The Adjutant General School welcomed its new commandant Col. Michael T. McTigue during a ceremony July 27 in the Soldier Support Institute auditorium. He succeeded Col. David G. Jones as the commandant of the school, the AG Corps and chief of Army music.

A native of Olmsted, Ohio, McTigue's career spans more than 24 years. He has served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the United States, Kosovo and Iraq, as well as stints as an Adjutant General School instructor and commander of the 120th Reception Battalion at Fort Jackson.

He was most recently the assistant director of Military Personnel Division, Washington Headquarters Services in Washington, D.C.

"(McTigue) has a deep and diverse background with commands at all levels," said Col. Stephen Aiton, commander of Soldier Support Institute. "He's absolutely the right officer and the right time to lead the Adjutant General School as it keeps pace with our changing Army."

Jones commended the selection of McTigue as his successor.

"I can't think of anyone who is better suited for this job," Jones said. "This is a fantastic school ... and the leadership really deserves is this man right here. He's going to take it to the next level."

Aiton said the mission of the AG School was to provide the Army's operational force with human resources Soldiers, and provide systems and solutions to help commanders win in large-scale combat.

"From my foxhole there's no doubt Col. David Jones and team have gotten after the mission during his thirteen months on the job. The facts speak for themselves," Aiton said. Under Jones' watch, the school has either directly trained or provided technical oversight for 3,500 officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and Soldiers across 22 courses and three separate campuses in the past thirteen months.

"To the Soldiers and the civilians of the Adjutant General School, I'm extremely honored to be your commandant," McTigue said. "And I'm humbled by this opportunity to serve the corps ... it's a tremendous opportunity to serve at a very challenging time. Change is coming, but change is opportunity -- and this is an absolutely wonderful thing that I'm going to be able to embark on with you over the next couple of years."