[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF COLONEL JAMES R. PROUTY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for the Record.
  Colonel James R. Prouty is recognized for exceptionally distinguished 
service to the United States Army and to the United States of America 
during the period July 6, 1972 to May 31, 1999. Throughout a 
distinguished twenty-seven year military career, Colonel Prouty served 
in a series of increasingly demanding positions that immeasurably 
contributed to the security of the nation, culminating as the Executive 
Officer to the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.
  A brief summary of his accomplishments over the last decade follows.
  As Commander of the 2d Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery (Vulcan/
Stinger), 2d Armored Division, he was responsible for leading, 
training, maintaining, and caring for approximately 600 soldiers and 
their associated equipment (45 track and 175 wheeled vehicles). MG 
Mallory, the Division Commander, remarked that ``his battalion set the 
training standard for the division because of Jim's leadership.'' When 
war came, that uncompromising investment in training returned valuable 
dividends for the 125 highly-motivated and professional soldiers he 
provided to Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
  As Operations Officer, and later Chief of Staff, for the United 
States Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (USASSDC), COL Prouty 
was responsible for planning and resourcing all current, future, and 
contingency operations; determining, analyzing, and integrating 
requirements for Army Space Systems; and coordinating those 
requirements with the Army Staff, the Joint Staff, and US Space 
Command. Leveraging his broad warfighting talents, COL Prouty initially 
focused his directorate's efforts on incorporating space considerations 
into Army doctrine and training events. From these efforts, he 
developed and prioritized requirements for Army Space Systems, 
published in the first Army Space Modernization Plan, supporting 
commanders across all Battlefield Operating Systems. LTG Lionetti 
described him as ``smart, innovative, and visionary; he made 
improvements of enormous significance.'' Later, his directorate stood 
up USASSDC's Theater Missile Defense (TMD) cell, and COL Prouty became 
the Army's focal point for a wide variety of TMD initiatives. Once 
again, COL Jim Prouty was equal to the task, overseeing the integration 
of delivery of the TMD Force Projection Tactical Operations Center 
(TOC), a major new warfighting asset available to support Joint Land 
Force commanders worldwide. At the same time, COL Prouty was 
instrumental in directing the command's highly successful participation 
in support of the Commission on Roles and Missions.
  As Commander, Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) 
Experimentation Center, COL Prouty was responsible for conducting and 
supporting a wide range of independent operational tests and 
experiments using state-of-the-art, real time casualty assessment 
instrumentation, data reduction, and analysis. He was also responsible 
to lead, train, and care for an organic Armored/Mechanized Infantry 
Battalion Task Force of over 350 soldiers. As in previous assignments, 
his initial emphasis was on training and performing to standard. As a 
result, his soldiers achieved record success on the gunnery ranges, and 
the major weapons systems were maintained at unprecedented operational 
readiness rates. More importantly, every operational test and 
experiment was carefully planned, coordinated, and executed on time, 
under budget, yielding results which were both analytically sound and 
compelling. The highly successful operational test of the Battlefield 
Combat Identification System (BCIS) is a testament to COL Prouty's 
leadership, superb knowledge of training, and understanding of how to 
operationalize emerging technology. The latter months of COL Prouty's 
command were once again dedicated to the mission of inactivation--and 
taking care of troops. In recognizing the professional manner in which 
COL Prouty inactivated the command, MG Lehowicz remarked that ``he 
turned in equipment and facilities (valued at over $100M) in such an 
outstanding condition that it defied the imagination.''

  Since July 1997, COL Prouty has served as the Executive Officer to 
Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (AVCSA). It is in this role 
that COL Prouty's unique talents and abilities have had their greatest 
impact on the Army. While his duties are broadly defined, as in his 
previous assignments, it is in the details where COL Prouty has left an 
indelible mark on the future of our Army.
  His ability to energize a diverse body of senior executives and 
general officers, from across the Army Staff, with widely different 
interests, toward a common purpose, is truly remarkable. He succeeds 
because he invests the time, energy, and intellect necessary to 
understand the most complex issues from the perspectives of all 
stakeholders; he possesses the wisdom, experience, and judgment to find 
the common ground; and he employs the finely-honed leadership skills to 
motivate all to positive action. These skills were particularly evident 
in directing the AVCSA's efforts to transition two incoming VCSAs and 
develop a workable strategy to fully integrate the Army's active and 
reserve components--later detailed in the CSA White Paper, One Team, 
One Fight, One Future.
  Immediately upon assuming his duties, he developed the trust and 
confidence of every senior leader on the Army Staff, and countless 
others in the department and on Capitol Hill. Through two full 
Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System (PPBS) cycles, and in 
defense of two Army budget submissions, the Chief of Staff, the Vice 
Chief of Staff, and/or the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff were 
invariably present at the decisive place and time, with the compelling 
argument for Army requirements and resources. These opportunities were 
more often than not developed behind the scenes, via a broad, but 
comprehensive staff effort with COL Prouty at the helm. Perhaps of even 
greater importance, COL Prouty's insight, instincts, and mastery of the 
subject matter allowed him to resolve innumerable requirements and 
resource issues, in a manner favorable to Army objectives, without 
requiring the dedicated attention of the senior leadership.
  COL Jim Prouty's team-building and managerial skills have never been 
more fully validated. The office of the AVCSA is a model of 
efficiency--lean, professional, effective, and highly-credible. This 
success is singularly attributable to the leadership talent and 
managerial savvy of COL Jim Prouty. As the role of the AVCSA continued 
to evolve, COL Prouty ensured that the office staff remained one step 
ahead of the issues, and cultivated the professional working 
relationships necessary to ensure the role of the AVCSA on the Army 
Staff was well understood and fully integrated. He sets high standards 
in all aspects of staff performance, and inspires subordinates to 
achieve them. Even under the most difficult circumstances, morale was 
invariably high, and the staff never missed a beat.
  COL Jim Prouty served with uncommon distinction in each of these 
critical positions during these last ten years. His outstanding 
performance in each position contributed extensively to the success, 
not just of his unit, but to the Army. The impact of COL Prouty's 
professionalism, selfless commitment, and accomplishments will endure 
well beyond his retirement. His level of responsibility, particularly 
in his final position, was far above that of his peers, and his 
performance was on a par with most of the general officers I routinely 
work with. Given these factors, it is most appropriate that COL 
Prouty's extraordinary service to the United States Army and the United 
States of America be recognized by the 106th Congress.

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