Posted on September 18, 2024
WASHINGTON – Lt. Gen. William H. “Butch” Graham, Jr. today assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and became the Army’s 56th Chief of Engineers during a three-part ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall’s Conmy Hall.
Graham assumed command from outgoing USACE commander Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon during the change of command ceremony hosted by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George.
Immediately prior to the change of command ceremony, Graham was promoted to lieutenant general. Following the ceremony, Spellmon, a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, retired from the Army after a 38-year active-duty career.
Also in attendance were Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth; Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor; Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Rachel Jacobson; prior USACE commanders and assistant secretaries of the Army for Civil Works; and several of Spellmon’s fellow USMA classmates.
During his remarks, George noted Spellmon’s accomplished career and his many important command and staff assignments, culminating with his role as the Army’s 55th Chief of Engineers since 2020.
“Scott, you had a tremendous career,” said George. “You commanded at every level…You are an incredible professional.”
George also noted it was his understanding that Spellmon was the last member of the USMA class of 1986 still on active duty.
About USACE and the change of command, George said, “Today starts a new chapter for the organization,” and then listed some of USACE’s current and past accomplishments. He added that USACE is “an absolutely incredible organization that always answers the call.”
In his remarks, Graham commented that Spellmon “cared the most, worked the hardest, and was also the smartest and the fastest. And that’s truly a winning combination.”
He also said Spellmon “made us better” and that we all had to “raise our game” during his time as USACE commander.
Graham most recently served as the USACE deputy commanding general and deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations at the Washington, D.C. headquarters. He has additional prior USACE experience as the North Atlantic Division commander in Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh District commander in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and USACE chief of staff in Washington.
His experience also includes assignments as an Army company and battalion commander, and deployments in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
As USACE commanding general, Graham will lead an organization comprising approximately 40,000 Civilian employees and approximately 900 Soldiers with nine geographical divisions, 44 districts, nine centers and labs and the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power). He will also be the Army’s senior engineer staff officer and leader of the engineer branch as the Chief of Engineers.
Graham began his Army career in 1989 after being commissioned as an engineer officer from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Pittsburgh.
Spellmon, a native of Bloomingdale, New Jersey, assumed command of USACE and became the Army’s 55th Chief of Engineers Sept. 10, 2020. As commanding general, he led the organization’s support to the armed forces both at home and abroad, addressed various national water resources infrastructure challenges and supported multiple emergency response missions in support of FEMA and the interagency, including the Maui wildfires in August 2023 and the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024.
Spellmon concluded his remarks reflecting on the encouragement and support he and his wife, Sharise, received during his time at USACE and throughout his Army career.
“We cannot thank you enough for all you have shared with us,” Spellmon said. “It has been our honor and privilege to be a part of this great Army Team that keeps rolling along.”
As Graham assumes command of USACE, he is focused on continuing the organization’s priorities of safety and “delivering quality projects on schedule and within budget.”
Graham said, “It is the honor of a lifetime to lead this group of dedicated professionals.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consists of more than 40,000 professionals dedicated to engineering solutions for the nation’s toughest challenges. Stationed throughout the U.S. and around the world, the USACE workforce is made up of engineers, scientists, researchers and a multitude of other disciplines and specialties all working together to safely deliver quality programs projects on time, within budget. The mission of USACE is to deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our nation, energize our economy and reduce disaster risk.
