Posted by Dustin on 01.25.2013 at 11:24 am

Lifetime has announced that Brooke Shields will be joining “Army Wives” for its upcoming 7th season, which debuts on March 10th.

When the show returns, Michael will get the tragic news that his beloved wife Claudia Joy died while away. The character was written out half way through last season as visiting Mrs. Obama and embarking on good-will tour of sorts.

Last season Fort Marshall was scheduled to close, however it got a last minute save and learned it would be merged with a nearby Airforce base. Enter Shield’s character . . .

Shields will play the role of Air Force Colonel Katherine “Kat” Young, a pilot described as “brash and brilliant.” Tough enough to hold her own in the male-dominated military, Kat will clash with Army General Michael Holden (Brian McNamara) pretty much as soon as she arrives at Joint Base Marshall Bring. Kat and Holden will initially keep up the fight for Air Force and Army dominance, respectively. Once Holden learns about Kat’s tragic past, however, the two high-level officers find they have a lot in common.

Returning for the 7th season are Catherine Bell (Denise Sherwood), Brian McNamara (Michael Holden), Kelli Williams (Jackie Clark), Wendy Davis (Joan Burton), Terry Serpico (Frank Sherwood), Alyssa Diaz (Gloria Cruz) and JJ Soria (Hector Cruz) and Sterling K. Brown (Roland Burton). Sally Pressman (Roxie Le Blanc) is also back on a recurring basis.

Joining the show this season as the new wives are Ashanti, Torrey DeVitto, and Elle McLemore. Also joining as a new young private is Jesse McCartney.