Partnerships and people at forefront as leaders change

New hands are on the reins at Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Korea. Army Lt. Col. Celina Pargo relinquished command to Army Lt. Col. Kelly Svarstad during a ceremony at Camp Carroll, Korea, June 12. Army Brig. Gen. Kevin L. Cotman, commanding general, DLA Distribution, presided over the ceremony.

"Celina constantly invested in her people, nurtured partnerships and kept the joint force postured for readiness with the utmost precision," said Cotman during remarks given at the ceremony.

Pargo served as commander of DLA Distribution Korea, a critical distribution center on the Korean Peninsula, which works closely with the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea, and various customers across the Indo-Pacific region.

During her tenure, DLA Distribution Korea implemented the new Warehouse Management System and maintained green metrics for 23 out of 24 months all through multiple other missions amid an increased operational temp.

She is succeeded by Svarstad, who was born and raised in South Dakota. After his initial enlistment as an internment and resettlement specialist (95C), he attended the University of Wyoming as a recipient of the Division Commander's Hip Pocket Scholarship in the Green to Gold program. He was commissioned in the Ordnance Corps.

Svarstad's initial assignments were with the 10th Mountain Division, including deployments to Mahmudiyah and Yusufyah, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006 to 2008. Svarstad was then assigned as a battalion logistics officer for the 43rd Special Troops Battalion at Fort Carson, Colorado; a liaison officer for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan in Regional Command South and Southwest, Afghanistan; the plans officer in charge for the 43rd Area Support Group at Fort Carson and Regional Command West, Afghanistan; and a company commander at Fort Carson and Regional Command East, Afghanistan.

He then served as the chief of operations for the 479th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas, and secretary of the general staff for the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command at Fort Hood. Upon promotion to major, he served as the chief training officer and assistant chief of staff for logistics for the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Daegu, South Korea.

Svarstad continued with assignments both in the continental United States and abroad as the enterprise integration chief for the 10th Special Forces Group and chief of the division logistics element for the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson and during Operation Resolute Support in Bagram, Afghanistan. Upon redeployment, Svarstad served with the Mission Command Training Program and as the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Svarstad's assignments in Korea include the transportation operations branch chief for the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Daegu, South Korea; the support operations officer in the 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade; and his most recent assignment as the division sustainment brigade's deputy commander at Camp Humphreys, South Korea.

Svarstad's education includes a Bachelor of Arts in music, advanced education in theology with a certificate of ordination (nondenominational Christian), the Ordnance Officer Basic Course, the Logistics Captain's Career Course, and the Command and General Staff Officer Course, as well as numerous military and civilian specialty certificates.

Svarstad's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with four stars, the Iraq Campaign Medal with two stars, the Korean Service Medal, the NATO Medal (Non-Article 5, fourth award), the Overseas Service Ribbon (Numeral 9), the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutist Badge. Svarstad is also a two-time Master Spur Holder for his efforts in light reconnaissance in Iraq and Afghanistan.