Posted on January 21, 2026
The Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District commander was fired last week, service officials said in an unusual announcement that blamed “entrenched bureaucracy” and a failure to follow orders.
Army Col. Patrick Caukin, who took command of the district that covers Arkansas and southern Missouri in September 2025, was relieved of duty Thursday by Adam Telle, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, and Lt. Gen. William “Butch” Graham, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers.
A separate statement from a pair of Missouri-based Republican lawmakers appears to tie Caukin’s dismissal to issues property owners have expressed about Corps of Engineers actions on southern Missouri’s Table Rock Lake.
Caukin was not named in the statement — which is unusual for Army relief-of-duty announcements — but a service official confirmed he had been relieved.
The statement provided no specific details about the decision to remove Caukin, a 23-year veteran with combat service and three Bronze Star Medals. But Telle said the decision was, at least in part, due to bureaucratic issues that “unnecessarily frustrated American citizens.”
“For the first time in decades, under the Trump administration, commanders who fail to follow orders and overcome entrenched bureaucracy will be dealt with accordingly,” Telle said in the statement.
In the same statement, Graham cited “a loss of confidence in [Caukin’s] ability to command,” the military’s standard justification given for removing commanders without providing specifics. But the three-star general added that the decision was “in the best interest” of the American public.
“District commanders across USACE are expected to demonstrate effective leadership committed to rapid and continuous transformation, less red tape, and a bias for action,” Graham said. “Our highest priority remains efficiently delivering vital projects for the American people on time and within budget, and this change reinforces our steadfast commitment.”
Col. Michael Kovacevic, commander of the 3rd Security Forces Assistance Brigade, places a combat patch on then-Lt. Col. Patrick Caukin, commander of the 5th Battalion, 3rd SFAB in Erbil, Iraq, May 20, 2024. Caukin was relieved of command of the Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District on Jan. 15, 2026.
The Little Rock District’s deputy commander, Lt. Col. Jesse Carter, has assumed command of the district until a permanent commander is emplaced, according to the Army.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., in a statement issued later Thursday, applauded Caukin’s removal, calling it a “decisive action by the Trump administration to address long-standing enforcement issues by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Table Rock Lake and to restore clarity for Missouri property owners.”
Lawmakers rarely comment on the dismissal of military officers below the general or admiral grade.
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake near Branson in southern Missouri that was built by and is administrated by the Corps of Engineers’ Little Rock District.
According to the lawmakers, USACOE officials ignored Congressional intent of a 2025 law by ordering property owners on the lake to remove certain items near the water line, including “structures that had existed for decades, including cases that were supported by historical documentation and satellite imagery.”
Such items include private docks, decks, septic tanks and outbuildings, according to local news reports dating to 2024.
Burlison has been attempting to block the Corps of Engineers from forcing homeowners to remove such items for years, according to Springfield, Mo.’s KYTV news.
“I have worked tirelessly with all parties involved to reach a commonsense outcome that respects congressional intent, protects property owners and brings long-overdue clarity for families at Table Rock Lake,” Burlison said in the statement last week.
“I’m especially grateful to Assistant Secretary Adam Telle for taking this issue seriously and helping move things in the right direction.”
