New commander takes charge of 181st MFTB at Fort McCoy

Col. Ronald “R.J.” Hughes took command of the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade during a change of command ceremony June 24 at Fort McCoy.

Hughes took command of the “Eagle Brigade” from Col. Dave Woodruff, who moves on to a new assignment in Texas.

According to his biography, Hughes began his military career after being commissioned as an engineer officer at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. After his initial training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., he was assigned to the 326th Engineer Battalion at Fort Campbell, Ky., and served as a platoon leader and assistant brigade engineer.

After supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, he attended the Engineer Captains Career Course. He went on to activate and serve as the first commander of the 67th Engineer Detachment (Mine Dog), a newly designed and conceptual unit marking the first U.S. military use of demining dogs since Vietnam.

Following this assignment, he served as a battalion maintenance officer and company commander for the 5th Engineer Battalion where he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom conducting route clearance operations in Baghdad for the 4th Infantry Division.

Following company command in 2007, the U.S. Special Operations Command selected Hughes for assignment to Fort Bragg, N.C., where he served as a special missions unit engineer, squadron executive officer, assistant operations officer, and engineer squadron commander.

During Hughes’ service at Fort Bragg, he deployed numerous times in support of the global war on terrorism, serving in various capacities as part of a Special Operations Task Force in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2015, Hughes assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 410th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas, and was responsible for the mobilization, training, and deployment of Army National Guard and Army Reserve engineer units in support of global requirements.

Upon completion of command in 2017, Hughes returned to Fort Bragg and served as the 82nd Airborne Division engineer.

Hughes earned a master of science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College in 2019.

Hughes’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal and one oak leaf cluster, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Iraq Campaign Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Sapper Tab.

Hughes also was awarded the U.S. Army Engineer Association’s De Fleury Medal.

According to the association, the medal was named in honor of François-Louis Teissèdre de Fleury, a French engineer in the Continental Army. In the late 1980s, as the Corps of Engineers implemented the U.S. Army Regimental System, the senior engineer leadership sought a method for the Corps to honor those individuals who have provided significant contributions to Army engineering — thus creating the special medal.

At the 181st, Hughes leads a brigade that partners with Army Reserve and Army National Guard units to advise, assist, and train Army formations throughout their complete Sustainable Readiness Model cycle to achieve collective training readiness in support of worldwide requirements.