The Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday night received President Trump's nomination of Gen. James McConville to become the Army's next chief of staff.
McConville has been one of the key architects of the service's bold plan to modernize the force by 2028. If confirmed, McConville, the Army's current vice chief of staff, would replace Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. President Donald Trump has nominated Milley to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
McConville took over as the Army's vice chief in June 2017. Since then, he has played a pivotal role in its new modernization strategy, which focuses on six priorities: long-range precision fires, next-generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift, a mobile network, air and missile defense, and soldier lethality.
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The news of McConville's nomination was publicly announced Tuesday by retired Gen. Carter Ham, president and CEO of the Association of the United States Army, at the annual AUSA Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.
"That is great news for General McConville and his family; it's even better news for the United States Army and for the United States of America," Ham said, calling him "a great leader" and a "great soldier."
McConville commanded the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), where he also served as commander of Combined Joint Task Force-101 during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also commanded 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to his published bio.
He held several staff-level assignments, including Army deputy chief of staff for G-1, executive officer to the vice chief of staff of the Army, and J5 strategic planner for U.S. Special Operations Command, his bio states.
The vice chief is a seasoned aviator, qualified to fly several aircraft, including the AH-64D Longbow Apache, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior and AH-1 Cobra.
McConville is a native of Quincy, Massachusetts, and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University in 2002, according to his bio.
-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
