Brig. Gen. Paul E. Owen is the Commander and Division Engineer of the Southwestern Division (SWD), U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers. The Division, which is headquartered in Dallas, is one of nine Corps of Engineers
regional commands. With four District Offices in Little Rock, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Galveston and Fort
Worth, Texas, it encompasses all or part of seven states, and covers some 2.3 million acres of public land and
water. As the SWD Commander and Division Engineer, Owen oversees hundreds of water resources
development and military design and construction projects that bring value to our communities, our Nation and
our warfighters.
Prior to taking command of the Southwestern Division, Owen served as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Owen was commissioned as an Engineer Officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1990, where he received a
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management
from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Owen’s other assignments include commander, Transatlantic Afghanistan District, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, headquartered at Bagram Airfield, from June 2015 through July 2016. Prior to that command, he
served as commander of the New York District, headquartered in New York City, from September 2012 through
May 2015, where he coordinated the Federal engineering efforts for FEMA during initial response actions after
Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and led the implementation of a $3 billion region-wide recovery program
designed to reduce the risks of future coastal storms in New York and New Jersey.
His other assignments include the following: tours of duty with the 79th, 94th, and 54th Engineer Battalions in
Germany; company commander and aide-de-camp to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Engineer
School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Hood, Texas; and operations
officer for the 588th Engineer Battalion, which included a one year deployment in 2003-2004 in Baquba, Iraq. He
also served as the deputy commander for the Chicago District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he
participated in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts as the operations officer for the Louisiana Recovery Field
Office; commander for the 11th Engineer Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia; division engineer, 82nd Airborne
Division, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Combined Joint Task
Force-82 in 2009-2010; and deputy commanding officer for 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg.
Owen’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze
Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Combat
Action Badge. He is also a recipient of the Army Engineer Association Silver de Fleury Medal.