Partnerships and people take center stage amid leadership changes

Army Lt. Col. Kelly Svarstad has taken command of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Korea, succeeding Army Lt. Col. Celina Pargo in a June 12 ceremony at Camp Carroll, South Korea, presided over by DLA Distribution commanding general Army Brig. Gen. Kevin L. Cotman.

“Celina constantly invested in her people, nurtured partnerships and kept the joint force postured for readiness with the utmost precision,” said Cotman during remarks given at the ceremony.

Pargo led one of the Korean Peninsula’s key military distribution hubs, which supports U.S. forces, the Republic of Korea and customers across the Indo-Pacific. During her tenure, the organization fielded the new Warehouse Management System and sustained green performance metrics for 23 of 24 months while executing multiple missions amid an increased operational tempo.

Svarstad arrives with extensive logistics and operational experience in both the continental United States and overseas. A South Dakota native who initially enlisted as an internment and resettlement specialist through the Army’s 95C field, he earned a commission in the Ordnance Corps via the Green to Gold program. His early career included deployments to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006 to 2008.

Subsequent assignments ranged from battalion and brigade logistics roles at Fort Carson, Colorado, to liaison and planning positions with joint and special operations elements in Afghanistan. He later served as chief of operations for the 479th Field Artillery Brigade and as secretary of the general staff for the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command at Fort Hood, Texas. After promotion to major, he held training and logistics leadership roles with the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Daegu.

Additional tours included enterprise and division-level logistics billets with the 10th Special Forces Group and 4th Infantry Division, including a deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan, followed by roles with the Mission Command Training Program and as commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In Korea, he has served as transportation operations branch chief for the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, support operations officer in the 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, and most recently as the division sustainment brigade’s deputy commander at Camp Humphreys.

Svarstad holds a Bachelor of Arts in music, advanced theological education with a certificate of ordination, and has completed the Ordnance Officer Basic Course, Logistics Captain’s Career Course and Command and General Staff Officer Course, among other military and civilian certifications. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and multiple campaign and service medals.

The change of command marks a continuity of logistics leadership for DLA Distribution Korea as it supports readiness for U.S. and allied forces on the peninsula and across the region.