{"id":842,"date":"2017-07-13T16:20:51","date_gmt":"2017-07-13T16:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=842"},"modified":"2018-02-01T16:56:34","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T16:56:34","slug":"exchanges-welcomes-col-scott-mcfarland-as-europeswa-region-commander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/07\/13\/exchanges-welcomes-col-scott-mcfarland-as-europeswa-region-commander\/","title":{"rendered":"Exchange Welcomes Col. Scott McFarland as Europe\/SWA Region Commander"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEMBACH, Germany \u2013 <\/strong>U.S. Army Col. Scott McFarland<\/a> assumed command of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Europe\/Southwest Asia region during a July 13 ceremony<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"As commander, McFarland is responsible for Exchange operations and support throughout Europe, including countries at the tip of the spear such as Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. The Middle East, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, are within his area of responsibility as well. In all, the Exchange provides critical support and a taste of home to more than 360,000 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors in 25 countries in the Europe\/Southwest Asia region\u2014including remote, austere locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly feel honored and humbled as I accept the responsibility of Command and join the team,\u201d McFarland said.<\/a> \u201cMany organizations fear transitions as they can lead to challenges and turmoil. The Exchange is not one of those organizations. With its \u2018we go where you go\u2019 motto, the Exchange has embraced those challenges head on for 122 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exchange Director\/CEO Tom Shull presided as the colors were passed from Col. Geoff De Tingo, Exchange Europe\/SWA commander since 2014, to McFarland<\/a>. Shull praised De Tingo\u2019s fortification of relationships with U.S. Army-Europe, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Installation Management Command, the Department of State and other key partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor three years, Geoff has been a transformational leader in the Exchange family,\u201d Shull said. \u201cHis keen ability to build relationships with strategic partners to support Soldiers and Airmen has made an indelible impact on our critical mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

McFarland joins the team as the Exchange ramps up support at the tip of the spear in Eastern Europe, including operations in Poland and Romania. A troop store at Zagan and a mobile field exchange (MFE) in Powitz, bring drinks, snacks, supplies and other tastes of home to U.S. and multinational troops supporting Operation Atlantic Resolve. An MFE at Bemowo Piskie Training Area supports NATO\u2019s Enhanced Forward Presence in Poland.<\/p>\n

Since late June, the Exchange\u2019s Europe team has deployed an MFE to Cincu, Romania, to support U.S. and multinational forces participating in Saber Guardian 17, a training exercise in Eastern Europe involving 25,000 military personnel from 20 countries.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Exchange has increased its support in Iraq. Just three years ago, the Exchange had no presence in Iraq. Now, the Department of Defense retailer supports troops with eight locations\u2014the most recent one opened in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter the leadership transitions, geographic or logistics challenges, or supporting through the ambiguity of war, the Exchange always prevails in its mission to make the lives of Soldiers and Airmen better,\u201d McFarland said. \u201cI promise to give my all to the team to meet the tough challenges that lie ahead.\u201d-<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http:\/\/www.aafes.com\/about-exchange\/public-affairs\/press-releases.htm<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEMBACH, Germany \u2013 U.S. Army Col. Scott McFarland assumed command of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Europe\/Southwest Asia region during a July 13 ceremony. As commander, McFarland is responsible for Exchange operations and support throughout Europe, including countries at the tip of the spear such as Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. The Middle East, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press_releases","category-uncategorized"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/07\/13\/exchanges-welcomes-col-scott-mcfarland-as-europeswa-region-commander\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Exchange Welcomes Col. Scott McFarland as Europe\/SWA Region Commander","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/07\/13\/exchanges-welcomes-col-scott-mcfarland-as-europeswa-region-commander\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/07\/13\/exchanges-welcomes-col-scott-mcfarland-as-europeswa-region-commander\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chris Ward"}],"creator":["Chris Ward"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2017-07-13T16:20:51Z","datePublished":"2017-07-13T16:20:51Z","dateModified":"2018-02-01T16:56:34Z"},"rendered":"