 |
|
US Col. Lawrence Anyanwu, Nigerian born Achiever
Colonel Lawrence A. Anyanwu is currently the most senior Nigerian born serving in the US Military. Stationed at the Pentagon, where he is the chief, contingency operations branch, Joint Staff J-8. The J-8 Directorate is charged with providing support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) for evaluating and developing force structure requirements. J-8 conducts joint, bilateral, and multilateral war games and interagency politico-military seminars and simulations. It develops, maintains, and improves the models, techniques, and capabilities used by the Joint Staff and combatant commands to conduct studies and analyses for CJCS.
Col Anyanwu was previously assigned as commander of the 4th Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Brigade, a United States Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps brigade based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
He is from Amorji-Ogbe in the Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo, and joined the U.S. Army in 1986 as a private, after spending two years studying Finance and Banking at the Imo State College of Technology in Owerri. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania with a MasterÕs Degree in Strategic Studies and also holds a bachelorÕs degree in finance from Alabama A&M University and a masterÕs degree in engineering technology from Murray State University in Kentucky.
In his research project ÒSupplanting Chinese Influence in Africa: The U.S. African DiasporaÓ, submitted as part of the requirements for his Masters of Strategic Studies degree in 2011, which was approved for public release by the U.S. Army. Anyanwu advocating for US strategic interest in the paper, knocked China for supporting corrupt African regimes mired in human right abuses and bad governance.
Col Anyanwu received his commission in 1992 as a Chemical officer from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
He has served in a multitude of leadership and staff positions and has deployed to Karlsruhe, Germany as the Brigade Staff Chemical Officer, 7th Signal Brigade; Commander, A-Detachment, 208th Finance Battalion, Schwetzigen, Germany; Commander, A-Detachment, 8th Finance Battalion (forward), Kaposvar, Hungary; Executive Officer and Combat Development Officer, US Army Finance School, Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Commander, Charlie Company, Training Support Battalion, Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Commander, Bravo Detachment, 176th Finance Battalion, Camp Humphreys, Korea; Brigade Adjutant, HHC, 175th Finance Command, Yongsan, Korea; Commander, HHC, 175th Finance Command, Yongsan, Korea; Executive Officer, 4thFinance Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado; Deputy Finance and Accounting Officer, Area Support Group, Kuwait; Secretary of the General Staff, Division West, First Army, Fort Carson, Colorado; Commander, Training Support Battalion, Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Deputy G8 (forward), Third Army Central, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; and Director, Deployment and Transformation, General Funds Enterprise Business System, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Information Management, HQDA. He assumed command of 4thBrigade, Cadet Command, on 17 December 2014.
Col AnyanwuÕs military education includes the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Chemical Officer Basic Course, NATO NBC Operations Course, Finance Officer Advanced Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Command General and Staff College, and the United States Army War College.
Col AnyanwuÕs awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (5OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (5OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (3OLC), the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the NATO Medal. He has also been awarded the Parachutist and Air Assault Badges and was a recipient of the Major General Nathan Towson Medallion for his demonstrated exemplary contribution and service to the U.S. Army Finance Corps Regiment.
Col Anyanwu is married to the former Ms. Sonya Nance of Huntsville, Alabama. They have three children, Ryan, David and Whitney and six energetic grandchildren. His son, First Lieutenant Ryan Anyanwu, is a PhysicianÕs Assistant at Fort Bliss, Texas.