The Army's top personnel officer is on tap to be the next vice chief of staff, according to a nomination received Monday by the Senate.
Lt. Gen. James McConville, currently the deputy chief of staff for personnel, would replace Gen. Daniel Allyn as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley's No. 2. He also would be the officer in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Army.
The Senate received McConville's nomination and referred it to the armed services committee, according to the congressional record.
In addition to replacing Allyn, who has been vice chief since 2014, McConville would pin on a fourth star if he's confirmed.
Since taking over as the head of the G-1 office in August 2014, McConville has presided over numerous changes to the Army, from end strength reductions to innovations in the assignment process.
The Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran was commissioned as an infantry officer after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1981, before transitioning to aviation and qualifying on the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, AH-64D Longbow Apache, AH-6 Little Bird, AH-1 Cobra and others, according to his official bio.
Before becoming the Army G-1, McConville, a Master Army Aviator, commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, leading the division headquarters on a deployment to Afghanistan. He also commanded 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, including on a deployment to Iraq.
His past staff assignments include chief of the office of legislative liaison, deputy commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, and executive officer to the vice chief of staff of the Army.
His awards and decorations include two Distinguished Service Medals, three Legion of Merits, three Bronze Stars, the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Master Army Aviator Badge.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
