Posted on July 15, 2024
Lt. Col. Adrian Biggerstaff became the 74th commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District, during a change of command ceremony July 10, at the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Brig. Gen. Joseph C. “Clete” Goetz, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division, presided over the ceremony and underscored the importance of leadership and delivering the mission across the Pacific.
“The Army handpicks the leaders who will lead organizations like this,” Goetz said. “This District is a powerhouse in the Pacific. You’ve got the temerity and the skill to envision what can be done and you go out and you do it. Keep delivering like you do.”
Biggerstaff, who most recently served as a faculty member at the United States Military Academy at West Point, assumed command from Lt. Col. Christopher “Ryan” Pevey, who commanded the district since July 2022.
“I am extremely excited to serve with you in the next two years,” said Biggerstaff. “I want you to know I’m committed to each one of you, to our partners and to the communities in which we serve.”
As commander and district engineer at Honolulu District, Biggerstaff oversees a 320-plus person workforce of engineers, scientists and support staff serving the Pacific Region, an area of responsibility that covers 12 million square miles and includes Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Kwajalein.
During the ceremony, Biggerstaff recognized the significance of being aboard the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor as both the place where the United States “closed the chapter of World War II,” and as scene where that chapter began with a surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
“This is a very special place,” he said. “We can draw three conclusions [from that attack]: That service comes with great sacrifice. That the freedoms we have today weren’t free. And that our nation has to remain vigilant to deter those who may wish to attack us on our homeland… This district is a vital player in defending our nation and safeguarding the people of the Pacific.”
Biggerstaff holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy, Master of Science degrees in Environmental Engineering (Missouri S&T), Management Science (Stanford University), and Civil Engineering (Stanford University), and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. He was commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2005.
Lt. Col. Adrian Biggerstaff, District Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District, gives remarks following his assumption of command at a July 10 ceremony aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
Lt. Col. Christopher “Ryan” Pevey, outgoing District Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District, receives the unit colors from the Deputy District Engineer for Programs & Project Management Jennifer Moore, before symbolically relinquishing command by passing the unit colors to Brig. Gen. Joseph C. “Clete” Goetz II, Commanding General for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division in a July 10 ceremony aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
From left to right, Lt. Col. Christopher “Ryan” Pevey, Brig. Gen. Joseph C. “Clete” Goetz II, and Lt. Col. Adrian Biggerstaff salute the flag during the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District change of command ceremony aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial July 10. Lt. Col. Biggerstaff assumes command as the 74th commander in the District’s 119 year history.
