Sequence of Events
| Arrival of the Official Party |
*National Anthems
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| *Invocation |
Lt. Col. Ade
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| Remarks |
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Kevin L. Cotman
DLA Distribution Commanding General
|
Presentation of Award
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|
| Remarks |
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Celina S. Pargo
DLA Distribution, Korea, Commander
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Change of Command
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| Remarks |
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kelly Svarstad
DLA Distribution, Korea, Commander
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*Service Medley
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* Indicates to please stand
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. Army Lt. Col. Celina Pargo
Lt. Col. Celina S. Pargo was commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer in 2006 following her graduation from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. She is a graduate of the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, Logistics Captain’s Career Course, and the Naval War College. She holds a master’s degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Her past assignment include Director of Logistics, United States Special Operations Command – Korea, Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Joint Logistics Officer, United States Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida; Deputy G4, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Battalion Executive Officer and Support Operations Officer, 70th Brigade Support Battalion, Camp Casey, South Korea; Division Logistics Planner, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Division Logistics Officer, 1st Armored Division, Ft. Bliss, Texas; Battalion S3, 501st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Ft. Bliss, Texas; Company Commander, Foxtrot Company, 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, Ft Bliss, Texas; Battalion S4, Task Force Counter Rocket Artillery and Mortar, Ft Bliss, Texas; Accountable Officer, and Company Executive Officer, Foxtrot Company, 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, Ft. Bliss, Texas.
Lt. Col. Pargo assumed command of DLA-Distribution Korea on June 21, 2024.
She has multiple combat deployments to include serving in Iraq as a Battalion S4 for Task Force Counter-Rocket Artillery and Mortar, Maintenance Company Commander of Foxtrot Company, 1-43 ADA in Qatar, and Joint Property Book Officer for Special Operations Joint Task Force – Levant in Iraq. Lt. Col. Pargo enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and cooking.
Incoming Commander: U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kelly Svarstad
Lt. Col. Kelly R. Svarstad was born and raised in South Dakota. After his initial enlistment as an Internment/Resettlement Specialist, he attended the University of Wyoming as an awardee of the Division Commander’s Hip Pocket Scholarship recipient in the Green to Gold program. He was then commissioned in the Ordnance Corps.
His initial assignments were with the 10th Mountain Division, including deployments to Mahmudiyah and Yusufyah, Iraq. He was then assigned as a Battalion S-4, 43rd Special Troops Battalion, Ft. Carson, CO; Liaison Officer, Combined Joint Special OperationsTask Force-Afgahnistan; Plans Officer in Charge, 43rd Area Support Group; and Company Commander, Ft. Carson, CO and Regional Command East, Afghanistan. He then served as the Chief of Operations, 479th Field Artillery Brigade, Ft. Hood, TX, and Secretary of the General Staff, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Ft. Hood, TX.
Upon promotion to Major, he served as the Chief Training Officer and Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Daegu, Korea. Lt. Col. Svarstad continued with assignments both within the U.S. and abroad as the Enterprise Integration Chief, 10th Special Forces Group and Chief of Division Logistics Element, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Carson, CO; and Operation Resolute Support, Bagram, Afghanistan. Upon redeployment, he served with the Mission Command Training Program and as the Commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combined Arms Center, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
His Korea assignments include the Transportation Operations Branch Chief, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, the Support Operations Officer in the 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, and his most recent assignment as Deputy Commander.
Lt. Col. Svarstad’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Music, Advanced Education in Theology: Certificate of Ordination (Non-Denominational Christian), Ordnance Officer Basic Course, Logistics Captain’s Career Course, Command and General Staff Officer Course, as well as numerous military and civilian specialty certificates.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, one Oak Leaf Custer; Meritorious Service Medal, five Oak Leaf Cluster; Army Commendation Medal, one Oakl Leaf Cluster; Army Achievement Medal, three Oak Leaf Cluster; Army Good Conduct Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal, four stars; Iraq Campaign Medal, two stars; Korean Service Medal; NATO Medal, non-Article 5, 4th award; the Overseas Service Ribbon, numeral nine; the Combat Action Badge; and the Parachutists Badge. Lt. Col. Svarstad is also a 2x Master Spur Holder for his efforts in Light Reconnaissance in Iraq and Afghanistan.
DLA Distribution Korea
DLA Distribution Korea provides United States Forces Korea with critical logistics capabilities including storage and distribution, the Theater Consolidation and Shipping Point, transportation planning management, logistics planning and contingency operations, and material movement tracking and expediting.
Located on Camp Carroll in Area IV, it is the logistics backbone of unit readiness and provides warfighters the ability to “Fight Tonight”. The fact that USFK committed to build a new distribution facility with significantly increased capabilities attests to DLA Distribution Korea’s vital role as a strategic platform for the Korean Peninsula. DLA Distribution Korea executes a diverse range of missions in support of service component customers including joint theater distribution, multi-stop direct delivery, cross-dock, in bound/out bound surface containers, total delivery service, and retrograde.
The DLA Distribution Korea TCSP won the prestigious Henry T. Flint Award in 2013, 2017 and 2019. The center continues to operate efficiently and effectively as a theater distribution system on the peninsula. DLA Distribution Korea is also a world-class supply operation which stocks and maintains more than 8,000 Class I, II, IIIP, IV, and IX DLA-managed items including maps.
The distribution center expedites material release orders for worldwide customers not just within Korea and works extensively with Army Supply Support Activities by managing Army Retrograde and returning material to the wholesale supply system. Focused on future readiness, DLA Distribution Korea works in conjunction with DLA Indo-Pacific command, the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and other partners to validate and refine operational support. As has been the case since 2005, the dedicated team of highly skilled Korean Nationals remains the heart and soul of DLA Distribution Korea.