After a unanimous confirmation, the “Big Red One” commanding general was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant general and will lead a new U.S. Army Corps headquarters according to a release by Sen. Jerry Moran.
John Kolasheski, now a three-star general, is slated to command Fifth Corps — the Army’s newest Corps headquarters — at Fort Knox, Kentucky following Fort Riley’s change of command this summer.
Major Gen. (promotable) Kolasheski has served as the 1st Infantry Division’s commanding general since June 2018 when he took over for current-Army Vice Chief of Staff Joseph Martin. Kolasheski is slated to be succeeded by Brig. Gen. Douglas Sims II at a to-be-determined date.
Moran says he was pleased to join in on the vote and congratulated him on the achievement.
“Robba and I have enjoyed getting acquainted with Gen. Kolasheski and Buffy and hold them both in highest regard for their character and service to country,” Moran writes. “I wish him and his family the best of luck […]”
Kolasheski graduated from Bucknell University before receiving his commission as an armor officer. He previously served a deputy chief of staff for operations at Army Forces Command, commandant of the Army’s Armor School, and has deployed to numerous nations including Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
The recently reactivated Fifth Corps will be active by the Fall, a move intended to help fulfill the 2018 National Defense Strategy which prioritizes competition with “peer adversaries” such as China or Russia. The fourth Army headquarters was deactivated in 2013 amid changes in the Army’s European force structure, and first activated during World War I.
Also known as V Corps, the unit will have 635 soldiers stationed at Fort Knox and another 200 on a rotational basis at a to-be-identified European operational command post.
The revival of Fifth Corps also increases command and control capability as requested by U.S. European Command, and launches as the Army gears up to start the largest deployment to mainland Europe in 25 years.
“The activation of an additional Corps headquarters provides the needed level of command and control focused on synchronizing U.S. Army, allied, and partner nation tactical formations operating in Europe,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville in a prepared statement. “It will enhance U.S. Army Europe and U.S. European Command as they work alongside allies and partners to promote regional stability and security.”
