Top Fort Benning commander will leave post for new Army role. Here’s what we know
Fort Benning’s commanding general has been promoted to a top position in Washington, D.C., setting the stage for new leadership here at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence.
The U.S. Senate on May 14 confirmed Maj. Gen. Gary M. Brito’s appointment to lieutenant general and assignment as the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.
Brito has been in command at Benning since March 19, 2018, leading the installation through the COVID-19 outbreak that forced changes in procedures as the post continued training more than 58,000 personnel annually, supplying 35% of the Army’s new soldiers. He was also the post’s first black commanding general.
“Although there have been many changes since I last served here, I can tell what remains the same — and I have learned this over the last few days — are the people,” Brito said as he took command. “Soldiers, families, retirees, and our community and state partners, both collectively and individually make Fort Benning, Georgia, a fantastic place to serve.”
Fort Benning celebrated its centennial year soon after Brito’s arrival, as the post marked its founding in October 1918, at a time when another epidemic swept across the world.
In a Ledger-Enquirer series on the centennial, Brito wrote a column noting the role Benning played in his life.
“From my own perspective — and I am sure I can speak for others — Fort Benning holds a special place in my life: It grew me as an Infantry soldier and leader through several assignments. I couldn’t be more humbled to be here now..... And as Fort Benning moves into the next 100 years defending the nation, Fort Benning, Columbus, Phenix City and all our partner communities in the Chattahoochee Valley area can expect to shape the world, just as we have done throughout the last century.”
One of Brito’s sons was born here during an earlier assignment to Benning. Before he was appointed the post commander, Brito was commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La.
At the Pentagon, Brito will replace Lt. Gen. Thomas Seamands as the deputy chief of staff responsible for developing and implementing the Army’s personnel programs and policies.
Brito’s replacement here at Benning will be Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahoe, currently the deputy commanding general over operations for the Eighth Army in the Republic of Korea, according to the Department of Defense.
So far no timetable for the change of command has been confirmed, though it likely will be in July, a post spokesman said.
Brito
Originally from Hyannis, Mass., Brito in 2018 replaced former Benning commander Maj. Gen. Eric J. Wesley. His assignment as Benning commander was not his first stint here.
In the years 1990 to 1995, Brito was in the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, served as an instructor for the Officer Candidate School and for the Tactics Division, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment; and commanded E Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment.
From 2003 to 2004, he was chief of the Office of Infantry Proponency, and from 2004 to 2006 commanded the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
He has served as deputy commanding general for the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and as the director of Force 2025 and Beyond Directorate for the Army Capabilities Integration Center in the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Brito was commissioned as an infantry officer in March 1987, through the ROTC program at Pennsylvania State University in State College.
Donahoe
Like Brito, Maj. Gen. Donahoe also has a history at Benning, having been appointed chief of staff for the Maneuver Center of Excellence in September 2014.
According to his online biography, he’s a New Jersey native commissioned in May 1989 through the ROTC program at Villanova University.
His Army record includes assignments to Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort Knox, Ky.; Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Irwin, Calif. He commanded the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood as it deployed to Iraq for counter-insurgency operations in Babil and Karbala Provinces, earning the Valorous Unit Citation.
Donahoe served in Afghanistan July 2013 to June 2014 as senior advisor to Gen. Sher Mohammed Karimi, chief of the general staff of the Afghan National Army.
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 1:55 PM.