FORT KNOX, Kentucky —
Fifth Corps will welcome Polish Maj. Gen. Adam Joks and Brig. Gen. Matthew Van Wagenen to the V Corps team during an 8 a.m. welcome ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 4, on Ft. Knox.
Joks, who is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and former commander of the NATO Joint Forces Training Center, will serve as the V Corps deputy commanding general for interoperability (DCG-I) where he will focus on improving the integration of personnel, systems, and processes with European allies and partners. His appointment marks the first time a Polish general has served in the command structure of the U.S. military.
Van Wagenen joins V Corps after his previous assignments as the deputy chief of staff for operations at the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (NATO) and the deputy commanding general for the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division. He will assume the deputy commanding general for maneuver (DCG-M) position and serve as the senior officer at the headquarters (forward) in Poznan, Poland.
The ceremony will be in front of the V Corps headquarters which is part of the Maude Complex on base. The officiating officer will be Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) commanding general, and hosted by the V Corps commanding general, Lt. Gen. John S. Kolasheski.
"Welcoming Maj. Gen. Joks as part of the V Corps team is a true testament to the trust and bond shared by the U.S. and Poland, not only as NATO allies in deterring aggression in the region, but also as friends and host to our U.S. Soldiers who rotate through Poland as part of Atlantic Resolve and the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence," said Gen. Cavoli, USAREUR-AF commanding general.
"We continue to work with our Polish allies to find new ways to strengthen U.S.-Polish defense relations, NATO unity and transatlantic security. With Maj. Gen. Joks joining the V Corps team as the DCG-I and Brig. Gen. Van Wagenen joining the forward operating base in Poznan as the DCG-M, I'm certain our two nations will move toward a deeper and even more collaborative security partnership to meet current and future security challenges," Cavoli added.
Due to COVID-19 risk reduction measures, in-person attendance to the ceremony will be by invitation only. Attendees will be required to wear a mask or show proof of vaccination in accordance with Fort Knox regulations.
The ceremony can be viewed live on the V Corps Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VCorps or Twitter at https://twitter.com/VCorps.
Media interested in attending must contact the V Corps Public Affairs Office to make arrangements and arrive at the Chaffee (Main) Gate Visitor Center no later than 7:15 a.m.