NEW YORK – Colonel Alex Young assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, during a formal change of command ceremony on July 14, 2023. Colonel Matthew W. Luzzatto, who has commanded the district since June 2020, relinquished command during the event at New York District’s CavenPoint Marine Terminal Facility in Jersey City, N.J. Colonel Young has served in a variety of military assignments spanning his career of more than 21 years.
Despite inclement weather the formal ceremony and celebrations continued without a hitch with views of New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline. Col. Young, Col. Luzzatto, Col. John P. Lloyd, commander, North Atlantic Division, and Deputy District Engineer Joseph Seebode marched to the front podium for the Change of Command — a tradition dating back to the beginning of our nation’s history providing for the orderly transfer of organizational leadership. After the national anthem, invocation, flowers presented to Mrs. Luzzatto and Mrs. Young and a salute from District vessels, the three colonels addressed the audience, giving thanks to the many people supporting them in their service and looking ahead to new challenges.
Colonel Young holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, P.A. He also holds a Master of Military Arts and science degree from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, K.S., and a Master of Science in strategic studies degree from the United States Army War College in Carlisle, P.A. He is a licensed Project Management Professional. Colonel Young’s military education includes the Army Engineer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and the Army War College where he graduated from the Advanced Strategic Art Program.
Colonel Young’s previous assignments include 22 months as Commander, 642nd Engineer Support Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade at Fort Drum, New York where he deployed to Iraq in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; 24 months as Commander, 4th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado. He also served as Joint Planner, United States Forces Afghanistan, Secretary of the General Staff of the 1st Infantry Division, and human resource manager for engineer colonels in the Colonels Management Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. Colonel Young served with the Corps of Engineers as part of the Corps’ Gulf Region Division in Basra, Iraq where he also served as the Chief of Essential Services for the Provincial Reconstruction Team.
Colonel Luzzatto came to New York District in June 2020 after serving as Deputy Director for the Army Strategic Leader Education Program at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., where he facilitated executive level education for the Army’s General Officer Corps. Colonel Luzzatto also served as Executive Officer for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works where he managed the efforts of the senior Pentagon staff responsible for the Trump Administration’s oversight and direction of U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s $20 billion plus civil works and disaster supplemental efforts across the Nation.
As commander of New York District, Colonel Luzzatto led a staff of more than 575 military and civilian personnel in executing a complex and diverse program including military construction, civil works projects, international and interagency support, emergency operations recovery & response.
New York District is responsible for the Corps’ water resources development, navigation and regulatory activities in northeastern New Jersey, eastern and south-central New York State, and parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The district is also responsible for design and construction at Army and Air Force installations in New Jersey, New York, and Greenland. The District also provides support following disasters and for the Global War on Terror.
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