Commander
COL Jennifer McDonough
Colonel Jennifer McDonough, a native of New Iberia, Louisiana, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a preventive medicine specialist in 1998 after attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning (known as Fort Moore since 2023), Georgia, and commissioned in August 2000 as an ordnance officer. She began her career in the 595th Maintenance Company, 498th Corps Support Battalion, in Songnam, South Korea, where she served as a platoon leader, shop officer, and executive officer. In 2002, McDonough was assigned to 4th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Hood (known as Fort Cavazos since 2023), Texas. She served as a company executive officer and as support operations maintenance officer while deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1. After completing the Captain’s Career Course, she returned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and took command of the Forward Support Company assigned to 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, where she deployed the company back to Iraq.
McDonough was selected for the Joint Chief of Staff/Office of the Secretary of Defense Intern Program. Upon graduating from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in policy management in 2008, she served as the operations officer for the Joint Staff J4 and as a Senate legislative liaison for the Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison. In 2010, she was assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg (known as Fort Liberty since 2023), North Carolina. She served as the BCT S4 and the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion executive officer.
In 2012, she was then assigned to a Special Operations Task Force in Washington, D.C., where she served as a support operations officer, troop commander, and chief of staff for a forward deployed Joint Task Force, and the unit’s G4, logistics officer. Once assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in 2017, she commanded the 225th Brigade Support Battalion, served as the division G4, and later as the acting chief of staff of the division.
McDonough graduated from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School with a master’s degree in national security and resource strategy with a concentration in global supply chain management and logistics in June 2021. Following war college, she served as the Cohesion Assessment Team lead and later as chief of staff for the Secretary of the Army’s People First Task Force.
Her military education includes the Ordnance Officer Basic Course, Captain’s Career Course, the Command and General Staff College, and National Defense University’s Eisenhower School. Her awards and decorations include the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with Silver Leaf, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and other commendation and achievement medals. She has also earned the Combat Action Badge, the Joint Staff Badge, the Army Staff Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Jungle Tab.
Command Sergeant Major
CSM John M. Kreifels
Command Sergeant Major John M. Kreifels is a native of Nebraska City, Nebraska. He enlisted in the Army in June 1999, as a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic.
His assignments include Headquarter and Headquarter Company and Echo Company, 3d Ranger Battalion, 75TH Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning (now known as Fort Moore 2023), GA; Headquarters and Headquarter Company,75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning (now known as Fort Moore 2023), GA; Echo Company, 2D Ranger Battalion, 75TH Ranger Regiment, Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA. Headquarter and Headquarter Company, 10TH Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY. He has deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan for combat operations.
CSM Kreifels has served in multiple leadership positions including, Recovery NCOIC, Senior Mechanic, Maintenance Control Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant, G4 Maintenance Sergeant Major, J4 CSM and G3 Operations Sergeant Major.
CSM Kreifels has attended Basic Leaders Course, Advanced Leaders Course, Senior Leaders Course, and Sergeants Major Academy (Class 69). He is a graduate of Airborne, Ranger, Jumpmaster, and Master Resilience Courses. He has earned a master’s degree in strategic leadership from the University of Charleston.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (3d award), Meritorious Service Medal (2d award), the Joint Army Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (3d award), the Army Achievement Medal (3d award), the Master Parachutist Badge, Mechanic/Drivers Badge, and Combat Action Badge. He is also a recipient of the Order of Saint Maurice and The Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe.