Fort Bliss’ Twitty selected for third star, appointed lieutenant general of First Army

Fort Bliss’ commanding general is headed to Illinois.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Twitty, who led the post since July 2014, has been selected for a third star. The Army appointed Twitty to the rank of lieutenant general, and he will be the commanding general of the First United States Army in Rock Island, Ill.

Maj. Gen. Robert P. White, who is currently deputy chief of staff FORSCOM at Fort Bragg, N.C., will now be commanding general at Fort Bliss.

“I am truly grateful for the appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and the opportunity to continue to serve this great nation,” Twitty said in a news release. “My family and I will truly miss the people of El Paso. Most of all, I will miss the soldiers and civilian workforce at Fort Bliss. It has been an honor to serve alongside our nation’s best — our soldiers and their families as well as our wonderful civilian employees.”

The First Army is the Army’s designated coordinating authority for implementation of the Army Total Force Policy, a program that ensures a holistic approach between active, Army Reserve and Army National Guard components to achieve Army readiness requirements and provide trained and ready forces in support of worldwide operations and missions.

The change of command will be held at 9 a.m. June 15 at Noel Parade Field, West Fort Bliss.