Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza was removed from command of V Corps in August 2026, about two months before his planned departure. Brig. Gen. John Mountford will serve as acting commander while the Army handles the change under its regulations.
An Army spokesperson said, “The matter has been referred to the appropriate authority in accordance with Army regulations.” The Army has not disclosed the reason for Costanza’s relief.
V Corps in Poland
V Corps is the Army’s forward-deployed headquarters in Poland and is responsible for operations along NATO’s eastern flank. It is headquartered in Poznan, Poland, with a separate stateside command post at Fort Knox in Kentucky.
The command was disbanded in 2013 and reactivated in Poland in 2020. Since then, it has played a central role in Europe through Operation Atlantic Resolve, Project Flytrap and the Transforming in Contact initiative, while overseeing the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, the 41st Field Artillery Brigade in Grafenwoehr and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Ansbach.
Costanza’s planned October handoff
Costanza had led V Corps since April 2024, and his change of command with Maj. Gen. Thomas Feltey was originally planned for October. Before taking the corps job, he led the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
The removal leaves Mountford in charge for now and interrupts a planned transition that was already set for later this year. The remaining question is what specific reason led to Costanza’s relief of command.
