James C. McConville

James Charles McConville (born 16 March 1959) is a retired American general who served as the 40th chief of staff of the United States Army from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as the 36th vice chief of staff of the Army from 2017 to 2019.

McConville was born and raised in Massachusetts and was commissioned in the Army when he graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1981. He was initially an Infantry officer before becoming an Army aviator and serving as a helicopter pilot.

He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan several times, including as the commander of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, during the Iraq War, and as the commander of the 101st Airborne Division during the war in Afghanistan. He became the longest serving commander of the 101st Airborne Division, from 2011 to 2014, and later served as the deputy chief of staff for personnel of the Army from 2015 to 2017.

Early life and education James Charles McConville was born on 16 March 1959 to Joe and Barbara McConville. His father was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War. McConville was nominated to the U.S. Military Academy by Senator Ted Kennedy. Much of his time in Afghanistan was spent focusing on development programs. During his tenure, the division was deployed to Afghanistan, where he also led Combined Joint Task Force 101 in Regional Command East. McConville commanded the 101st Airborne Division until 20 June 2014, becoming its longest serving commander, and the longest serving division commander in Army history. On 25 March 2019, McConville was nominated for appointment as chief of staff of the Army. He took office on 9 August 2019, succeeding Milley, and becoming the first aviator to be the head of the Army. In that role, he continued the Army modernization program that he had worked on with Milley when he was the vice chief, and presided over the Army's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. McConville visited Europe in July 2022, where he met with representatives from the armies of 30 European countries and discussed NATO's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He relinquished office as chief of staff on 4 August 2023.

Awards and decorations

Personal life McConville and his wife, Maria, have three children serving in the military.