WASHINGTON (April 7, 2008) – Maj. Gen. Don T. Riley became deputy chief of Engineers and deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers effective April 4.

Riley served as director of Civil Works since July 1, 2004.  In that position he managed the Army’s $5 billion annual Civil Works program, the nation’s primary planner, designer, builder, and operator of flood control, navigation, environmental restoration, and multiple-purpose water resource projects. 

Riley came to headquarters Corps of Engineers following command of the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) in Vicksburg, Miss., where he received a presidential appointment as president of the Mississippi River Commission.  There he oversaw the work of six Engineer Districts that maintain the Mississippi River – the Nation’s busiest inland waterway and port complex - and its tributaries for navigation, flood control and other purposes from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.  Prior to commanding MVD, Riley was the deputy chief of staff (Engineer) of U.S. Army Europe, headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany.

A native of Hayward, Calif., 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 Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the School of Advanced Military Studies.

In his early military career, Riley was a platoon leader, assistant operations officer, company executive officer, and company commander in the 14th Engineer Battalion, Fort Ord, Calif.  He had staff assignments with the 23rd Engineer Battalion; 3rd Armored Division, and 5th Infantry Division.  As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded the 7th Engineer Battalion at Fort Polk, La., and later the 17th Engineer Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.  As a colonel, he commanded the 555th Engineer Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.; directed the Maneuver Support Battle Lab at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; and served as executive officer to the commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Va.
  
Riley replaces Maj. Gen. Ronald Johnson who retired from the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers comprises approximately 34,000 civilian and 600 military employees, who serve the Armed Forces and the Nation by providing vital public engineering services and capabilities across the full spectrum of operations—from peace to war—in support of national interests.