Engineering alumnus named commander of Army Corps of Engineers district in Afghanistan

A North Carolina State University engineering alumnus took command of a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) district in Afghanistan July 12.

As head of Afghanistan Engineer Distric-South, Col. Vincent Quarles oversees a 400-person engineering, design and construction management organization with about $3 billion in projects under construction. Quarles earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from NC State in 1997.

“With Col. Quarles at the helm, I have no doubt that the district will continue to build on its widely recognized record of accomplishments,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre, the USACE Transatlantic Division Commander.

Quarles’ Army leadership experience includes managing a budget of more than $1.2 billion as a mobility team chief in the Pentagon from 2006 to 2008. He commanded the USACE Chicago District from 2008 to 2011, during which the district carried out more than $322 million in civil works programs.

Quarles began his military service in 1980 with the Virginia Army National Guard while attending high school in his hometown of Halifax, Virginia. In 1987, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Norfolk State University and then entered active service with the Corps of Engineers. Since then, his career has included service in operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Iraqi Freedom.

His awards and decorations include a Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, three Meritorious Service Medals, an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Combat Action Badge, a Parachutist Badge and an Army Staff Badge.

Quarles also holds a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has approximately 37,000 soldiers and civilians in more than 90 countries worldwide. The Corps’ goal is to strengthen US security by building and maintaining the nation’s infrastructure and using its engineering expertise to promote stability and improve quality of life abroad.