Ret. Major General Richard (Rich) Heitkamp

Former Deputy Chief of Engineers and Deputy Commanding General

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
Published Aug. 19, 2021

Major General Richard (Rich) Heitkamp serves as Deputy Chief of Engineers and the Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C. As such, he is second in command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which has more than 38,000 civilian employees and 800 military personnel who provide project management and construction support to 250 Army and Air Force installations, and technical and construction expertise to more than 110 countries.

As the USACE Deputy Commanding General, MG Heitkamp is responsible for policy and programming in support of USACE’s project management, construction support and engineering missions executed around the world. He plays a critical role in contingency operations supporting national defense as well as civil works and emergency response programs in support of national security. Heitkamp also advises the Chief of Engineers on real estate and engineering matters and programs related to the approximately 90,000 engineer Soldiers within the Regular Army, National Guard and Reserve.

Prior to this assignment, MG Heitkamp served as the National Program Manager for the Southwest Border (SWB) Infrastructure Program. He was responsible for developing strategy, planning, and policy guidance for the $18B SWB Infrastructure program to secure our Nation's borders, coordinating this program with senior leaders of the Army, OSD, CBP, and DHS. He led project analyses and process improvement with USACE divisions and districts to effectively execute projects and associated actions.

Other previous assignments include planning and engineering positions: deputy director J5 (Western Hemisphere), Chairman’s Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; deputy J5, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; commander, 420th Engineer Brigade, Bryan, Texas; G3, 416th Theater Engineer Command, Darien, Illinois; deputy commander, Transatlantic Division, Winchester, Virginia; Kabul Area OIC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Afghanistan; commander, 12/104th Engineer Battalion and later 1/95th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; assistant S3 and later company commander, 27th Engineer Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC.

He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in civil engineering, environmental engineering (water and wastewater treatment), engineering management, military arts & sciences, and strategic studies.