Colonel John T. Litz became the 68th Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District on July 13, 2018, where he commands a workforce of more than 1,000 employees overseeing a multibillion-dollar program that provides planning, design, engineering, construction, environmental, contracting and real estate expertise to a variety of projects and customers across Maryland; Northern Virginia; Washington, D.C.; West Virginia; Pennsylvania; Delaware; lower central New York state; overseas; and across the Susquehanna, Potomac and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
He most recently served as the Operations and Plans Division Chief for the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management on the Department of the Army staff in the Pentagon.
This assignment is his third tour with the Corps, and second time commanding a district. Previously, he was assigned to Louisville District from June 2004 to May 2007, serving as a project engineer and project manager. He deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the Gulf Region District, South, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the Afghanistan Engineer District, Kandahar Area Office. He later served as Commander of Charleston District from July 2013 to July 2015. He also served as Executive Director for the Corps’ Civil Works program from July 2015 to July 2016.
Col. Litz is a native of Kingsport, Tennessee. He received his commission as an Engineer Officer in 1995, after graduating from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His initial assignment was to the 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he served as a Sapper Platoon Leader, Light Equipment Platoon Leader in the 887th Engineer Company (Light Equipment), and as Battalion Assistant. In August 1999, he served in a variety of staff functions, first with the 1st Engineer Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, in Bamberg, Germany, and then with the 82nd Engineer Battalion. He then served as Company Commander of A Company, 82nd Engineer Battalion, where he completed two operational deployments to Kosovo.
From June 2008 to July 2011, he served as the Regimental Engineer for the 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia, deploying several times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He served from July 2011 to June 2012 as the Command Engineer for Joint Special Operations Task Force 5-35 and as the Deputy Brigade Commander for the 199th Infantry Brigade from June 2012 to June 2013.
His military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic Course; Infantry Captain’s Career Course; Combined Arms and Services Staff School; Command and General Staff College; and the U.S. Army War College. His civilian education includes a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Clemson University, South Carolina. He holds a Project Management Professional Certification.
Col. Litz’s military awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, NATO Medals for Kosovo and Afghanistan, the Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.