DLA Distribution Sigonella, Italy, Change of Command

Sequence of Events

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Ceremony Host: Brig. Gen. Kevin L. Cotman

Brigadier General Kevin L. Cotman was born and raised in Hampton, Va. He was commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps through the United States
Military Academy in 1994. He assumed command of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution on July 22, 2025.

His first duty assignment was to the 24th Corps Support Group, Fort Stewart/ Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, where he served as Executive Officer,
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, Platoon Leader and then Executive Officer, 110th Quartermaster Company
and Battalion S-1, 260th Quartermaster Battalion.

Cotman later served as the Petroleum Officer for 8th United States Army, Yongsan Garrison, Republic of Korea. Next, he was assigned to Fort Lee, Virginia, where he served as a Petroleum and Water Instructor and later commanded the 16th Quartermaster Company, 49th Quartermaster Group. After command, he completed Training with Industry with the ExxonMobil Corporation. He then served in the 2d Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Republic of Korea, as the Division Support Command Materiel Management Officer.

Following reassignment to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Cotman was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. He initially served as the Battalion Operations Officer, 307th Forward Support Battalion. He was then assigned to the 782nd Main Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division as the Support Operations Officer. He later returned to the 307th Forward Support Battalion and deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom as the Materiel Management Officer. In the newly transformed, 307th Brigade Support Battalion, he served as Battalion Operations Officer, concluding his duty as the Battalion Executive Officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He was then assigned as the Executive Officer to the Vice Director of the Army Staff and later served in the Joint Staff J-4 Logistics Directorate. Next, he commanded the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. After completing battalion command, he served as the Senior Sustainment Observer, Coach, Trainer at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana. He then returned to the Republic of Korea where he served as the Chief, Plans and Exercise Division, United States Forces Korea J4. He then assumed command of Defense Logistics Agency Energy Americas, Houston, Texas. After command, he served as the Force Development-Logistics Division Chief, HQDA G-8. His next assignment was as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4. Prior to his arrival at DLA Distribution, he served as the Commanding General, 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

Cotman holds a Master's Degrees in Business Administration from Webster University and National Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School, National Defense University.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Senior Parachutist Badge, Combat Action Badge, Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge and Army Staff Identification Badge.

Outgoing Commander: U.S. Navy Cmdr. Renae J. Renken, Supply Corps

Navy Commander Renae Renken hails from Canton, Kansas and assumed her current duties as Commander DLA Distribution Center Sigonella, Italy in July 2024. She earned a Bachelor of Science and minors in Sociology and Psychology from Washburn University and a Master's of Science in Strategic Studies and National Defense from the Navy War College. She earned her commissioning from Officer Candidate School January 2006 and became a Supply Corps Officer May 2006.

Her operational tours include sales/disbursing and assistant supply officer, USS Chung-Hoon; aviation supply officer where she deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM and MARITIME SECURITY, Hazmat and stores officer USS Wasp and was selected as the first supply officer U.S. Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System Romania.

Her shore assignments include Multi-National Corps Iraq, Iraqi Assistance Group, J4 budget officer in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Base Property Control Officer and Headquarters Battalion Supply Officer Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay, sustainment officer and deputy division chief for strategic logistics U.S EUCOM Stuttgart, Germany Site director Naval Air Station Jacksonville NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Jacksonville, Florida and Director of N96 Integrated Weapons Systems Team, NAVSUP WSS Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

She is authorized to wear a Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, four Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and several unit and campaign awards.

Incoming Commander: U.S. Navy Cmdr. Aaron K. Smith, Supply Corps

Cmdr. Aaron K. Smith, a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, in 2008.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia in 2007 and a Master of Business Administration focusing on Acquisition and Contract Management from Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, in June 2021. He is also a 2023 graduate of the Joint Combined Warfare School, Norfolk, Virginia.

His operational assignments include: Assistant Supply Officer, USS Winston S. Churchill, Norfolk, Virginia and Supply Officer, USS Carter Hall, Little Creek, Virginia.

His shore assignments include: Supply Officer, Naval Computers and Telecommunications Station, Sigonella, Italy; Deputy Director, Military Pay Operations, Defense Finance Accounting Service, Cleveland, Ohio; Supervisory Contracts Negotiator, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard; Deputy Director, Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters, 3-Star Strategic Initiatives Group, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Deputy Chief of Contracting, Office of Special Projects, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.

Cmdr. Smith is the current Commander of DLA Distribution, Sigonella, Italy strategically located on the island of Sicily in the heart of the Mediterranean. His command is the key forward positioned stock location for the Navy's 6th Fleet and premier distribution provider for the joint force supporting operations in EUCOM, AFRICOM and CETCOM.

Cmdr. Smith is designated as a Surface Warfare Supply Corps Officer and achieved Defense Acquisition Professional Membership in 2019. He holds several DAWIA certifications across a range of acquisition competencies, including Contracting, Business Financial Management, and Life Cycle Logistics. He is also designated as a fully Joint Qualified Officer, Level III.

His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit, campaign, and service medals.

DLA Distribution Sigonella, Italy

DLA Distribution Sigonella, Italy, is strategically located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. With capability to provide the full complement of physical distribution services and ideally located on the historically-rich island of Sicily, Sigonella stands ready to support all four service components, Combatant Commands and other federal agencies located south of the Italian Alps. Officially activated on April 1, 2004, DLA Distribution Sigonella, Italy, was established to provide forward stock positioning support and enhanced physical distribution services in conjunction with an expanding regional customer base. Collocated on Naval Air Station, Sigonella, DLA Distribution Sigonella, Italy's, primary customers currently include the Aviation Support Division, Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Division, Navy ships, U.S. Air Force and NATO Global Hawk detachments and squadrons operating in the Mediterranean region. Specialized handling and support services include managing the Navy's hazardous materials, depot level repair part storage and distribution, and a complete range of material packing and shipping services. Sigonella also provides expedited requisitioning and centralized receiving support to the military community throughout the Mediterranean.