The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division held a Change of Command ceremony June 26, 2019, at the Winchester National Guard Armory, as the division’s outgoing commander, Col. Mark C. Quander, relinquished his command to Col. Christopher G. Beck.
The change of command – a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority from one commanding officer to another – was hosted by Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, the 54th Chief of Engineers and USACE Commanding General.
During his speech, Beck said he looks forward to being on the TAD team.
“USACE’s vision is ‘Engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges.’ The entire TAD team embodies that,” he said. “Whether it is successfully delivering for the Iraqi Government at the Mosul Dam, supporting contingency requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan, or enabling regional defense and mission success for U.S. Central Command, the entire TAD team lives this vision every day as they tackle challenges not often seen throughout the rest of USACE. While this mission has always been relevant, the importance has only been further highlighted recently as tension in the region continue to increase and the entire TAD team continues to enable mission success for UCCENTCOM across the entire spectrum of operations.
“We have a challenging mission and you deliver the program every day,” Beck said. “I look forward to the opportunities in front of us, and being right next to you as we show the value of USACE and the Transatlantic Division every day.”
Prior to accepting command of TAD, Beck was the director for the Office of the Chief of Engineers in the Pentagon, where he was responsible for synchronizing the 90,000-member Engineer Regiment with Department of the Army priorities. He received his commission from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He holds master’s degrees from the University of Missouri for Science and Technology in Engineering Management; from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Structural Engineering; and from the U.S. Air Force War College in Strategic Studies.
Quander, who served as the TAD Commander since May 2018, leaves Winchester for Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he will soon take over as Commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School. In his new role, Quander will lead the team that provides training that develops a wide variety of engineering skills including: combat engineer, bridging, construction, geospatial, topography, diving, and firefighting.
With almost 800 employees, TAD oversees construction programs exceeding $5.2 billion and provides design, construction completion, and related engineering services directly supporting U.S. Central Command in 20 Middle Eastern countries.