![General from Alabama National Guard to lead NATO mission in Sarajevo General from Alabama National Guard to lead NATO mission in Sarajevo](https://i3.wp.com/www.al.com/resizer/v2/GB3U6KVASVAPZMLAPFAVMRJ6A4.jpg?auth=803d99ca45f26d701ac15a7bca6c76e6d15dff3dc4151aa22ba7c6a21ab76483&width=1280&quality=90&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
An Alabama national who will lead the North Atlantic Treaty Organization mission in Sarajevo was recognized Friday at the Alabama National Guard headquarters in Montgomery.
Brigadier General Matthew Valas is the new commander and senior military representative in NATO operations to support Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama National Guard Adjutant General David Pritchett participated in the ceremony to promote Valas from colonel to brigadier general.
Pritchett praised Valas as a “true soldier who leads by example” with extensive experience in special forces, as a state training officer for the Alabama Army National Guard and other areas.
When asked about his promotion and new leadership role at NATO, Valas said: “It’s about the people who get you there more than it is about you getting there yourself. And working with people who are willing to help you, to give you the hard answers you need when you need them, and to be willing to accept those hard truths when you need to hear them.”
Valas served as a special operations forces commander in Iraq and Afghanistan. He graduated from the US Army War College and received his commission as an infantry officer at Hofstra University in 1988.
His biographical information in Friday’s ceremony program included a long list of military credentials in infantry, artillery, ranger school and others.
Valas said points in his career that could have been setbacks took him out of his comfort zone and made him a stronger leader.
“I was rejected for several positions,” Valas said. “But I trusted those leaders who said we have plans for you to do other things.”
“So what you need in life is hard feedback and hard truth,” Valas said. “And you have to be willing to receive it, reflect and blame yourself.”
Valas credited the Alabama National Guard, which has about 12,000 soldiers and airmen, for having a wide range of options for training in different fields.
“There are a lot of opportunities here to do what you like and what you think you might enjoy and how you choose to contribute,” Valas said. “And you can do it and have a full career in the Alabama National Guard. It just seems like that’s what the state is. There are abundant opportunities. There is room for growth. It’s everywhere in Alabama, it’s growth. And so the Alabama National Guard is another piece of that.”
Valas takes command of a mission that NATO has carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the early 1990s, working to promote peace and stability in a region that has historically been torn by conflict.
Among NATO’s objectives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the website of NATO headquarters in Sarajevo, are to increase the ability of the armed forces to protect citizens, improve training, increase transparency and civilian oversight of the military, fully integrate women into the military, and develop civilian emergency and disaster management capabilities.
“In Bosnia Herzegovina you can read history books,” Valas said. “The Balkans in general are a controversial region. And NATO has demonstrated its commitment since its war 30 years ago.
“Our commitment there is to support the defense and security reform of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.