DALLAS -- Col. Kenneth N. Reed took command of the Southwestern Division, May 5, in a ceremony officiated by Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Reed assumed command from Brig. Gen. Christopher G. Beck, who has served as the commander since 2020. Beck will move to Fort Hood, Texas, to serve as the Deputy Commanding General, III Corps.
From 2018-2021, Reed served as the commander of the Fort Worth District, which is one of four Districts within the Southwestern Division.
“I am very excited to return to SWD,” Reed said. “The level of professionalism across the Division is unmatched and the projects are critical to the entire nation. I do not take this responsibility lightly.”
Reed comes to the “Pacesetter” Division from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Expeditionary District where he served as the commander.
A native of Louisville, Alabama, he has spent much of his military career in Texas.
“Returning to SWD feels like coming home to family,” he said. “I know from experience that our team and stakeholders have Texas-sized determination when it comes to delivering a very demanding and diverse civil works and military program. Our collective efforts are investing in the region’s future.”
As the SWD Commander and Division Engineer, Reed will oversee hundreds of water resource development and military design and construction projects. SWD is one of 9 Major Subordinate Commands in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
SWD has served the region since 1937. The Division's regional team, which includes four District offices in Little Rock, Ark., Tulsa, Okla., and Galveston and Fort Worth, Texas, provides diverse engineering and construction expertise and other services in all or part of six states. The Division's area of responsibility covers some 2.3 million acres of public land and water, with an annual program totaling more than $2 billion.
For more on the Southwestern Division, visit www.swd.usace.army.mil.