News & Notes
1.Please join us in congratulating nineteen-year old Private First Class (PFC) Tony Ladebu, a paralegal specialist with the U.S. Army Cadet Command, on winning the 2019 Soldier of the Year for Cadet Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The five-day competition covered twenty events designed to measure excellence in warrior tasks and skills. Private First Class Ladebu, who arrived at Fort Knox fresh out of basic and advanced individual training, received a pistol, Trojan helmet, and other prizes for his efforts. Outstanding job, PFC Ladebu.
2.On 28 March 2019, the American Society of International Law recognized Major Trent Powell at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. He was recognized for an article that he co-authored with West Point Professors, Colonel Dave Wallace and Lieutenant Colonel Shane Reeves: Revisiting Belligerent Reprisals in the Age of Cyber? The article was published in the Marquette University Law School’s Marquette Law Review (102 Marq. L. Rev. 81 (2018)).
3.On 27 March 2019, Sergeant Hannah Smallwood, a paralegal noncommissioned officer with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), had the opportunity to perform a tandem jump with the U.S. Army Golden Knights over central Kentucky. She received this opportunity as a token of gratitude from her command for her many outstanding contributions to the Army mission and USAREC legal mission.
4.The Army Judge Advocate Recruiting Office attended the National Black Law Students Association Annual Convention, which took place in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 12–17 March 2019. The Army Judge Advocate Recruiting Office sponsored the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition, served as judges and panelists, and had the opportunity to share the JAG Corps’ story with hundreds of attendees. During the event, they were able to visit Central High School, the site of forced desegregation after the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Our very own Captain Mary Awoniyi had the distinct honor of meeting Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine. Elizabeth Eckford was the first African-American student to integrate into a white southern high school.
5.On 28 and 29 March, The JAG Corps Board of Directors (BOD) met at The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia. The purpose of the BOD is to propose and review the JAG Corps’ strategic initiatives while receiving candid feedback and recommendations from a diverse cross-section of our Corps’ senior leaders from around the world.
The U.S. Army’s Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Training, Major General Charles Flynn, spoke to the BOD about the Multi-Domain Operations 2028 Doctrine, outlining the view of the Army’s future in dealing with its adversaries.
Afterwards, the BOD discussed several strategic initiatives such as modernization of the JAG Corps’ force structure, the military justice redesign pilot program, and strategic talent management. These initiatives directly support The Judge Advocate General’s priorities of ensuring readiness to support the war-fighter, building the JAG Corps of the future to support the future Army, and taking care of our people.