Posted on September 9, 2026
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Brig. Gen. Joseph C. “Clete” Goetz II assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division in a ceremony held Sept. 3 at the Sacramento Public Library in Sacramento, Calif.
The ceremony was hosted by Lt. Gen. William H. Graham Jr., commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Goetz assumed command from Brig. Gen. John P. Lloyd, who has served as South Pacific Division Commander since Aug. 15, 2025.
Goetz’s previous assignments include serving as the 100th Commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, the Pentagon; Commander of the 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; Commander of TF-Essayons supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, Iraq; the Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), the Pentagon; and Commander of the 15th Engineer Battalion, Grafenwoehr, Germany. His operational deployments include Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Inherent Resolve.
A native of Rome, New York, Goetz earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1997, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2001, a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Project Management from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006, and a master’s in National Security Strategy from the Army War College in 2017. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Missouri.
The South Pacific Division provides vital engineering solutions in collaboration with partners to secure the nation, energize the economy and reduce risk from disaster. South Pacific Division operates in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and in parts of Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Texas that includes 1,100 miles of coastline, 3.9 million acres of estuarine wetlands, 2,290 miles of federal levees and 46 dams and reservoirs.
As commander of the South Pacific Division, Goetz oversees water resources, military construction, environmental stewardship and restoration and emergency management with a workforce of 2,500 civilians and military personnel in four districts across the 10 states.
In a ceremony held prior to the change of command, Lloyd retired from active duty service after 37 years. A native of Lockport, New York, Lloyd earned his commission in May 1995 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Cameron University, Lawton, Oklahoma.
Previously, he served as the Commander and Division Engineer of the USACE North Atlantic Division from June 2022 to August 2025 and as Chief of Staff at USACE Headquarters from July 2020 to June 2022.
Prior to that, Lloyd served as Command Engineer, U.S. Forces Korea and United Nations Command. As Command Engineer, he oversaw a multibillion-dollar host nation construction program and managed the environmental program for the USFK Commander. He also coordinated and synchronized mine-clearing operations within the Demilitarized Zone.
From July 2016 to July 2018, Lloyd served as the Commander of the USACE Pittsburgh District, and during this time, acted as Task Force Commander in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Lloyd has served in a variety of military assignments spanning his career of more than 37 years. Some of his additional assignments include Strategic Planner, 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, an assignment that included a deployment to Iraq; Combat Engineer Trainer, Fort Irwin, California; Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commanding General, 18th Airborne Corps; Battalion Commander, 19th Engineer Battalion, Fort Knox, Kentucky; and Army Fellow assigned to the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Along with his undergraduate degree, he has earned a master’s in Joint Campaign and Strategic Planning from the National Defense University and graduated from the Canadian Forces College, where he studied National Security Policy.
Lloyd’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal. Lloyd is a graduate of the U.S. Army Sapper School, Air Assault School, Pathfinder School, and is a senior-rated jumpmaster.
