Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson passes the 56th Artillery Command unit colors to Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter during a change of responsibility ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 22, 2026. Jackson relinquished senior enlisted leader duties to Command Sgt. Maj. Caleb Webster. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany — The Army unit responsible for coordinating electronic warfare, cyber operations and artillery fires in Europe welcomed a new senior enlisted leader Thursday. 

Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson transferred enlisted adviser responsibilities of the 56th Artillery Command, also known as Multi-Domain Command Europe, to Command Sgt. Maj. Caleb Webster during a ceremony at Clay Kaserne. 

The command has evolved in recent years in line with the Army’s efforts to adapt to changing combat realities seen on the battlefields of Ukraine and elsewhere.

“It is about forging a new way of warfare, where we can reach out to touch any enemy anywhere, anytime, across every single domain simultaneously,” Jackson said during the ceremony.

Webster brings plenty of experience in the European theater from his most recent assignment as the top enlisted leader of the 41st Field Artillery Brigade in Grafenwoehr. 

Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter passes the unit colors to Command Sgt. Maj. Caleb Webster during a change of responsibility ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 22, 2026. Webster assumed senior enlisted leader responsibilities of the 56th Artillery Command. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)

Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson, from left, Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter and Command Sgt. Maj. Caleb Webster walk to their seats after exchanging the unit colors during a change of responsibility ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 22, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)

Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter speaks to members of the 56th Artillery Command during a change of responsibility ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 22, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)

Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson bids farewell to the 56th Artillery Command during a change of responsibility ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 22, 2026. Jackson will become the senior enlisted leader for U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)

Command Sgt. Maj. Caleb Webster takes charge as the top enlisted leader of the 56th Artillery Command at a ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 22, 2026. Webster was previously the command sergeant major of the 41st Field Artillery Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)

During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, head of the 56th Artillery Command, highlighted Jackson’s 22 months in the role.

Under Jackson’s leadership, the command quickly transformed from what he and other leaders described as a “champagne headquarters” to one “with teeth,” Carpenter said. 

The command supports the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, a NATO and U.S. Army Europe and Africa initiative that leverages emerging technologies to achieve anti-access/area denial and counter foes’ advantages in mass and momentum.

Through exercises like Arcane Thunder, Avenger Triad and Dynamic Front, the organization moved from conventional artillery fire drills to incorporating activities across domains while integrating and streamlining operations with NATO allies and partners. 

“We’ve moved light years ahead from where we were when I walked in,” Jackson said.

He stressed the importance of the deterrence line in safeguarding Europe from Russian aggression.

“If we get (that) right, where our capabilities are creating common operating pictures and integrating systems, then our partners can be in the front and do the things that we’re asking them to do,” he said. 

Jackson will become the first field artillery soldier to serve as the senior enlisted leader of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.

That organization will likely be a focal point for the Army and the Defense Department in the coming months with President Donald Trump’s emphasis on missile defense, including initiatives such as the one dubbed the Golden Dome.