unit that would move to different countries of the Asia and Pacific regions for up to three months at a time to develop first-hand understanding of the region. While initially criticized in some circles,[6] the innovative approach has met high acclaim from the countries of the region and the units involved in the missions.

In March 2016, Brooks was nominated to command United States Forces Korea, the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, and United Nations Command, succeeding General Curtis Scaparrotti.[7] He served until October 2018, and was succeeded by Robert B. Abrams. Brooks retired on January 1, 2019, following the completion of his command assignment in Korea.[8]

Awards and decorations

Expert Infantryman Badge
Combat Action Badge
Ranger tab
Senior Parachutist Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge
1st Infantry Division Combat Service Identification Badge
United Nations Command Badge
9th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
Silver German Parachutist Badge
7 Overseas Service Bars
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with three bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with silver oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Unit Commendation with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Superior Unit Award
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
Kosovo Campaign Medal with one bronze service star
Iraq Campaign Medal with four service stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with two service stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 6
NATO Medal for Kosovo
Inter-American Defense Board Medal
Order of the Rising Sun, Grand Cordon (Japan)
Order of National Security Merit, Tong-il Medal (Republic of Korea)

References

  1. "Lt. Gen. Brooks assumed command of Third Army". DVIDS. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  2. Boeing Corporation, Biography, Leo A. Brooks, Jr., 2011
  3. Virginia State University Alumni Association, Alumni in the military, Leo A. Brooks, Sr., accessed May 7, 2013
  4. Hawkins, Walter L. (2009-02-13). Black American Military Leaders: A Biographical Dictionary. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0-7864-4462-5.
  5. Secretary of the Vermont Senate. "Biography, Senator Francis K. Brooks". Vermont General Assembly. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Senate. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  6. Chandrasekaran, Rajiv (29 December 2013). "Army's 'Pacific Pathways' initiative sets up turf battle with Marines". www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  7. "Release No: NR-101-16: Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Gen. Vincent K. Brooks" (Press release). Washington, DC: Press Operations. U.S. Department of Defense. March 21, 2016.
  8. Schifrin, Nick (January 18, 2019). "What a 2nd Trump-Kim summit could mean for the push to denuclearize North Korea". PBS. Washington, DC.
Military offices
Preceded by
Perry L. Wiggins
Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division
2009–2011
Succeeded by
William C. Mayville Jr.
Preceded by
William G. Webster
Commanding General of the Third United States Army
2011–2013
Succeeded by
James L. Terry
Preceded by
Francis J. Wiercinski
Commander of the United States Army Pacific
2013–2016
Succeeded by
Robert B. Brown
Preceded by
Curtis M. Scaparrotti
Commander of the United Nations Command
Commander of the United States Forces Korea
Commander of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command

2016–2018
Succeeded by
Robert B. Abrams
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