Posted on July 21, 2025
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will host a change of command ceremony at the Union Depot in St. Paul, Minnesota, Friday, July 18, at 10 a.m.
Col. Matthew B. Chase will assume command of the St. Paul District from Col. Eric R. Swenson and become the district’s 68th commander and district engineer.
Prior to assuming this command, Chase most recently served as the executive officer to the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
A Maryland native, Chase earned his commission from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 2002 and is an Army Corps of Engineers officer with over 23 years of service specializing in leadership, engineering and education. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from West Point; a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology; a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a Master of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the National War College.
The St. Paul District covers most of Minnesota, the western half of Wisconsin, the northeastern half of North Dakota and small portions of northeastern South Dakota and northeastern Iowa. It has missions in the areas of flood risk management, navigation, environmental management, regulation, disaster response and recreation.
The district traces its origins to 1866, when Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers to establish a 4-foot navigation channel on the Upper Mississippi River. Maj. Gouverneur K. Warren, a West Point graduate widely acclaimed for his leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg, was tasked with establishing the district and conducting preliminary surveys of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Warren arrived in St. Paul and opened the first district office in August 1866.
Swenson will become the Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division, deputy commander. The division is located is headquartered at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York.
