Lulius Innovation welcomes Army Four Star General, James D. Thurman to its board

The combat veteran is an experienced aviator; he  joins a board of other highly decorated veterans working to advance Army Aviation

February 13, 2023 – (RENO, Nev.) – Today Lulius Innovation, a veteran-owned startup that provides data visualization and workflow software for the Department of Defense welcomed General James D. Thurman (Ret.) to its advisory board. During his over38 years of service, Thurman served as the 18th commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command, commander of United Nations Command, R.O.K. Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea and the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations G3/5/7 Headquarters Department of the Army.

“It is so gratifying to have the support of an Army Aviator with the status and stature of General Thurman. He is well regarded as one of most connected and experienced retired Four Star “Gray Beard” advisors to the Army and Department of Defense. His advice and candor will undoubtedly be useful as we strive to innovate within the military, ” said Rich Ferguson, Lulius Innovation founder and CTO. “Experienced Army aviators understand exactly what we are working to accomplish and I look forward to having General Thurman share his insights with us.”

A native of Marietta, Oklahoma, General Thurman earned his commission through ROTC at East Central Oklahoma University in 1975. He is also a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, and earned a Master’s in Business Management from Webster University. Over his four-decades-long career, General Thurman led commands in the U.S., Iraq, Korea, Kuwait and Germany, among several other countries.

“Lulius Innovation has an excellent tool for managing flight scheduling and aircraft maintenance in real time,” said General Thurman. “As we look ahead to the future of Army Aviation, getting out of longstanding analog processes will be essential and Lulius Innovation is making it possible. It’s the best tool I’ve seen in 40 years of working with Army aviation – I would have loved to have had a platform like this during my active duty career.” 

During 1989-91, Thurman served as Executive Officer for 1st Battalion, 32d Armor, 1st Cavalry Division in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia. Thurman’s previous assignments also include Commander of 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment; 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Commander, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, GA; Commander, Operations Group, U.S. Army National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA; Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy, Allied Forces Southern Europe, Regional Command South, Italy; Commanding General, National Training Center and Fort Irwin, CA; Director of Training, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3, U.S. Army; and Chief, Operations, Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Camp Doha, Kuwait.

Thurman left Kuwait to become the Director, Army Aviation Task Force, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army in Washington DC, where he remained until his arrival at Fort Hood as the Commanding General of 4th Infantry. On 2 October 2006, Thurman was nominated for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General by President George W. Bush. He returned from the Iraq War with the 4th Infantry Division in November 2006 after a second tour. He received his third star on 19 January 2007.

General Thurman also commanded V Corps and served as Deputy Chief of Staff G-3/5/7 at the Pentagon. Thurman served as the FORSCOM Commanding General. His last assignment was Commanding General U.S. Forces, Korea. 

Since his retirement from the  U.S. Army, General Thurman has operated J.D. Thurman Enterprises, a strategic consulting service. He also serves on the Board of Directors for First National Bank of Texas. General Thurman is a distinguished Eagle Scout and member of the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame. In March of 2015, General Thurman was appointed by the late Senator John McCain Chairman, former chairman  of the Senate Arms Services Committee to serve as one of the eight Commissioners on the National Commission on the Future of the United States Army. The Commission duties were completed on 1 April 2016.

Lulius Innovation created the Aviation Status Dashboard (ASD) to eliminate manual processes and streamline data analytics at digital speed. Army formations utilize manual entry systems to update charts and spreadsheets, which requires extensive man hours and potential data inaccuracy. With the implementation of the ASD, customers can operate more efficiently by reducing manpower requirements and increasing data accuracy through a digital process. For more on Lulius, visit luli.us

MEDIA CONTACT: Marissa Schwartz, marissa@fiorpartners.com, 925.595.8363.