Press Release
☷Force Management officer enables unit readiness for the future
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
Apr 29,2022
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Lt . Col . Jacqueline Newell at U . S . Army Futures Command offices in Round Rock , Texas . AUSTIN , Texas – When Lt . Col . Jacqueline “Jo” Newell accepted an ROTC scholarship in college , she wasn’t expecting to go to war . An out - of - state student at Georgia Tech and the youngest of six children , Newell was exploring ways to financially support her academic pursuit , unaware that the 9/11 terrorist attacks would take place just three months shy of her graduation . “When 9/11 occurred , it was very clear that my generation of ROTC cadets was going to be going into an era of conflict , ” Newell said . After commissioning as a Quartermaster officer and joining the 3rd Infantry Division , Newell deployed to the Middle East in March of 2003 . “One of the most challenging things that I’ve done in my life was leading a platoon of 28 Soldiers through the invasion of Iraq , ” Newell said . During the deployment , members of the platoon – many also new to active duty and to operating in conflict zones – supported more than 6 , 000 miles of convoy operations . “There was a lot of learning and growing that we all did at that time , ” Newell said . The desire to serve , specifically in roles supporting Soldiers , is something that stuck with Newell , who went on to make the Army her career . Her subsequent roles included Battalion S4 , Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Multi - National Security Transition Command – Iraq , and Force Manager at U . S . Army Pacific Command and Special Operations Command . Inspired to learn more about effective people and business management , she also obtained an MBA from the University of Texas in 2021 . Newell pictured during deployments to Iraq . In addition to completing deployments to Iraq in 2003 , 2005 and 2008 - 2009 , Newell served in Germany from 2016 - 2019 , deploying to Afghanistan in 2017 . Now a Force Management Branch Chief at Army Futures Command , Newell brings a passion for leadership to her interactions with the Soldiers and Civilians on her team . “Getting to have direct teaching , coaching , mentoring and professional development of other officers has been really rewarding , ” Newell said . Force Management officers across the Army leverage expert problem - solving abilities to ensure Army organizations and units are consistently well - equipped and mission - ready . The discipline requires mastery of highly technical skills as well as the ability to absorb a large amount of information , understand its relevance and “distill it down into a few succinct points to make recommendations to leaders , ” Newell said . At Army Futures Command , the Force Management process involves assessing organizational structure , personnel and equipment , as well as analyzing emerging growth requirements and the strategic resourcing of future force designs . The command is “still defining how we organize our enterprise to do what we’ve been established to do , ” Newell explained . An integral part of modernization is identifying gaps and areas for improvement early on , and Force Management officers are able to lend important insight in this area . This focus on enabling people preparedness – what Newell describes as “the alignment of requirements and resources to deliver modernized organizations over a period of time” – is critical to Army modernization but also deeply meaningful to Newell . Her strong commitment to serving others has been woven throughout her time in the Army , and continues to guide her approach to work and life . “I had a set of priorities that I wanted to be firmly rooted in , and that was serve God , serve my family and serve my country , ” Newell said of her path from college to now . Newell with her daughter and husband , who is also a Soldier . She added that in the Army , “what motivates me is believing that the work that I do has lasting meaning , that it’s impactful and that it’s good – that the overall result of the work that I do improves the Army and improves the outcome for a Soldier somewhere . ”
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