Brigadier General Thomas W. Kula became the Commander and Division Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer Division, Southwestern, July 2, 2010.
The Southwestern Division is a 3,200-person engineering and construction organization, including four district offices located in Little Rock, Ark., Tulsa, Okla., and Fort Worth and Galveston, Texas. The division area covers all or part of seven states, with annual programs totaling $5.4 billion.
Kula was born in North Chicago, Ill. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers and awarded a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1982. He holds a Master's Degree in Military Arts and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies, Command and General Staff College.
His previous assignments include: Platoon Leader, Battalion S-1, and Company Commander, 78th Engineer Battalion (Corps)(Combat), Ettlingen, Germany; Senior Engineer Observer Controller, Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Chaffee, Arkansas; Doctrine Writer and Tactics Instructor, US Army Engineer School and Aide de Camp to the Commanding General, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Chief of G-3 Plans, 82d Airborne Division and Executive Officer, 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Military Assistant to the Undersecretary of the Army and Program Analyst for Force Structure, Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate, the Pentagon, Washington DC; Commander, 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne), 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Engineer Plans Officer, United States Southern Command, Miami, Florida; Commander, 130th Engineer Brigade, V Corps, Hanau, Germany (OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 05-07, IRAQ, September 2005-September 2006); Co-Chair of the TRADOC Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Defeat, Integrated Capabilities Development Team and Chief of Staff, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Kula's military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Combined Arms Service and Staff School (CAS3), Command and General Staff College (CGSC), School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and U.S. Army War College Fellowship at University of Texas.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (with two oak leaf clusters), the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with five oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Army Achievement Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Sapper Tab, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge, the German Parachutist Badge, and the Army Staff Badge.