Lieutenant Colonel James Chester has served as the Commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion – Columbus since July 9th, 2025.
Chester commissioned in 2006 from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He was first assigned as the Assistant Battalion S-2, later S-2 OIC, for the 5-158 Aviation Battalion in Ansbach, Germany and Iraq. He next spent three years with the 2nd Infantry Division, serving first as the Division G2X and later as the Division G2 Targeting Officer before commanding A Company, 1st BSTB, 1st BCT, 2ID at Camp Hovey, South Korea.
From 2013-2015 Chester was an Account Manager and later an Assignment Officer at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Ft. Knox, KY. He was next assigned as the Assistant S-3, 470th Military Intelligence Brigade at Ft. Sam Houston, TX before serving as the Battalion XO for the 312th Military Intelligence Battalion from 2018-2020.
From 2020-2023 Chester was assigned to the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, where he served as one of the lead authors of Field Manual 3-0, Operations. Immediately prior to taking command of the Columbus Recruiting Battalion he spent two years assigned to Headquarters, Department of the Army at the Pentagon, first as speechwriter to the Chief of Staff of the Army and later serving on the Army Recruiting Enterprise Transformation Implementation task force.
Chester holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from the University of Pittsburgh. His military education includes the Military Intelligence Officer Basic and Captain’s Career courses and the Command and General Staff College.
Chester’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (4 OLC), Army Commendation Medal (3 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Staff Identification Badge, the Army Recruiter Badge, the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold), and the Knowlton Award.