Fifteen general officer assignments were announced by the Army chief of staff Monday, including the ascension of Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn to command U.S. Army Pacific out of Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
Flynn, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff for Army operations, plans and training at the Pentagon, was key in crafting a new Army force generation model that was introduced this fall.
The new model is designed to regionally align Army units in roughly one year, Flynn previously told Army Times, giving soldiers expertise in the parts of the world to which they would deploy during an actual conflict and allowing them to stockpile the right equipment to win those clashes.
That type of preparation will help Flynn as he takes control of U.S. Army Pacific, a region where the Pentagon’s attention has increasingly shifted to confront a rising China.
Of note, Flynn is the younger brother of former Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who served as Trump’s first national security adviser before resigning within one month for lying about his contacts with Russian officials. Michael Flynn has remained a controversial public figure due to his support for the QAnon conspiracy and for proposing President Donald Trump impose martial law and deploy the military to re-run the 2020 election.
The familial ties drew scrutiny last week when the Army falsely denied that Charles Flynn was present during a phone call between the Pentagon and D.C. officials as the Jan. 6 Capitol riot unfolded, according to the Washington Post. The Army ultimately confirmed to the Post that Flynn participated in the phone call, during which the Capitol Police pleaded for National Guard troops to assist in securing Capitol grounds.
There’s no indication Flynn shares his brother’s extreme views, and Flynn’s own career trajectory appears uninhibited by the relationship. His nomination for a fourth star was sent to the U.S. Senate in November and confirmed by a voice vote on Dec. 20.
Fourteen other general officers’ assignments were announced along with Flynn’s Monday:
• Lt. Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C., to commander, Joint Special Operations Command; and commander, Joint Special Operations Command Forward, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• Maj. Gen. Steven W. Gilland, commanding general, 2d Infantry Division (Combined), Eighth Army, Republic of Korea, to deputy commanding general, III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas.
• Maj. Gen. Omar J. Jones, commanding general, Military District of Washington; and commander, Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region, Washington, D.C., to deputy commanding general, Installation Management Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
• Brig. Gen. Edmond M. Brown, deputy director/chief of staff, Futures and Concepts Center, U.S. Army Futures Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to commanding general, Combat Capabilities Development Command, U.S. Army Futures Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
• Brig. Gen. Thomas R. Drew, military deputy, Talent Management Task Force, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., to director, Talent Management Task Force, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
• Brig. Gen. Brett T. Funck, deputy commanding general (Operations), 10th Mountain Division (Light); and acting senior commander-Fort Drum, Fort Drum, New York, to deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
• Brig. Gen. Clair A. Gill, deputy commanding general (Support), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to director, Army Aviation, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
• Brig. Gen. Guy M. Jones, deputy commanding general (Maneuver), 2d Infantry Division (Combined), Eighth Army, Republic of Korea, to deputy director/chief of staff, Futures and Concepts Center, U.S. Army Futures Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
• Brig. Gen. Michael C. McCurry II, director, Army Aviation, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., to director, Force Development, G-8, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
• Brig. Gen. Mark C. Quander, commandant, U.S. Army Engineer School, U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to commandant of cadets, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.
• Brig. Gen. Jeth B. Rey, director, J-6, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, to director, Network Cross Functional Team, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
• Brig. Gen. William A. Ryan III, senior advisor to the Ministry of Defense, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Afghanistan, to chief of staff, U.S. Army Central, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.
• Brig. Gen. Curtis D. Taylor, commander, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, to commanding general, National Training Center and Fort Irwin, Fort Irwin, California.
• Brig. Gen. Joel B. Vowell, deputy director, Strategic Planning and Policy, J-5, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, to commanding general, U.S. Army Japan and I Corps (Forward), Japan.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
