A Reno native has taken command of a major Navy engineering systems command in Virginia.
U.S. Navy Capt. Dean E. Allen assumed duties as commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic on May 8, marking his fourth assignment in Virginia during a naval career spanning more than 25 years.
Allen told guests during the ceremony that the people working across the command have always drawn him back to the region.
“Your talent, your work ethic, your professionalism, your commitment to the mission, to the outcome, and to each other – that’s what brings me here again,” he said.
Allen said he plans to require and empower the workforce to speed project delivery across military construction and centrally managed programs, while acknowledging that changing strategies and business practices could present challenges for the command and its partners in the Navy and Marine Corps.
“I will lead you through this … it will be my greatest honor,” he said.
Allen also urged the workforce to focus on “enabling warfighters with the infrastructure they will need tomorrow … anything else is secondary to that priority.”
“NAVFAC MIDLANT, I am grateful to command what I already know is an extraordinary team,” he said. “I look forward to leading you, watching you succeed, and performing the critical work that only you can do for the Navy and Marine Corps team. I pledge that I will always give you my best … it is an honor to serve alongside you.”
Allen was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, and earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Arizona State University in 1999. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2010 and a Master of Science in finance from Georgetown University in 2020.
He also completed executive leadership programs at The Wharton School in 2024 and the Ross School of Business in 2022.
His career includes expeditionary assignments with Naval Mobile Construction Battalions 4, 11, and 133, as well as leadership positions with the First Naval Construction Division and the 30th Naval Construction Regiment. His shore assignments included posts in Bahrain, Italy, and Japan, along with positions at NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic and the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center.
Allen is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina, a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps, and a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer.
His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and five Meritorious Service Medals. He also received the Society of American Military Engineers’ Admiral Ben Moreell Medal in 2013 for leadership and engineering support during a deployment to Afghanistan.
NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic oversees shore facilities and engineering support for the Navy and Marine Corps from South Carolina to Maine, extending west to Illinois and south to Indiana.
