Colonel Vincent V. Quarles assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District, located in Winchester, Virginia, on March 31, 2014.
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.
Before coming to the Middle East District, Colonel Quarles deployed as the Commander of the Afghanistan Engineer District-South in July 2012 and oversaw a nearly $3 billion program aimed at building the security and public infrastructure capacity of south, southwestern, and western Afghanistan.
Upon the deactivation of the district and transition to an area office, Colonel Quarles redeployed to Winchester, Virginia, where he served as the Deputy Commander of the Transatlantic Division, responsible for all aspects of the Transatlantic Division operations supporting the Army Corps of Engineers missions in U.S. Central Command’s area of operations from Egypt through the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, in addition to supervising the division staff in Winchester.
From 2008 to 2011, Colonel Quarles commanded the USACE Chicago District and subsequently received a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Colonel Quarles deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. Upon returning from Iraq in 2006, he was assigned as the Mobility Team Chief, Dominant Maneuver Division of Force Development Army G-8, at the Pentagon.
Colonel Quarles deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as the Forward Brigade Operations Officer in support of stabilization operations. Upon his return in 2001, he was assigned as the Executive Officer, 10th Engineer Bn., 3ID. He was reassigned as the 3ID Engineer Brigade Executive Officer in 2002 and deployed to Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In August 2003, he assisted with transitioning the Engineer Brigade into 4th Brigade, 3ID, and later assumed command of its Special Troops Battalion.
After earning a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1997, Colonel Quarles served as an assistant professor and department executive officer of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. He attended Command and General Staff College in 1999 and in 2000 was assigned to the Engineer Brigade, 3ID, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Previous active duty military assignments include 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as Sapper platoon leader, assault and obstacle platoon leader, company executive officer, and battalion maintenance officer during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. He served with the 82nd Engineer Bn., 3rd Infantry Div., Bamberg, Germany as an assistant operations officer, battalion logistics officer and Company B Commander from 1992 to 1995.
Quarles began his military service in 1980 as a cannon fire direction specialist with Battery C, 113th Field Artillery Battalion, Virginia Army National Guard, while attending high school in his hometown of Halifax. He remained with Battery C while attending Norfolk State University. He received an early commission as a Field Artillery Officer in 1986 and served as the battery fire direction officer. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers upon graduation and entered active duty in 1987.