lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
who currently serves as the 55th
Chief of Engineers
The Chief of Engineers is a principal United States Army staff officer at The Pentagon. The Chief advises the Army on engineering matters, and serves as the Army's topographer and proponent for real estate and other related engineering program ...
and the
commanding general
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of the
United States Army Corps of Engineers
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, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
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, battles_label = Wars
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.
Early life and education
Raised in
Bloomingdale, New Jersey
Bloomingdale is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,777, an increase of 121 (+0.6%) from the 2010 census count of 7,656,Butler High School in 1982. He then attended the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1986 and commissioning into the Army Corps of Engineers. Spellmon also has received master's degrees from both the
United States Army War College
The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offi ...
and the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...
. Spellmon is the first person to hold the position of Chief of Engineers and commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers since October 2000 without a Professional Engineering License.
Military career
In January 2020, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
nominated Spellmon to succeed Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite as the 55th Chief of Engineers. Spellmon was confirmed by congress and officially assumed duties on September 10, 2020.