40th Chief of Staff of the Army

General James C. McConville assumed duties as the 40th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, on August 9, 2019 after most recently serving as the 36th Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

He is a native of Quincy, Massachusetts and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He holds a Master’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University in 2002.

General McConville’s command assignments include the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) where he also served as the Commanding General, Combined Joint Task Force-101, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan; Deputy Commanding General (Support) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) where he also served as the Deputy Commanding General (Support) of Combined Joint Task Force-101, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan; Commander of 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq; Commander of 2nd Squadron, 17th Calvary Regiment 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); and Commander of C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division (Light). 

His key staff assignments include the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1; Chief of Legislative Liaison; Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army; G-3 for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); J5 Strategic Planner for the United States Special Operations Command; S-3 for the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade; S-3 for 5th Squadron, 9th Cavalry; and S-3 for Flight Concepts Division. 

General McConville is the Senior Army Aviator qualified in the AH-64D Longbow Apache, the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, the AH-6, AH-1 Cobra and other aircraft. His awards and decorations include two Distinguished Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, two Air Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Master Army Aviator Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Program Executive Officer, Aviation

BG Thomas H. Todd III serves as the Program Executive Officer, Aviation.   He accepted this post on 12 January 2017.   Todd previously served as the RDECOM deputy commanding general and Natick Soldier Systems Center senior commander.

Todd earned a bachelor of science in business administration from The Citadel in 1989 and received his commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation. He is a graduate of the Aviation Officer Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary Wing training. Todd is also a graduate of the OH‐ 58 and H‐60 Maintenance Test Pilot Course, the Army Aviation Officer Advance Course, as well as the Command and General Staff  Officer Course. He holds masters of science degrees in contract management and strategic studies from the Florida Institute of Technology and U.S. Air War College, respectively.  

His first assignments include platoon leader, troop executive officer, S‐4 and Delta Troop Commander, 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Brigade, Ft. Hood, Texas. Following command, he served in   A‐301st "Flying Tigers" Aviation Company, Republic of Korea, as a UH‐ 60 test pilot and executive officer.  

Todd joined the Army Acquisition Corps in 1996 and served early on at Aviation and Missile Command as a contracting officer for the Patriot Missile and Comanche Helicopter programs. He also served as chief, special programs operations and as the executive officer to the director, Defense Contracts Management Agency. In program management, he served as the assistant product manager for Air Warrior, Program Executive Office Soldier; product manager for the CH‐47F Improved Cargo Helicopter program; and project manager for the Utility Helicopters Project Office. Todd then served on the Army staff  as director for Aviation, Intelligence and Electronic Warfare, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.  

He led team deployments into Iraq and Afghanistan to equip and train combat aviation brigades of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and 25th Infantry Division. Todd also deployed as the chief of contracting for Joint Task Force Bravo in support of Hurricane Mitch disaster relief efforts in Central America.  

His awards and badges include the Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and other Army and joint commendations and awards. He is an Air Assault graduate and a Senior Army Aviator, rated in the UH‐1, OH‐58, UH‐60M and CH‐47F

Jeffrey A. Drezner is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. He has conducted policy analysis on a wide range of issues, including energy research and development planning and program management, best practices in environmental management, analyses of cost and schedule outcomes in complex system development programs, aerospace industrial policy, defense acquisition policy and reform, and local emergency response. His current research emphasizes issues associated with technology development, organizational behavior, and program management. Drezner formerly served as associate director of RAND Project AIR FORCE's acquisition program and participated in a researcher exchange program in the Pentagon, sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Technology). Drezner received his Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University.

Executive Director, American Helicopter Society International

Mike Hirschberg assumed the duties of the AHS Executive Director on June 1, 2011, after 20 years in the aerospace industry, primarily in vertical flight. As the Executive Director, he is responsible for the execution of the strategic direction set by the AHS Board of Directors. 

He represents the vertical flight technical community and advocates for the advancement of vertical flight research and technology to the executive and legislative branches of the government. Mr. Hirschberg is the publisher of all society publications, including Vertiflite, the Journal of the AHS, and the AHS Annual Forum Proceedings.

Mr. Hirschberg was previously a principal aerospace engineer with CENTRA Technology, Inc., providing technical and program management support for over 10 years to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) on advanced aircraft and rotorcraft concepts. Prior to this, Mr. Hirschberg worked from 1994 to 2001 in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program Office, supporting the development of the X-32 and X-35 vertical flight propulsion systems. 

He served as the Managing Editor of Vertiflite magazine from 1999 to 2011, and had been a contributing author since 1997. Mr. Hirschberg is an internationally-known lecturer, frequently presenting on vertical flight at short courses, meetings, conferences and universities, and is the author/co-author of more than 100 publications on helicopter, V/STOL and advanced aircraft developments, including three books. 

Mr. Hirschberg holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia (1991) and a M.E. Mechanical Engineering from Catholic University of America (1996). He completed a Master of Business Administration at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) in 2013. He is proficient in speaking German. 

He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).