VICKSBURG, Miss. – Col. Michael C. Derosier will transfer command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District to Col. Robert A. Hilliard in a formal change of command ceremony at the Vicksburg District’s headquarters building June 26 at 10 a.m. Central.
Maj. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser, USACE Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) commander and president of the Mississippi River Commission (MRC), will officiate the ceremony.
The ceremony will be streamed on Facebook Live from the Vicksburg District's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VicksburgUSACE). The stream will become available at this link once the ceremony begins. After the ceremony ends, the stream will be available to watch from the video tab of the Vicksburg District's Facebook page.
Derosier, district commander since July 26, 2016, will depart the district to start a new assignment at U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
Hilliard, a native of Georgia, comes to the district from MVD, where he served as deputy commander and secretary of the MRC.
Hilliard is a graduated of Auburn University in Alabama, where he received his commission in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1996.
His previous assignments include senior engineer observer/controller at the U.S. Army’s National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California (2016-2017); commander, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado (2014-2016); brigade operations and executive officer, 555th Engineer Brigade (2012-2013), executive officer, 14th Engineer Battalion (2010-2011), and chief of plans, I Corps Engineer Section, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (2009-2010); project manager, Wilmington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2006-2008); commander, C Company, 70th Engineer Battalion, Fort Riley, Kansas (2002-2004); and platoon leader and company executive officer, A Company, 40th Engineer Battalion, Baumholder, Germany (1997-2000).
Hilliard served two tours supporting operations in the Balkans, two tours in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and two tours in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
His civilian education includes a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University, a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Missouri-Science and Technology (Rolla) and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Montana State University (Bozeman). Hilliard’s military education includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Missouri.
As the district’s 60th commander, Hilliard will be responsible for a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds seven major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River Levees.
The district is engaged in hundreds of projects and delivers a variety of missions to the nation, including flood risk management, navigation, ecosystem restoration and environmental stewardship, water supply, regulatory, recreation, hydropower, emergency operations and support to contingency operations.
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