Opening remarks & Welcome speech

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  Jung Jang-seon

  Mayor of Pyeongtaek

  Major career matters by field

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  Gang Jeong-gu

  Chairman of Pyeongtaek of City Council

  Major career matters by field

Congratulatory Remarks

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  Hong Ki-won

  Member of Parliament

  Major career matters by field

Keynote speech

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  Yu Myung-hwan

  (Former) Minister of Foreign Affairs

  Major career matters by field

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  Jeong Kyung-doo

  (Former) Minister of National Defense

  Major career matters by field

Special Session

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  Jung Jang-seon

  Mayor of Pyeongtaek

  Major career matters by field

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  Robert B. Abrams

  25th Commander, United States Forces Korea

  Major career matters by field

  • An Armored Cavalryman, General Abrams earned his commission from the United States Military Academy in 1982. Following the Armor officer basic course, he spent his formative years in a Division Cavalry Squadron with a mission on the East-West German border. He has commanded at every level from Company through Division, and led units in combat operations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. General Abrams has extensive combined arms and joint experience. Duty with warfighting units include: 3rd Armored Division; 1st Cavalry Division (three tours); 3rd Infantry Division; and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He also commanded the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. His joint experience includes serving as a strategic war planner for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and as the Director of the Joint Center of Excellence for Improvised Explosive Device Defeat. General Abrams also served as the Senior Military Assistant to the 24th Secretary of Defense.
    
    He most recently served as the 22nd Commander of United States Army Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from Aug 2015 until October 2018. As Commander of the United States Army’s largest organization, he commanded 229,000 active duty Soldiers, and provided training and readiness oversight of U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve units. In total, the Forces Command team included 776,000 Soldiers and 96,000 Civilians.
    
    General Abrams holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Science from Central Michigan University, a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and has attended a wide variety of military schools.
    
    Happily married, he and his wife are proud parents of two children and grandparents to two grandchildren. His canine companion is “Ace,” a retired military bomb dog. General Abrams is a functional fitness enthusiast who also enjoys golf, follows college basketball closely, and gets March Madness annually. He remains an ever-optimistic fan of the Washington Redskins and the Army football team.

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  Michael A. Bills

  34th Commander, U.S. Eighth Army, USFK

  Major career matters by field

  • Lieutenant General Michael A. Bills, a native of New York, received his commission in December 1983 through the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at George Mason University. Lieutenant General Bills holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Masters of Strategic Studies. His military education includes the Armor Officer Basic and Advance Courses and is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College.
    Lieutenant General Bills most recently served as the Assistant Chief of Staff U-3/C-3/J-3, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea.
    His previous assignments include: Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Maintenance Officer in the 2nd Battalion, 81st Armor Regiment,1st Armored Division, United States Army Europe, Germany from 1984 to 1987, Squadron S1, Provisional Commander Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, and Commander, B Troop 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, Fort Riley, Kansas and Saudi Arabia in support of OPERATION DESERT STORM, Operations Officer and Executive Officer, 2nd Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado. He then served as Commander, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry, 1st Armored Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany. Following command, Lieutenant General Bills served as the Senior Task Force Observer/Controller, Operations Group, Combat Maneuver Training Center in Germany and deployed to OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM as part of the V Corps Commander’s Assault command post staff.
    Lieutenant General Bills commanded the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood Texas and deployed as part of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. After regimental command, Lieutenant General Bills served as the Commander of Joint Task Force-North, USNORTHCOM at Fort Bliss, Texas. He then served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3, United States Army Europe. From June 2013 to July 2014, he served as the Deputy Commanding General of 4th Infantry Division and acting Senior Commander of Fort Carson, Colorado. From March 2014 to January 2016, Lieutenant General Bills served as the Commanding General, 1st Cavalry Division, III Corps, Fort Hood, TX and deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.
    Lieutenant General Bills’ other assignments include: Personnel Assignment Officer for Armor Branch, Department of the Army Black Book Manager, Office of the Chief of Staff, Army, Washington D.C., Deputy for the initial Wounded Warrior Program, and Director, Advanced Joint Warfighter Program, Institute for Defense Analysis, Alexandria, Virginia.
    Lieutenant General Bills’ badges include the Army Aviation Badge, Combat Action Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal (1 OLC), the Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2 OLC), Bronze Star Medal (3 OLC), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (Silver OLC), Army Commendation Medal (3 OLC), and the Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC).
    Lieutenant General Bills and his wife, Megan, have been married for over 34 years and have three sons, Michael, Matthew, and Marc.

• 

  Thomas W. Bergeson

  34th Commander, U.S. Seventh Air Force, USFK

  Major career matters by field

  • Overview & Career Highlights
    • Rank & Service: Retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force, serving from 1985 to 2020. Commissioning: Graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1985 with a B.S. in Operations Research.
    • Command Roles:
    o Commander, Seventh Air Force (7th AF) at Osan Air Base, South Korea — also served concurrently as:
     Deputy Commander, United Nations Command Korea
     Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea
     Commander, Air Component Command, South Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command (2016–2018) Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Centcom Osan Air Base.
    o Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) (2018–2020), CENTCOM Afghanistan Ministry of Defense.
    Education & Staff Roles
    • Advanced training includes:
    o Fighter Weapons School, NATO Defense College, Harvard Kennedy School’s executive program, and more, Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Centcom.
    • Held various leadership and staff positions:
    o Chief of Aviation, Strategic Operations — Multi-National Forces Iraq
    o Senior Defense Official & Defense Attaché — United Kingdom
    o Director, Legislative Liaison — Office of the Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon, Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Centcom
    Flight Experience
    • A command pilot with over 3,300 flight hours in multiple fighter aircraft including the F 15 (A/B/C/D/E), F 22, A 10C, T 37, and T 38 Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Centcom.
    • Flew combat missions in multiple operations Afghanistan Ministry of Defense.
    Awards & Decorations
    LTG Bergeson earned numerous distinctions, including:
    • Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster)
    • Defense Superior Service Medal
    • Legion of Merit
    • Bronze Star, multiple Meritorious Service Medals, Air Medals, and several unit awards, Afghanistan Ministry of Defense, Centcom.
    Promotions Timeline
    Commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1985 and rose successively through:
    • First Lieutenant (1987), Captain (1989), Major (1996), Lieutenant Colonel (1999), Colonel (2004), Brigadier General (2010), Major General (2013), and Lieutenant General (2016)