Army Promotes Toy To Mississippi Valley Commander
The U.S. Army announced 43 promotions and personnel shifts on February 19, including some important shifts within the Corps of Engineers.
Maj. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser, the current commanding general of the Mississippi Valley Division in Vicksburg, Miss., was promoted to deputy chief of engineers/deputy commanding general at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. Kaiser will succeed Maj. Gen. Michael C. Wehr, Corps deputy chief since September 2017, who will move to the U.S. Transport Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where he will be director of strategy, capabilities, policy, programs and logistics.
Kaiser’s replacement will be Maj. Gen. Richard M. Toy, currently commanding general of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Toy assumed command of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division (LRD) on August 31, 2016. The division is one of nine Corps regional commands with seven engineer districts totaling over 4,000 people operating in a 17-state area and is charged with directing federal water resource development in the Great Lakes and Ohio River basins with infrastructure valued at over $80 billion.
The division also executes military construction in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan with design and construction of barracks, hospitals, airfields and family housing on military installations.
While assigned to LRD, Maj. Gen. Toy deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Resolute Support. From August 2013 to June 2014, Maj. Gen. Toy served as the chief of staff for the Corps. He was the key integrator for focusing the efforts of the HQ staff, nine Major subordinate commands/divisions, 43 engineer districts, and two centers and laboratories to best accomplish the commander’s intent. He was the principal advisor to the commanding general and the deputy commanding general.
Some of Toy’s other key staff assignments include: chief, Engineer Branch; officer, personnel management directorate; human resources command, Alexandria, Va.; aide-de-camp to Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers, 50th chief of engineers and commanding general, Washington, D.C.; and assistant professor of environmental engineering, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
Born in Huntington Beach, Calif., Toy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in operations research.
He holds an MBA from Boston University (1991), an master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles (1996), and a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (2010). He is a registered professional engineer in the states of Arizona and Virginia.
Whittle To Replace Toy
Brig. Gen. Bob Whittle, who will replace Toy as commander of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He assumed his position as commandant in September of 2017.
His many overseas assignments have included roles in Operation Iraqi Freedom and service in Germany, as well as a stint as division chief of the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate.
His degrees include a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the School of Advanced Military Studies, an MMAS (Master of Military Arts & Science) from the Marine War College and an MSS (Master of Strategic Studies) in professional licensing. He is licensed as a professional engineer in Virginia.
