Brigadier General Kenneth N. Reed is the Commander and Division Engineer of the Southwestern Division, 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 six states, and covers some 2.3 million acres of public land and water. As the SWD Commander and Division Engineer, Reed 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 coming to SWD, Reed served as the Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District in Texas and Transatlantic Expeditionary District in Kuwait.
Reed held a variety of leadership and staff positions throughout his career at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. His early leadership assignments began with the 23rd and 16th Engineer Battalions in Germany, serving as a Sapper and Support Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Maintenance Officer during Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard, Bosnia. He joined the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, serving in multiple staff and command positions culminating as Company Commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Reed served as the Battalion Executive Officer Observer, Controller, and Trainer for the 1st Battalion, 395th Regiment (EN). His field-grade leadership assignments began as a Military Transition Team Chief for the 9th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division in Al Kisik, Iraq, followed by key developmental assignments in the 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas, and Afghanistan.
He served as the Aide-de-Camp for the USACE Commanding General in Washington, DC, until being selected to command the 20th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas. Reed attended Senior Service College at the National Defense University’s Joint Advance Warfighting School in Norfolk, Virginia, with a follow-on utilization tour at U.S. European Command in Germany, serving as the Future Operations Branch Chief.
Reed is a native of Louisville, Alabama. He received a commission in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Alabama in December 1995. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri at Rolla in Engineering Management, from the National Defense University in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy. He also holds the Project Management Professional certification.
Reed’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Army Engineer Association’s Bronze and Silver Orders of the de Fleury Medal. His operational deployments include Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard in Bosnia, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.