Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Towle is a native of San Antonio, Texas where he entered military service on active duty in 1994 and graduated as a military policeman. He continued his career as a Military Police Investigator, and later as a Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Special Agent. Prior to assuming the position as the 200th Command Chief Warrant Officer (CCWO), CW5 Towle was the CCWO of the 76th Operational Response Command, Salt Lake City, Utah between November 2022 - August 2024.
CW5 Towle previously held positions as a Reserve Component Battalion Operations Officer, Fort Cavazos Resident Agency (CID); Detachment Commander, 425th MP DET (CID), Dallas, TX; additional assignments included: Active Duty Component Military Police Investigator, Fort Indiantown Gap, PA, 1994 - 1996; Special Agent/Team Chief, 5th MP Battalion (CID), Hanau Germany, for both the Economic Crimes and Drug Suppression Teams, 1996 – 2000; deployment assignments included: Special Agent in Charge of the Abu Ghraib, Iraq Field Office between 2004 – 2005, with the 11th MP BN (CID) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; and two deployments with the 701st Protective Services Battalion (PSB), Fort Belvoir, VA, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where he provided close-in personal security and served as the Resident Agent in Charge of the Surveillance Detection Team for both the Secretary of Defense and Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, between 2012-2013 and 2021-2022.
CW5 Towle is a graduate of the Basic Military Police Course; Special Reaction Team Course; Military Police Investigator Course; Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Course; Special Agent Personal Security Protective Services Course; Advanced Economic Crime Fraud Course; Warrant Officer Basic Course, Warrant Officer Advance Course, Warrant Officer Intermediate Leadership Course, Warrant Officer Senior Staff Education Course; and Command Chief Warrant Officer Orientation Course. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from The University of Texas, San Antonio, and Master of Science in Sport Management from United States Sports Academy.
CW5 Towle’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2) oak leaf cluster, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement medal with (4) oak leaf clusters, Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (4) oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with service star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon. His badges and decorations include the Military Police Order of Marechaussee (Bronze), Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, and the Office of the Joint Chief of Staff Identification Badge.
Chief Towle and his wife Lucy, currently reside in Dallas TX, and have two adult children, US Army 2LT Philip Towle, serving on active duty, and Ms. Kirstin Towle, living abroad in Germany.