The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division welcomed a new commanding general Aug. 11 during a change-of-command ceremony at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
MG Kris A. Belanger ’91, a native of Wantage Township in Sussex County, is now responsible for providing logistic and administrative support for nearly 45,000 Army Reserve Soldiers living and serving throughout the Northeastern United States.
“I never could have envisioned that the Army would take me through such an incredible journey, but it is absolutely awesome to be back in the Garden State,” Belanger said. “On July 27, 1986, I stepped foot on these grounds for the first time – today, I came full circle.”
The event was officiated by LTG Jody J. Daniels, commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command headquartered on Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
“Kris, you’ve worked hard to get here, from West Point to 2-stars and taking over an historic command,” Daniels said. “The 99th Readiness Division is crucial to our operations across the country, being responsible for individual and unit readiness on a massive scale — helping to deploy our Reserve forces around the world – and managing hundreds of facilities across the entire Northeast.”
Belanger, a 1991 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, comes to the 99th RD following her most recent assignment as the special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) where she had served since August 2021.