WINCHESTER, Va. – Col. Vincent Quarles assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District, in a ceremony at the District’s Headquarters here, Monday, March 31.
Quarles succeeds Col. Jon Christensen, who has been the District commander since August 2011. Christensen retired from his 30-year Army career immediately following the change of command.
Quarles comes to the Middle East District from the Transatlantic Division in Winchester, where he served as the Deputy Commander. He began his military service in 1980 as a cannon fire direction specialist with the Virginia National Guard while he was still in high school. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers upon graduating from Norfolk State University and entered active duty in 1987. In addition, Quarles earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He also served as an assistant professor and department executive officer of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point.
Quarles assumed commanded of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District in 2008 and the Afghanistan Engineer District-South in 2012, where he oversaw a nearly $3 billion program aimed at building the security and public infrastructure capacity of south, southwestern, and western Afghanistan.
The Middle East District is responsible for providing engineering, construction, and related services in the Middle East, Central Asia, and other areas as required. Its work includes designing and constructing facilities for use by U.S. forces, performing engineering activities for other U.S. government and foreign agencies, and providing operations and maintenance services for various customers. In addition, the District provides project management, engineering, contracting and support services to the USACE district in Afghanistan.
Release no. 14-003