Regimental Command Sergeant Major

By Command Sergeant Major Raymond Perez Quitugua Jr.

Article published on: April 1, 2023 in the 2023 Edition of Army Chemical Review

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Command Sergeant Major Raymond Perez Quitugua Jr.

Teammates, I am honored to be your 16th Regimental Command Sergeant Major. Serving as the Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps and the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School (USACBRNS), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for these past 9 months has, without a doubt, been the highlight of my career thus far. With the incredible team we have here at USACBRNS and the strenuous efforts of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) leaders serving in the field, we have achieved so much in this concise period. To be as efficient as possible, it was necessary for me to operationalize my role. In doing so, I came to see myself as functioning in three Chemical Corps capacities. First, in conjunction with Chief of Chemical Brigadier General Sean Crockett, I serve as the Regimental Command Sergeant Major of the Corps. Second, as the senior enlisted leader, I am partnered with Brigadier General Crockett as the commandant of USACBRNS. Third, since the Chemical Corps is the Army proponent for CBRN defense and countering weapons of mass destruction, Brigadier General Crocket and I lead those efforts, in partnership with our joint, multinational, and industry partners.

As the Regimental Command Sergeant Major of our Corps and School, I am proud to champion your causes and serve as your biggest cheerleader. My travels take me far and wide, where I showcase your actions and efforts to the rest of the Army. My energy is not just applied to Component (COMPO) 1; two-thirds of the total Army CBRN structure resides in COMPOs 2 and 3. Dragon Soldiers in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves: You are doing amazing things, and it’s important to me that you are also recognized for your selfless efforts. Help me tell your story; it’s one of the most fulfilling things that I can do.

In my role of overseeing USACBRNS, I supervise and influence the programs of instruction for all CBRN Professional Military Education courses. These include Advanced Individual Training, the Advanced Leaders Course, the Senior Leaders Course, and all of the officer and warrant officer courses. Bridging the gap between what is taught in the institutional domain and what is practiced and utilized in the operational domain is vital. Visiting units and observing training helps me in this regard as well.

Finally, I am excited about the future of our Corps. As a representative of all things for which we are the proponent, I see all the programs and initiatives that will define the Chemical Corps of 2030 and beyond on the horizon. These include improvements and technical breakthroughs in mounted reconnaissance, contamination mitigation, and CBRN protection. Future force design updates will change the structure of our formations so that we may better operate in largescale combat operations in a multidomain environment. Unmanned robotics, autonomous decontamination, and advanced machine learning are just a few of the fields to which we are applying science and technology efforts.

As you can see, the future is bright for our Corps. You serve in a field that is relevant and necessary for winning tomorrow’s wars. The rest of the command team and I could not be prouder to be a part of your squad.

We look forward to seeing the fantastic things that you continue to do as we go out and visit the force.

Dragon Soldiers! CBRN Warriors!

Elementis, Regamus, Proelium! Be all you can be!