REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command hosted a Change of Charter for the command’s Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence Army Capability Manager for Space and High Altitude.

Col. David J Mulack relinquished his responsibility as USASMDC’s ACM SHA, which he held since July 2021, to Col. Princeton D. Wright. Upon receipt of his charter, Wright became SMDC’s new ACM SHA during a July 9 ceremony at the command’s Redstone Arsenal headquarters.

“We ask a lot of our Capability managers. Being provided that full line of authority from the Army Futures Command commanding general and working directly with the project managers really shows the level of trust that went into this position.” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general.

The ACM SHA serves as the Army’s centralized fielded force integrator for space and high altitude operations. The ACM SHA coordinates and synchronizes all doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities and policy, or DOTMLPF-P, solutions to provide space and high altitude-required capabilities. They also coordinate with other capability developers, centers of excellence, capability development integration directorates, materiel developers and operational commands for the purpose of ensuring coordinated and integrated DOTMLPF-P products and services key to the ACM’s assigned capability areas.

Gainey said that during his tenure, Mulack focused on generating key capabilities.

“This command is on a strong path for delivering space capabilities because of Dave’s work and on the commitment of his team to not only the space mission, but also the high-altitude balloon mission(s).”

Gainey then spoke about the attributes that Wright brought to the position.

“The Army selects only our best for Centralized Selection List positions and this (Wright) is one of them.“ Gainey said, “He is the right officer at the right time to come in and take his operational background to help deliver space and high altitude capabilities. “

Speaking to the gathered audience, Mulack said that nothing really prepares one for the responsibilities of the ACM-SHA directorship.

“You’re stuck in the trenches, you’re nugging through, you’re in knife fights, and all for one reason. The reason is the warfighter,” Mulack said “The reason is to show how Army space and high altitude capabilities can save lives. It’s all about the warfighter.”

Mulack spoke further about what he thought about telling Wright during their left seat/right seat time before passing the charter.

“There was one theme song that kept playing in my head, Ozzie Osborn’s Crazy Train. It’s exactly what this ACM-SHA position is all about,” said Mulack. “Once you’re on this ride you’re on the ride and you have to hold on and control it. You know you’ve hit success when they (Army/Combatant Commands) start talking the virtues of Army Space and High Altitude for you.”

Mulack thanked a long list of supporters and teammates who helped him during his tenure, saying all of their successes go back to the notion that it takes a village, and that takes everyone working in concert to drive Army space and high altitude into the forefront of the Army’s way of warfighting. He also said that upon relinquishing the charter he effectively finished his last true duty day in the Army. Mulack entered service in the U.S. Army in 1993 and is scheduled to retire 19 July this year.

As the Command’s new Director of ACM-SHA, Col. Wright is no stranger to Army space operations. Early in his career he served in Field Artillery, but became a Space Operations Officer while assigned to and deployed with 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from 2010-2011. He also served as the Deputy Chief, Missile and Space Domain for NORAD/NORTHCOM, Deputy Chief of Space Operations at Shaw Air Force Base, and Chief of Space Operations at Fort Hood.

“I already believe that the ACM is the most important position when shaping Army space in 2030/2040. I’m excited about the exquisite capabilities we have,” Wright said. “I look forward to messaging to Army and OSD. To my ACM SHA teammates, we’ve got a lot to do in a short period of time…let’s get after it.”

The ACM SHA organization located at Huntsville and Colorado Springs, Colorado, consists of the Joint Friendly Force Tracking Division, responsible for more than five million track reports daily; Space Requirements Division; User Representative Division; and the Space Prototyping and Experimentation Division.