Brig. Gen. Brad Nicholson relinquished command of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command today at Redstone Arsenal.

The early morning ceremony was hosted by Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan, acting commander of the Army Materiel Command.

“Under Brad’s leadership, USASAC improved partner capacity throughout the world, increased FMS (Foreign Military Sales) and generated more than $60 billion, finishing his command tenure with an unprecedented portfolio of over $270 billion comprised of more than 6,700 (FMS) cases,” said Mohan.

Mohan thanked Nicholson on behalf of those who depended on USASAC — the U.S. military and allies and partners — for helping build ally and partner capacity, increasing interoperability and “helping make the world a little safer.”

Nicholson also reflected on the security assistance metrics that Mohan cited, saying the Army’s 6,700 FMS cases with 139 countries account for nearly 30% of all Department of Defense FMS cases.

Also, he said, USASAC set a record of $39 billion in FMS for fiscal year 2024, already topping last year’s high of $36 billion in sales.

“However, these numbers are two dimensional,” Nicholson said. “The Army’s security assistance operations are really about relationships between nations, armies, and at an intimate level, individuals.

“It is the strength of these relationships that provide the United States an asymmetric advantage against our adversaries and competitors.”

Nicholson called the officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers, Army civilians and contractors of USASAC the gold standard for security assistance execution in the Department of Defense.

“I am exceptionally proud to count myself amount their ranks,” he said.

USASAC Deputy to the Commanding General Dr. Myra Gray will serve as acting commander until Nicholson’s replacement arrives in September.

In Nicholson’s next assignment, he will serve as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché, United States Defense Attaché Office, Ukraine.

This story originally appeared in 256 Today.