Lynch replaced Gen. Ray Odierno last summer.
“I didn’t want this to be the elephant in the room and nobody talk about it,” Lynch said to local community leaders Friday at Club Hood. “I’m not going to tap dance around the issue.”
Lynch’s announcement came about an hour after the change was made public by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a press release that stated President Barack Obama had tapped Cone for the slot.
Lynch told community leaders he has known about Cone’s arrival to Fort Hood for about three months.
“For about three months, Bob and I have been working on transitions,” Lynch said.
Cone, who currently serves as special assistant to the commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va., has served several tours on Fort Hood and paid a visit to Lynch to tour the post.
Lynch is expected to remain in command of Fort Hood and III Corps until at least September.
“If you all have made little notes saying you don’t have to listen to Lynch anymore, well you are stuck with me for at least the next four months,” Lynch joked. “There is a lot more stuff we’ve got to do before Sarah and I break contact.”
Where Lynch will end up is still a matter of speculation.
On Friday, Lynch met for several hours with Gen. Ben Griffin, commanding general of the U.S. Army Material Command in Washington, D.C.
There has been speculation for several weeks that Lynch could become the next commanding general at Installation Management Command, which was created in October 2006, and is commanded by Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson.
The mission of Installation Management Command is to provide the Army installation capabilities and services to support expeditionary operations in a time of persistent conflict, and to provide quality of life for soldiers and families.
It seems a good fit for Lynch, especially after visits by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey; Assistant Chief of Staff Gen. Pete Chiarrelli and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all garnered high praise for the post.
“He went out and told the world that you’ve got to go see what’s going on at Fort Hood,” Lynch said of Mullen’s visit.
Regardless of where Lynch ends up, he has vowed to keep doing the things he has tried to do to make Fort Hood a better place for the soldiers, their families and the civilians who work there.
“I can personally guarantee, and Bob can confirm, that everything we’re doing for the ‘Great Place’ is going to continue,” Lynch said. “He’ll come in and continue and the ‘Great Place’ will become greater.”
Lynch unveiled to community leaders the updated version of his 2009-11 campaign plan that included updates about ongoing construction projects, ongoing housing and barracks improvements and continued work on the Spiritual Fitness Center - one of Lynch’s pet projects.
Since Lynch’s arrival, Fort Hood has begun a transformation that so far has a price tag exceeding $1 billion in construction costs.
Soldiers are also moving in and out as those changes progress.
The 4th Infantry Division is poised to leave for Fort Carson, Colo., on July 16 and 1st Army Division West will move in to take its place the following month.
Lynch is also working to find a home on Fort Hood for the AAFEES command, which will move from Fort Worth by 2012.
“That’s a two-star command,” Lynch said.
It would also bring more than 3,600 jobs to the Fort Hood region, he said.
If that happens, Lynch is hoping they will fill up the spaces that are now filled by the current Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, which is going to be replaced by a new center.
“This is a no-brainer,” Lynch said. “We’ve already got the infrastructure.”
Lynch urged community leaders to come up with solutions to make Fort Hood a more attractive venue.
“It makes sense, from an installation perspective, for them to come to Central Texas,” he said.
