The largest brigade in the Missouri National Guard has a new commanding officer after a change of command ceremony Saturday at Jefferson Barracks.

Col. James G. Allison assumed command of the 70th Troop Command from Col. Wendul G. Hagler at the Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center. Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, was among the dignitaries present.

Troop Command is comprised of four battalions and one weapons of mass destruction response team. The brigade consists of roughly 2,600 soldiers stationed at more than a dozen armories around the state.

A native of Jefferson City, Allison attended Lincoln University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. After being commissioned an officer in 1983, he entered active duty in 1985 with the field artillery at Fort Lewis, Wash.

“I very much appreciate the opportunity to be able to fill the shoes of Col. Hagler,” Allison stated in a news release. “It is an honor and privilege for me to serve as brigade commander. This unit has a proud history of responding to numerous disasters around the state and to deploy in support of the war on terror. We must remain vigilant as a trained and ready force for our nation and the citizens of Missouri.”

Following service with the Army Rangers and Special Forces, Allison joined the Missouri National Guard in 1993 as an instructor at the National Guard Military Academy. In 1998, Allison returned to the field artillery until being deployed to Kosovo in 2004 as part of a peacekeeping mission. Allison was again deployed in 2008 as a task-force commander in Afghanistan. He now serves full time as the Missouri National Guard deputy chief of logistics.

Col. Allison and his wife, Paula, live if California, Mo., with their three children, Jacob, Kaitlyn and Kayla.

Hagler is a native of Sikeston and serves as the Missouri National Guard chief of staff. After serving three years as a combat medic, Hagler was commissioned an officer in 1988 and was assigned to an engineer battalion in the Arkansas National Guard.

Following a transfer to the Missouri National Guard, Hagler was deployed to Iraq with the 1137th Military Police Company. In 1991, he joined the full-time Guard as a training officer for the 175th Military Police Battalion and was then assigned to the National Guard Bureau Operations Division in Washington D.C.

Hagler returned to Missouri in 2003 and deployed to Kosovo with the 175th. Before his current job, Hagler was director of joint operations for the Missouri Army and Air National Guard. A graduate of Central Michigan University and the National Defense University, Hagler holds a master’s degree in administration and national security strategy.

“This brigade punctuates the point that the sun never sets on the Missouri National Guard,” Hagler said in parting. “This unit has had a long line of successful deployments throughout its history. Soldiers of this unit have served in Panama, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and we currently have two battalions serving in the Middle East. Troop Command units have also served in state emergency duty. We have been tested by floods, ice storms and tornadoes, all within the last 32 months. It has been a remarkable achievement, and I thank you all for that. I have had the privilege of commanding a great brigade.”

Col. Hagler and his wife, Carla, live in Columbia with their two children, Mac and Tyson.

Danner praised Hagler’s leadership of Troop Command over the last 32 months and presented him with the Army Meritorious Service Medal.

“When the issue of brigade command came up some two and half years ago, a lot of good officer’s names came up, but after I mulled it over, Col. Hagler seemed perfect for the job,” Danner said. “Let me tell you that serving as chief of staff and brigade commander is a tough row to hoe, but if there was one person in the Guard who could accomplish both missions it was Glen Hagler. He has done a tremendous job.”

Danner said Allison is well-suited to fill Hagler’s boots at Jefferson Barracks.

“I have had a tremendous amount of faith in Greg Allison’s capabilities for a long time,” Danner said. “Col. Allison is like the epitome of baseball utility men, able to do a lot of different jobs and do them well. I have no doubt that Col. Allison will take over where Col. Hagler left off and take Troop Command to even greater achievements.”