Brig. Gen. Matthew J. Hardman assumed command of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk during a change-of-command ceremony held Oct. 8 at the Louisiana installation. Maj. Gen. Jason A. Curl transferred responsibility for the command to Hardman.
Maj. Gen. Colin P. Tuley, commanding general of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, hosted the ceremony. He characterized the transition as a transfer of trust and described JRTC as a place where Army formations test their preparation against an opposing force intended to represent a peer adversary. Tuley said the center’s work supports the Army’s readiness for national service.
Tuley said Curl had led the installation through two years of change in warfare, technology, military formations, doctrine and threats. He credited Curl with adapting the training center while maintaining attention to readiness, soldiers and leaders, combat effectiveness and transformation. Tuley thanked Curl for his service and said the installation was stronger at the end of his tenure.
Addressing Hardman, Tuley said the new commander knew JRTC through prior experience and a career focused on training formations to fight. He expressed confidence in Hardman’s judgment and leadership and described the command as an important responsibility for the Army.
Curl thanked Tuley, ceremony attendees and residents of nearby communities, specifically recognizing local support for soldiers and military families. He said Fort Polk’s character came from its people, rather than its terrain. Curl also pointed to the demanding heat and humidity associated with the Fullerton Box, the training area used at JRTC, and said the center seeks to reproduce the difficult conditions of ground combat. He described an ongoing effort to align the center’s training with what the Army observes in current operating environments.
Curl, who had served at Fort Polk more than once and had been commanding general for the preceding 27 months, said he was confident Hardman was well qualified to lead the installation. He praised Hardman’s experience, military ethos and vision.
Hardman said he was humbled to take command and called JRTC and Fort Polk the most professionally rewarding assignment of his career. He described the mission as preparing soldiers to master the fundamentals of modern combat during training, rather than first encountering them in combat. He said the center’s goal was to prepare the Army to win decisively.
Hardman also credited military families, the surrounding community and the installation’s civilian workforce with supporting the mission. He said every part of the team contributes to readiness and pledged to continue the center’s work.
The ceremony marked the formal leadership transition from Curl to Hardman. The source account identifies the event date as Oct. 8; it does not specify the year in the supplied text.
