Colonel Robert McTighe was commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on June 2, 2001, through the University of Connecticut ROTC program. A certified Project Management Professional, he has held a wide range of operational, command, and staff positions across multiple theaters.
His early assignments at Fort Drum, New York included roles as a Sapper Platoon Leader with 2-14 Infantry during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Company Executive Officer, and Firefighting Detachment Commander. He later served as a senior observer-controller/trainer in Massachusetts and then, moved back to New York, and deployed again with the 10th Mountain Division Headquarters to Iraq, where he assumed command of the Headquarters Support Company.
Following company command, COL McTighe served as Operations Officer and Facility Engineer at the Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany. From 2013–2016, he deployed to Afghanistan with the 4th Infantry Division as a Transition Team Operations Officer and later served at Fort Carson, Colorado as a brigade planner and the Operations and Executive Officer for the 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion. He subsequently served with U.S. Army Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany, as Engineer Operations Officer and Chief of Construction.
COL McTighe commanded the 1-310th Brigade Engineer Battalion and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Commander of the North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in Brooklyn, New York, where he focused on enhancing emergency management coordination, strengthening human capital initiatives, and enabling effective program delivery across six USACE districts. On July 25, 2025, he assumed command of the Sacramento District, USACE.
His education includes a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Public Administration from Webster University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. His military education includes the Army Command and General Staff College and the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses.
COL McTighe’s awards include three Bronze Star Medals, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal. He also holds the Sapper Tab and Airborne Badge.