Col. Walter “Tom” Allard assumed duties as commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District, May 22, 2026.
The Little Rock District has a diverse mission composed of both military and civil works projects. Within the district’s geographic boundaries, the district manages approximately $30 billion in federal water resource infrastructure including 12 multipurpose lakes, 13 locks and dams, 308 miles of navigation on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, 138 parks and seven hydroelectric plants.
Allard is a recent graduate from the Marine Corps War College at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., where he earned a Master of Strategic Studies. He is a 1994 graduate of Worcester State University in Worcester, Mass., with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and physics. He spent eight years in private industry and completed a Master of Science in industrial engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. He was commissioned in 2002 into the United States Air Force as an Analytical Scientist and Engineer before he volunteered to transfer to the United States Army Engineer Corps in 2005.
A native of New Hampshire, Allard has held a wide range of command and staff assignments across the U.S. and abroad. His previous leadership roles include XVIII Airborne Corps Engineer, Fort Bragg, N.C.; commander, 326th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; task force senior trainer, Joint Readiness Training Center and Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, Fort Polk, La.; brigade engineer battalion executive officer and center of gravity trainer, National Training Center, Operations Group, Fort Irwin, Calif.; and squadron executive officer, 3rd Operational Support Group, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. Earlier in his career, he served in operational assignments at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the National Reconnaissance Office, Washington, D.C. His deployed experience includes seven overseas tours — two each in Iraq and Afghanistan, and one each in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and Africa.
His military education includes the Marine Corps War College, Air Force Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff Officer’s Course, Engineer Captains Career Course, Air and Space Basic Course, Asymmetric Warfare Group Operational Advisor Program, Joint Planning Course, and SERE Course.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars, Army Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Combat Action Badge, Sapper Tab and Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal.