Major General Don Riley became the Deputy Commanding General and Deputy Chief of Engineers on 1 April 2008.  As such, he is second in command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has over 31,000 employees and manages a yearly budget of over $30 billion.

MG Riley’s previous assignment was as the Director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  As Director, he managed the Army’s Civil Works Program as the Nation’s primary planner, designer, builder, and operator of flood control, navigation, environmental restoration, and multiple-purpose water resource projects.

General Riley came to Corps of Engineers Headquarters following command of the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he received a Presidential appointment as President of the Mississippi River Commission.  Prior to commanding MVD, General Riley was the Deputy Chief of Staff (Engineer) of U.S. Army Europe, headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany.

A native of Hayward, California, General Riley is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers in 1973.  He earned a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a Registered Professional Engineer in California.  He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College and holds a Masters of Military Arts and Sciences from the School of Advanced Military Studies.

In his early military career General Riley was a platoon leader, assistant operations officer, company executive officer, and company commander in the 14th Engineer Battalion, Fort Ord, California.  He had staff assignments with the 23rd Engineer Battalion; 3rd Armored Division, and 5th Infantry Division and, as a lieutenant colonel, commanded the 7th Engineer Battalion at Fort Polk, Louisiana and later the 17th Engineer Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.  As a colonel, he commanded the 555th Engineer Group, Fort Lewis, Washington; directed the Maneuver Support Battle Lab at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and served as Executive Officer to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia.