FORT SILL, Okla., Aug. 22, 2019 -- It's unusual for a Soldier to be promoted and on the same day assume a new job, but that's what happened to Col. James Dunwoody Aug. 19, outside McNair Hall.
First, Lt. Col. Dunwoody was promoted to colonel with his wife, Brenda, tacking on his eagles.
Minutes later, he became the Training and Doctrine Command Capability Manager (TCM) Field Artillery Brigade - Division Artillery director during an assumption of charter ceremony.
"Brenda and I are excited, proud, and humbled to be part of this spectacular team," Dunwoody said.
Dunwoody was most recently a student at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., which he said was excellent preparation for his new position. "There was a lot of defense management (studies), which I had not previously been exposed to."
As the director, TCM FA Brigade - DIVARTY, Dunwoody is responsible for the modernization and standardization of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), and High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in the force. That includes their associated munitions and radar systems.
He assists with the doctrinal implications, defining the manning requirements to operate the MLRS and HIMARS, and the facility requirements to maintain these weapon systems.
"We're always looking at new capabilities, talking with (the defense) industry, and talking with our partners in project management offices," he said. "We can come up with an idea and create it faster than we can put a Soldier on it.
"We're transitioning the way we think about, the way we view, and the way we fight as we move back toward large-scale combat operations," said Dunwoody, who was formerly enlisted in the Military Occupational Specialty 96H, Aerial Intelligence Specialist. He worked as part of a military intelligence aircrew flying in OV-1 Mohawks over Korea in 1994.
Dunwoody described his leadership style as in line with the mission command philosophy.
"It's enabling adaptive Soldiers through clear vision and mission intent," said Dunwoody "This (TCM) is a great place to be able to exercise mission command (leadership) because it's such a decentralized operation with everybody moving in different circles between the MLRS community, the munitions, and the radars."
Maj. Gen. Wilson A. Shoffner, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general, said TCMs are granted the authority to deal directly with the TRADOC commanding general.
"That's pretty important because that gives him (Dunwoody) the authority to do what needs to be done across the Army with the myriad responsibilities that he has," Shoffner said.
The TCM FA Brigade - DIVARTY director was recently made a command position by the Army, said Shoffner.
"We're moving really fast in our Army right now ... our No. 1 modernization priority is long-range precision Fires," Shoffner said, "but you can't accelerate just the materiel side, just the delivery of equipment, and expect everything else to be there at the same time. It all has to be synchronized, coordinated and that's what our TRADOC capability managers do."
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