PORTLAND, OR - At an assumption of command ceremony today, Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger assumed command of the Northwestern Division office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He succeeds Col. Torrey A. DiCiro who assumed command of the division following the reassignment of Maj. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon to the Corps’ headquarters in May.

Helmlinger will oversee a 5,000-member workforce and a multi-billion annual program in civil works, military construction and environmental restoration that spans 14 states throughout the Columbia and Missouri river basins. These activities are implemented through five operating districts in Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Walla Walla, Washington, Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. 

Prior to assuming Command of the Northwestern Division, Helmlinger served as commander for the Corps’ South Pacific Division, headquartered in San Francisco. 

Helmlinger received his commission with the Corps of Engineers after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1988 and received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. He also holds a master of science in civil engineering (Construction Engineering and Management) from Stanford University and a master of science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.