McConnell Center welcomes 2025-26 U.S. Army War College Fellow

By Natalie Tracy
Louisville, Ky. (June 9, 2025) - The McConnell Center is proud to welcome U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Julio J. Reyes as the 2025-26 U.S. Army War College Fellow at the University of Louisville. During this prestigious one-year appointment, LTC Reyes will engage in UofL coursework to deepen his strategic expertise and collaborate with university leadership across disciplines.

Now in its 12th year at UofL, the Army War College Fellowship program, based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is designed to develop military leaders into strategic thinkers by placing them in top universities, government agencies, think tanks and industry settings across the country.
 
Lieutenant Colonel Julio Reyes most recently completed a successful battalion command of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Special Troops Battalion. Before that, he served as the Brigade Operations Officer for the 597th Transportation Brigade at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and as a Command Strategic Planner at U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Headquarters. He also deployed to Kuwait as the Battalion Executive Officer for the 840th Transportation Battalion and previously worked as Chief of Current Operations and International Movements at the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, IL. His earlier roles include Brigade S-4 for Task Force Sinai in Egypt, serving as an Observer/Trainer at the Joint Readiness Training Center, commander of Golf Company, 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division and deploying to Iraq (OIF 07-08) and to Haiti for Operation Unified Response. Earlier in his career, he held various leadership roles within the 82^nd Airborne Division.

A native of Belleville, Illinois, LTC Reyes holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and a master’s degree in logistics management from Florida Tech University. His numerous awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC), Senior and German Parachutist Badges and several honorary recognitions. He is married to Major (Ret.) Amy Armstrong of the Royal Canadian Air Force and a recent graduate of UofL’s Brandeis School of Law. Together they have five children.
 
“I am grateful for this opportunity to be part of an amazing partnership between the Army War College and UofL. I think it’s great that this program will allow me to expand strategic thinking all while engaging with both the University and the McConnell Scholars," said Reyes.

The McConnell Center is excited to learn from and alongside LTC Reyes throughout the coming year!
 
To learn more about the McConnell Center’s military education programs, visit https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/civics/military.