Colonel Richard Kaiser is the Deputy Commander of the Southwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dallas, Texas.
Kaiser was raised in a military family and graduated from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. Serving in a variety of operational, command and staff assignments in the United States and overseas, he was released from the active duty Army and began serving the Army as a Reservist. Since then, he has been mobilized in 2006 for Operation Iraqi Freedom, in 2011 to serve as the G3 at SWD, again for Operations Enduring Freedom in 2015 to Afghanistan, and finally in his current role as the SWD Acting Deputy Commander. As a civilian, he works as a Physicist for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
His previous active duty assignments include the 63rd Signal Battalion, Fort Gordon Georgia.; the 1st Infantry Division in Wurzburg, Germany; Signal Officer for the 1st Infantry Division Engineer Brigade in Bamberg, Germany; Company Commander in the 304th Signal Battalion, South Korea; Company Commander of C Company, 478 Civil Affairs Battalion in Baghdad, Iraq; Deputy Communications Integrator, 335th Theater Signal Command, Afghanistan; and Reserve Battalion Commander of a Drill Sergeant Battalion in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
His other deployments include as a Platoon Leader to El Salvador to conduct response and recovery operations following Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and the following year to Kosovo to serve as a Battle Captain with the 121st Signal Battalion, 1st Infantry Division.
Kaiser holds Masters of Science Degrees in Particle Physics, Geotechnical Civil Engineering, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the Army War College.
Kaiser’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service award (1 oak leaf cluster), the Army Commendation Medal (3 oak leaf clusters), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon (3 oak leaf clusters), Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device, NATO Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit award, and the Parachutist Badge.