The incoming commander of the 7th Civil Support Command, Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati, center left, takes the unit's colors from Maj. Gen. Aundre Piggee, as outgoing commander Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix watches at the 7th CSC's change-of-command ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Friday. To Benenati's left is Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Biere. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The incoming commander of the 7th Civil Support Command, Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati, center left, takes the unit's colors from Maj. Gen. Aundre Piggee, as outgoing commander Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix watches at the 7th CSC's change-of-command ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Friday. To Benenati's left is Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Biere. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers of the 7th Civil Support Command salute during the playing of the German and American national anthems at the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Friday. Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati took over the reins of the 7th CSC from Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
First Lt. Dustin Tutin, of the 529th Military Police Company Honor Guard Battery, carries a ceremonial shell casing that he presented to Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix, the outgoing commander of 7th Civil Support Command. Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati took over the reins of the 7th CSC from Hendrix at a change-of-command ceremony Friday at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati, the new commander of the 7th Civil Support Command, speaks at the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Friday. Benenati took over the reins of the 7th CSC from Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The 7th Civil Support Command color guard at the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Friday. Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati took over as commander of the 7th CSC from Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers of the 7th Civil Support Command stand in formation at the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Friday. Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati became the new commander of the 7th CSC at the ceremony. The outgoing commander was Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Citizen soldiers in Europe will play a critical role in supporting the nation’s defense strategy as the U.S. military transitions out of Afghanistan and operates on a tighter budget, says the new commander of the 7th Civil Support Command.
Brig. Gen. Paul Benenati, who took charge of the unique Army Reserve command at an indoor ceremony Friday at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, spoke of how reservists, after the war in Afghanistan ends, won’t return to being a force called on only in times of war or national emergency.
“We’ve moved a large percentage of many of our capabilities into the Army Reserve,” he said. “And we must be ready, tactically, and technically proficient at all times … with little to no notice.”
The 7th CSC, the only Army Reserve unit to be entirely stationed overseas, has about 1,000 soldiers who are based out of four locations in Germany and Italy.
Benenati takes the helm as the organization continues to transform into an operational, deployable civil support command that actively participates in bolstering the capabilities of partner countries. It also supports humanitarian assistance and other missions, as directed by the 21st Theater Sustainment Command — the unit’s parent command — and U.S. Army Europe.
Benenati, along with about 120 of the command’s soldiers, is on active duty. He was commissioned in 1980 through ROTC from the University of Richmond in Virginia, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and began his Army career in the military police corps, according to his official Army biography. His last assignment was as the commander of the 451st Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Wichita, Kan.
Benenati took command of the civil support command from Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix, who led the unit since June 2011. Hendrix, a licensed attorney, was planning to return to his former home in Missouri, where he is awaiting his next assignment in the Army Reserve.
Jennifer reports on the U.S. military from Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she writes about the Air Force, Army and DODEA schools. She’s had previous assignments for Stars and Stripes in Japan, reporting from Yokota and Misawa air bases. Before Stripes, she worked for daily newspapers in Wyoming and Colorado. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
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