Colonel Aaron M. Williams becomes the Commander and District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, headquartered on Arsenal Island in Rock Island, Illinois, on May 23, 2024.
Williams previously served as the Assistant Commandant at the U.S. Army Engineer School. He received his commission as an Engineer Officer from the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2000. He is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Basic Airborne School, Jumpmaster School, Air Assault School, Army Space Cadre Basic Course (Phase I & II), the United Kingdom’s Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, England, and the U.S. Army War College.
Prior to his arrival at Fort Leonard Wood, Williams was a student at the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. His previous non-command assignments include service as the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES) where he was the Director of the Counter Explosive Hazards Center from 2021-2022 and as the USAES Chief of Staff from 2019-2021; senior Protection Warfighting Function (WfF) and Movement and Maneuver WfF Observer Controller/Trainer, Mission Command Training Program; Brigade Executive Officer, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division (4-25 IBCT); Battalion Executive Officer, 6th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 4-25 IBCT and 6th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Engineer Brigade; Brigade Chief of Operations,
2nd Engineer Brigade; Joint Task Force Chief of Operations (Iraq) and Facility Engineer, U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Assistant Operations Officer (Afghanistan), 37th Engineer Battalion; Staff Engineer Section Plans Officer and Corps Liaison Officer (Iraq), XVIII Airborne Corps; Division Engineer Civil-Military Operations Liaison Officer (Iraq), Company Executive Officer (Iraq) and Platoon Leader (Afghanistan), 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
His previous command assignments include: 23 months as Commander, 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from 2017-2019; 14 months as Commander, Headquarters Company (3 months in Iraq) and 12 months as Commander, A Company, 37th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade.
Williams holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the Army War College, a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from Webster University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting/Auditing from Thomas More College. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal with 4 OLCs, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with 4 OLCs, the Iraq Campaign Medal with 5 campaign stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Arrowhead Device and 2 campaign stars, and the Master Parachutist, Air Assault, and Combat Action Badges.