USACE Vicksburg District holds Change of Command Ceremony

Col. Robert A. Hilliard transferred command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District to Col. Christopher D. Klein in a formal change of command ceremony at district headquarters in Vicksburg, Mississippi, today.

Klein comes to the district from Springfield, Virginia, where he graduated from the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. He previously served as the military assistant to the Chief Management Officer, Department of Defense. Klein commissioned in USACE in May 1999.

Klein served two tours in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and one tour as Aide-de-Camp to the Chief, Office of Security Cooperation, U.S. Embassy, Baghdad. His military training includes Cold Weather Leader’s Course, Joint Engineer Operations Course, and U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. 

Klein’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star (2), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (3), Army Achievement Medal (4), the Combat Action Badge, SCUBA badge, and Sapper Tab.

His civilian education includes a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from United States Military Academy and a Master of Science in Geological Engineering from the University of Missouri. He is also a registered Project Management Professional.

USACE Mississippi Valley Division Commander and Mississippi River Commission (MRC) President Maj. Gen. Diana Holland officiated the ceremony.

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.