3 officers join International Hall of Fame

Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame inductees, Gen. Bari del Valle Sosa, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of Argentina, CGSC class of 1995; Gen. Bipin Rawat, chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, CGSC class of 1997; and Lt. Gen. Rocky Ricardo Meade, chief of Defence Staff, Jamaica Defence Force, CGSC class of 2003; Michael Hockley, CGSC Foundation chair and Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Eastern Kansas; and Army University Provost/CGSC Deputy Commandant Brig. Gen. Troy Galloway, stand at attention during the opening of the ceremony on April 4, 2019, at the Lewis and Clark Center. (photos courtesy ArmyU Public Affairs)

(Katie Peterson/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) Three international officers were inducted into the Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame in a ceremony April 4 in the Lewis and Clark Center’s Eisenhower Auditorium. Their portraits now hang in the IHOF hallway alongside 280 other inductees representing 75 different nations.

The newest inductees are Gen. Bari del Valle Sosa, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of Argentina, CGSC class of 1995; Gen. Bipin Rawat, chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, CGSC class of 1997; and Lt. Gen. Rocky Ricardo Meade, chief of Defence Staff, Jamaica Defence Force, CGSC class of 2003.

“Each achieved (IHOF) eligibility by distinguishing themselves in service to their home nation and by rising to the highest position of uniformed leadership in their respective country’s militaries,” said Brig. Gen. Troy Galloway, interim Army University provost and interim CGSC deputy commandant. “(IHOF) inductees represent the absolute pinnacle of professional achievement as senior uniform leaders.

“The leaders that we induct today represent the finest traditions of the (CGSC),” he said. “Their respective efforts furthered the readiness of their militaries, the security of their nations, and the stability of our world. I’m extremely proud of the bonds forged here at the college and the lasting partnerships established between our nations.”

Sosa graduated from the National Military College in El Palomar, Buenos Aires, as a second lieutenant of the infantry branch in 1978.

Interim Army University Provost/CGSC Deputy Commandant Brig. Gen. Troy Galloway and Lt. Gen. Rocky Ricardo Meade, chief of Defence Staff, Jamaica Defence Force, unveil Meade’s International Hall of Fame portrait during the ceremony.

Throughout his career, Sosa has served in several assignments in Argentina and abroad, including command positions at the company and regimental levels. He has also served as chief of the Press Department at the Army General Secretariat, executive officer to the Army Chief of Staff, deputy director of “Sargento Cabral” NCO Academy, director general for the Army Welfare Institute, and deputy commander of the U.S. Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

Sosa was appointed to his current position by the Argentine president and commander in chief of the Armed Forces on Jan. 18, 2016. He is the third Argentine officer in the IHOF.

CGSC Foundation Chair Michael D. Hockley presents an eagle statuette from the CGSC Foundation to Gen. Bari del Valle Sosa, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of Argentina. Each inductee received a statuette and a Life Constituent Certificate from the Foundation.

“General Sosa focused on the cooperative efforts with the United States with special emphasis on our military to military ties that continue to produce benefits for both nations,” Galloway said. “General Sosa’s leadership demonstrates that Argentina is a strong and reliable partner in maintaining peace and security in the western hemisphere.”

Gen. Bipin Rawat, chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, delivers remarks after his induction into the CGSC International Hall of Fame on April 4, 2019 at the Lewis and Clark Center.

Sosa said CGSC is responsible for the integration and training of future leaders.

“It is here we have our best tool for command in view of the new challenges of our times,” Sosa said. “The officers from the United States and the more than 100 countries make up a unique place for the exchange of ideas, missions, experiences and different cultures.

“The conviction of hard work, dedication and integrity bring us the tools to be qualified leaders with vision for the future,” he said. “I’ll be forever grateful to CGSC, its instructors and the class of 1995.”

Rawat was commissioned to the fifth battalion, the 11th Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in December 1978.

He has been in several command positions in several places including the Kashmir Valley and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rawat has held multiple staff and instructional assignments, including instructional tenure at the Indian Military Academy Dehradun. He has also published numerous academic articles on national security and leadership in various journals and publications.

Rawat was appointed to his current position on Dec. 31, 2016, and is the second Indian officer in the IHOF.

“General Rawat is the driving force in a highly ambitious transformation from the world’s second largest Army,” Galloway said. “His efforts are changing the way the very nature of the Indian military is making fundamental changes and adjustments to organizational structure, updating doctrine and modernizing combat systems.

“His leadership and innovation are key to that continued transformation, and his leadership is critically instrumental in deepening U.S. and Indian ties and the military cooperation between our two nations,” he said. “Strengthening U.S. (and) Indian military cooperation is critically important to providing security for both nations. General Rawat is a trusted partner in fostering and growing that cooperation.”

Rawat said he owes his induction to his time at CGSC.

“(CGSC) imparted knowledge that has helped me in good stead. I am quite confident that the leadership training that is imparted here is of the highest honor,” he said. “India and the United States have embarked on a new mission developing a steady partnership, which we hope will hold us in good stead in the years ahead. Long live the India and U.S. relationship.”

Meade joined the Jamaica Defence Force in 1984.

He is responsible for conceptualizing and implementing multiple projects including the Flight Safety Programme, the Jamaican Military Museum, Library/Internet Café, the JDF Language Lab, the JDF Farm, the JDF Technical Training Institute, the Accreditation Project, the Caribbean Grand Strategy Seminar, the All Arms Magazine and the Moneague Papers. He has also launched the Caribbean Military Academy and the Caribbean Journal of Strategic and Security Studies.

Meade was appointed to his current position in December 2016. He is the second Jamaican officer in the IHOF.

“His leadership is indispensable to the modernization of the Jamaican Defence Force,” Galloway said. “Jamaica lays proud claim to being the first country to participate in the United States National Guard’s States Partnership Program, which now includes 81 nations that participate, and they proudly continue their partnership with the District of Columbia National Guard. We are deeply honored for the opportunity to recognize Lieutenant General Meade.”

Meade said he believes all learning experiences are valuable, and as a result, he said he had a few thoughts to share with the current CGSOC class.

“Own at least one problem in every job you take on that will define you; set goals that are possible to accomplish; create a plan but be patient, especially if you’re not yet in command; identify your key enablers and don’t compromise it; you don’t have to win every scrimmage; select loyal staff; make friends because enemies will make themselves; know your enemies’ vulnerabilities even more so than their strengths; make time for family; and cheer success but own the failures,” Meade said.

“(This honor) has meant a lot to me…and it all came about because of the several things I learned here from the academic program to the interactions with families and just the way we do business here.”

During their induction, the honorees were presented with a Life Constituent Certificate and an eagle statuette from the CGSC Foundation, presented by Michael D. Hockley, chair of the Foundation.

The IHOF was established in 1973 by CGSC, the Kansas City Chapter of the Military Order of World Wars, and the then-CGSC Alumni Association, now the CGSC Foundation. Induction into the IHOF is for international graduates of the Command and General Staff Officer Course who have attained one of the highest positions of military importance in their country’s armed forces through military merit.

The 283 current inductees are out of more than 8,000 international CGSOC graduates from 164 countries since 1894.

For more photos from the ceremony and reception afterward, see the album on the CGSC Flickr site.