RICHMOND, Va. –
Col. Charles B. Martin Jr. will succeed Brig. Gen. K. Weedon Gallagher as the Virginia National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General - Army according to an announcement made Nov. 6, 2023, by Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia. Martin currently serves as the VNG’s Chief of the Joint Staff.
As the Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Martin will lead the Virginia Army National Guard and will provide mission readiness guidance in the areas of training, personnel management, command logistics, facilities and maintenance to support more 7,000 Army National Guard Citizen-Soldiers.
“Please join me in congratulating Col. Martin on his selection as the next Assistant Adjutant General – Army,” said Ring. “He is a proven leader who brings a broad range of experience including domestic mobilizations in support of Operation Noble Eagle and a combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has served as the Chief of the Joint Staff since January 2023 and in command and staff positions at every echelon within the Virginia National Guard.”
Martin assumed his duties as Chief of the Joint Staff in early 2023 after previously commanding the Fort Barfoot-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. According to the announcement, Gallagher is retiring effective Dec. 31, 2023, and Martin will assume his role as AAG-A Jan. 1, 2024.
“Brig. Gen. Gallagher has been a magnificent Assistant Adjutant General – Army who lead the Virginia Army National Guard through multiple National Guard Civil Support operations, collective training exercises and overseas mobilizations and deployments,” said Ring. “His leadership has made a significant impact on the Virginia National Guard that will be felt for years to come. Brig. Gen. Gallagher is retiring following 32 years of exceptional military service.”
Leader biographies:
Gallagher was commissioned from the Virginia Military Institute class of 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. His military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced courses, Combined Arms Services and Staff School, Command and General Staff College, Senior Transportation Officer Qualification Course, and the Theater Sustainment Course. He graduated from the Army War College in 2014 and Joint Forces College in 2015. In 2017, he graduated from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government program in Leadership in Homeland Security. He completed NORTHCOM training and certification as a Dual Status Commander in 2018. He served in numerous command and staff positions in the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard including company commander Bravo Company, 121st Engineer Battalion (MECH), commander of the 1297th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, where he deployed the battalion to Kandahar Afghanistan in 2011 and commander of the 329th Regional Support Group prior to his appointment as AAG-A. Prior to his deployment as battalion commander, he also deployed to Afghanistan in 2003 and 2008. In his civilian career, Gallagher followed a ten-year career as an engineer at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command with a transition to private sector. After serving as a vice president at a publicly traded company, he is now the owner of a small business specializing in facility management and electrical systems installations.
Col. Charles Martin joined the Virginia Army National Guard in 1994, serving first as an infantryman, before graduating from Virginia Officer Candidate School and being commissioned as an Engineer Officer in 1996. During his 29 years of military service, Martin served in key command and staff positions, to include engineer company commander, brigade engineer officer, battalion executive officer, 29th Infantry Division G5 chief of plans, engineer battalion commander, 183rd RTI commander and primary joint staff assignments at Joint Forces Headquarters – Virginia. Martin is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic Course, Engineer Officer Advanced Course, Combined Arms and Service Staff School, Intermediate Level Education Course and the Joint Combined Warfare School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Longwood College and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2018. He completed the NORTHCOM Dual Status Commander Course in 2022 and is a recent graduate of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government program in Leadership in Homeland Security. In his civilian career, Martin has worked for Altria in Richmond, Virginia for nearly 23 years, including leadership and management positions in manufacturing, government affairs, and corporate citizenship.