Middle East District Welcomes a New Commander

Middle East District
Published Sept. 6, 2011

WINCHESTER, Va. – Col. Jon L. Christen-sen took command of the U.S. Army’s engineering and construction agent in the Middle East and Central Asia re-gions during a ceremony Aug. 29 at the Cherry-Beasley Readiness Center here. Christensen follows Col. Ronald N. Light who led the Middle East District (MED) from July 2007 to July 2008 and again in August 2009, following a year in command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Gulf Region Divi-sion’s Central District (GRC) in Iraq.

Prior to coming to MED, Christensen commanded Gulf Region District (GRD) and guided the district toward inactiva-tion and a transfer of project responsi-bility to MED. During his time at GRD, the district completed 250 projects val-ued at more than $1 billion. As the new MED commander, he will continue to oversee the work in Iraq, now that the district’s Iraq Area Office is officially the sole USACE project manager in Iraq.

“I am proud to be the next keeper of the Middle East District,” said Chris-tensen, “and I appreciate what you all do here every day.”

Christensen also served as commander of USACE’s St. Paul District from June 2007 to July 2010. Prior to beginning his command roles, Christensen served as program director for the electricity sector at the Corps’ Gulf Region Division in Iraq.

Transatlantic Division Commander Maj. Gen. Kendall Cox officiated the change of command ceremony, which was attended by members of both Light’s and Christensen’s families, and by several military and local representatives.

The Middle East District provides quality, responsive engineering, construction and related reach-back services on time, within budget, and safely to satisfy our customers, partners, and stakeholders in responding to military operations, international objectives overseas, and national emergencies. The Middle East District is a subordinate element of the Transatlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Col. Jon L. Christensen, the Middle East District’s new commander, speaks during the change of command ceremony at the Cherry-Beasley Readiness Center in Winchester, Va. MED photo by Kristin Hoelen.

Below: Col. Ronald N. Light, the Middle East District’s outgoing commander, speaks during a change of command ceremony Aug. 29 as (left to right) Pastor Jeffrey Light, Maj. Gen. Kendall Cox, and Col. Jon L. Christensen listen. MED photo by Ashley Shoemaker.
Col. Jon L. Christensen greets a representative from the Virginia State Police who attended the Middle East Dis-trict’s change of command ceremony. MED photo by Ashley Shoemaker.