By Kevin Dietz
FORT BELVOIR, Va -- On August 28, 2026, the Human Resources and Force Management (HR-FM) charter transferred from Col. Matthew Paul to Col. Laura-Jane Freeland.
Major James Oliver, assistant product manager for Force Management, welcomed guests and presided over the event, and Mr. Billy McCain, assistant capability program executive (CPE) for quality and transformation, delivered remarks for Ms. Miranda Coleman, acting CPE for Enterprise Services and Software (ES2), who was unable to attend the ceremony.
McCain presented Paul with the Legion of Merit Award for his exemplary service and contributions during his tenure as project manager for HR‑FM. McCain noted that under Paul, “IPPS-A retired legacy systems at record scale and supports over 1 million Soldiers, AIE put artificial intelligence to work for more than 9,000 recruiters with the Staff Sergeant Star app and ArmyIgnitED moved to two-weeks sprints.”
McCain highlighted Paul’s emphasis on a “badgeless culture,” noting that “he sees one team, accountable to one thing: getting it right for the Soldier.” He also echoed one of COL Paul’s four favorite words: “Less talking. More doing.”
During his remarks, Col. Paul acknowledged that the ceremony wasn’t about him. He said that the ceremony was about the HR-FM team and its five programs: Army Human Resource Systems, Accessions Information Environment, ArmyIgnitED, Force Management and IPPS-A. When he joined HR-FM in 2024, the O6 office was called IPPS-A. That name “didn’t reflect the breadth of our entire portfolio and all the other programs inside of it,” Paul noted. The name changed to HR-FM, and as he noted, “if you're explaining, you're losing.” The name of the office makes it clear what the office does.
While the day was “bittersweet,” Col. Paul said that he is looking forward to continuing his role as the deputy CPE. The CPE ES2 flag passed from Col. Paul to Col. Laura-Jane (LJ) Freeland, symbolizing the change in leadership. During Col. Freeland’s remarks, she thanked Col. Paul for his “outstanding support, perspective and counsel” during the project manager transition. She noted that her peers, family, friends and teams played a significant role in her career and always helped her to be better.
In her closing remarks, Col. Freeland noted that the HR-FM team’s “professionalism has set us up for immediate success,” and she looks forward to the team’s continued progress and achievements.