New Fort Meade commander

Col. Joshua Patton assumes command at Maryland’s largest military base with 60,000 personnel.

“world-class support, infrastructure and safety”

Previous commander

Col. Yolanda Gore was the first woman to lead Fort Meade for two years until August 2026.

“be so ordinary that no one feels the need to mention it”

Suicide cluster

Five suicides occurred among Cyber Command personnel in five weeks this summer.

Commander’s goals

Patton aims to boost job opportunities and personnel well-being at Fort Meade’s 60,000 workforce.

“if we are the premier intelligence center, what precludes us from being the state’s epicenter for job opportunities”

Leadership transition

Patton replaces Gore after her August 2026 command handover was abruptly changed.

“she was slated to pass command to another woman, lt col sunny keuhl”

Mental health focus

Patton calls the five suicides 'extremely tragic' and links them to high workload and operations pace.

“a lot of folks don’t equate work, 10 miles from your home, to conflict overseas easily”

Community integration

Patton plans to strengthen Fort Meade’s ties with Anne Arundel County and improve personnel quality of life.

“fence lines should not be barriers to resources”