Army Corps of Engineers removes district commander over Missouri lake issues

Hmmm. Anyone in that part of the country know what actually happened here??

The Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District commander was fired last week, service officials said in an unusual announcement that blamed “entrenched bureaucracy” and a failure to follow orders. Army Col. Patrick Caukin, who took command of the district that covers Arkansas and southern Missouri in September 2025, was relieved of duty Thursday by Adam Telle, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, and Lt. Gen. William “Butch” Graham, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers. A separate statement from a pair of Missouri-based Republican lawmakers appears to tie Caukin’s dismissal to issues property owners have expressed about Corps of Engineers actions on southern Missouri’s Table Rock Lake. Caukin was not named in the statement — which is unusual for Army relief-of-duty announcements — but a service official confirmed he had been relieved. The statement provided no specific details about the decision to remove Caukin, a 23-year veteran with combat service and three Bronze Star Medals. But Telle said the decision was, at least in part, due to bureaucratic issues that “unnecessarily frustrated American citizens.” “For the first time in decades, under the Trump administration, commanders who fail to follow orders and overcome entrenched bureaucracy will be dealt with accordingly,” Telle said in the statement. In the same statement, Graham cited “a loss of confidence in [Caukin’s] ability to command,” the military’s standard justification given for removing commanders without providing specifics. But the three-star general added that the decision was “in the best interest” of the American public. “District commanders across USACE are expected to demonstrate effective leadership committed to rapid and continuous transformation, less red tape, and a bias for action,” Graham said. “Our highest priority remains efficiently delivering vital projects for the American people on time and within budget, and this change reinforces our steadfast commitment.”