1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss announce new commanding general

FORT BLISS, Texas (KVIA) -- The 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss will have a change in command by the end of the month, it announced Friday.

The president nominated Brig. Gen. Brandon Anderson as the next commander of Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division on Sept. 30.

Anderson relinquished his duties as the commander of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin in California. He'll also assume command of the Joint Task Force of the Southern Border, which has 8,000 service members.

Fort Bliss said Anderson has experience training soldiers and caring for a military installation at Fort Irwin.

“What a privilege it is to be coming back and joining Old Ironsides and the El Paso community,” Anderson said in a statement.

Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor currently holds the title of commanding general at the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss.

"Protecting the homeland is the top priority of our national leadership, and Brandon’s selection is a clear indication that the Army values this mission,” said Taylor in a statement. “His experience at the National Training Center, the Army's premier combat training center, combined with his leadership as a senior commander at Fort Irwin, will be invaluable. That background is critical for instilling the highest levels of combat readiness in our Iron Soldiers, for leading one of the largest military installations in the United States and for ensuring our nation’s border is defended."

Maj. Gen. Taylor will assume duties as the deputy commander of European Command, a three-star general officer position, Fort Bliss said.

During his 27 months at the 1st Armored Division, Taylor deployed the division to Europe for nine months. He also relocated the JTF-Southern Border mission headquarters from Arizona to El Paso.

“My wife and I have loved the special relationship between Fort Bliss and El Paso and will miss this wonderful community here in the Borderland,” said Taylor. “El Paso has become our home.”

The division will hold a promotion ceremony for Maj. Gen. Taylor to Lieutenant General and a Division Change of Command on Oct. 30 at the 1st Armored Division Parade Field. The ceremony will start at 8:30 a.m.