Lieutenant Colonel Donald Schmidt II assumed duties at the Commander of the 249th Engineer Battalion and Commandant of the U.S. Army Prime Power School on 11 July 2025, headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt leads a battalion comprised of headquarters and headquarters company, four Prime Power line companies (A, B, C, & D), and the Prime Power School (USAPPS). In the course of its mission the battalion offers a variety of services including: electrical power requirement assessment, power production; transformer inspection and test analysis; maintenance and repair of power plants, substations, and government owned or managed transmission and distribution systems, circuit breaker and relay maintenance; infrared surveys, medium voltage electrical contractor oversight, and training for personnel to operate and maintain prime power distribution and generation equipment. USAPPS is the premier educational institution of the US. Army Corps of Engineers, serving as the central hub for training in electrical power generation, distribution systems and operational energy.
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt grew up an Army brat before attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the Missouri Institute of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO and a Master of Arts Degree in Military Operations from the School of Advance Military Studies, Army University, Fort Leavenworth, KS.
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt’s professional military education includes: Basic Officer Leaders Course II, Fort Benning, GA; Engineer Basic Officer Leaders Course, Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Engineers Captain’s Career Course, Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Red Team Course, Fort Leavenworth, KS; U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS; and the Advance Military Studies Program, School of Advance Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, KS.
Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, he commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Engineer Regiment. His previous assignments include: Platoon Leader, 111th Engineer Company (Sapper), 1st Engineer Battalion, Fort Riley, KS; Executive Officer, Forward Support Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, Fort Riley, KS; Liaison Officer, 36th Engineer Brigade (TEB) to 3rd Infantry Division, (FWD IZ); Assistant Operations Officer, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, CO; Commander, 576th Engineer Company (Clearance), 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, CO; Plans Officer, G5, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO; Assignments Officer, Engineer Branch, U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, KY; Plans Officer, G5, 3rd Infantry Division; Operations Officer, 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA; Executive Officer, 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA; and Secretary of the General Staff, Aide de Camp to the Commanding General, Strategic Planner to the Commanding General, and G3, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC.
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt’s Operational Deployments include Operations Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Atlantic Resolve.
His awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal (1 OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (3 OLC), and the Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC). He also earned or was awarded the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency (Gold), and the Bronze order of the de Fleury Medal.
Lieutenant Colonel Schmidt is married to Mr. Matthew Tiesel. They live in Northern Virginia with their dog, Bentley.