FORT SILL, Okla., Aug. 22, 2019 -- The Army now considers its Training and Doctrine Command capability managers (TCM) the equivalent of brigade-level commanders. The managers are selected through the same process, and boards as O-6 commanders.

Because of this the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill recognized its new chief of TCM Fires Cell-Targeting during an assumption of charter ceremony Aug. 16, outside McNair Hall.

"I am absolutely honored and humbled to be in your presence today," said Col. Michael Kimball, in front of dozens of post and community leaders, service members, families, and friends. "Maj. Gen. (Wilson A.) Shoffner, a special thank you for continuing to trust me with greater responsibility. I won't let the team down."

Kimball was most recently the FCoE and Fort Sill director of G3/5/7 from June 2018 through July 2019.

Shoffner said everything the FCoE does goes through the G3; and its director is the hub of all power and movement here.

"Mike has done a phenomenal job at that," Shoffner said. "It's a tough job."

Fires Cell-Targeting is one of five TCMs in the Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate, Kimball said. It deals strictly with field artillery support. There are two additional TCMs that also support field artillery; and another two that handle air defense artillery programs.

As the chief of TCM Fires Cell-Targeting, Kimball said he manages all the fielded FA equipment field artillery Soldiers use. This includes computers, software, optical sights, lasers, and some radios. It also includes some new equipment that will be in the field within one to five years.

He described himself as "the user's advocate" to ensure what FA Soldiers have is what they need.

"We work with the current capabilities that we have, we're just trying to make them better," he said.

For example, the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System is used by units for technical and tactical Fires direction.

"There is a software upgrade that is coming out very soon," Kimball said. These systems have been used for years, and just like a personal computer every now and then they need an upgrade.

In a different example, Kimball said that if new software implementation would change doctrine (established Army principles, processes, philosophy), then the Fires Cell-Targeting would work with the Directorate of Training Development and Docrtine to update the doctrine.

And, if software training needed to be taught in the FA advanced individual training courses, the Basic Officer Leaders Course, or the Captains Career Course, then his TCM would work with the FA Commandant's office to get the training established in the academic Army.

Kimball described his leadership style with an original acronym: B3D.

"Be driven, be humble, build teams, and develop subordinates," he said. "I think that's what our Army wants from our senior leaders."