NORFOLK, VA – Capt. Ryan Carey relieved Capt. Matthew Riethmiller as commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic (MIDLANT) today during a Change of Command ceremony held onboard Naval Station Norfolk.
Rear Adm. Jorge Cuadros, Commander, NAVFAC Atlantic, was the event’s presiding officer and guest speaker. Family, friends and colleagues of both incoming and outgoing leadership attended.
“Capt. Carey has the experience, fortitude and judgement to lead as large, and as complex, of a command as NAVFAC MIDLANT,” Cuadros said of Carey’s leadership. “I know he’ll lead here the same way he has everywhere he’s been, with high standards, a focus on Fleet and Marine Corps requirements, and a genuine care for the people he leads. He’s one of the few officers who could follow in the footsteps of Matt Riethmiller.”
Like his predecessor, Carey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the command. He is a native of Williamsburg, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech and attended Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, commissioned in September 2000, and attended Civil Engineer Corps Basic Officers School in Port Hueneme, California. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland (2007) and served as a Navy Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Senate in 2017. Carey is Seabee Combat Warfare and Fleet Marine Force qualified, and he is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Virginia.
“I look forward to advancing the Navy’s mission ashore with my patriotic hometown community, pursuing efforts in common interests of federal, state, and municipal public servants; local tribes; community advocacy stakeholders; and our industry and private partners … many of whom are represented here today,” Carey said, noting although he was born in James City County, Virginia, he has never been stationed in the Hampton Roads area during his 24 years of naval service. “To the men and women of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic, and the entire NAVFAC engineering staff, I am incredibly excited to be joining this impressive team, and I will do my best to learn quickly and lead in a way that earns and maintains your trust … with program transparency and as your advocate in our common mission to build and maintain the Navy and Marine Corps foundation ashore.”
During Riethmiller’s tenure as commanding officer, he led more than 4,200 military and civilian personnel, ensuring world-class facilities support to Fleet units, warfighters and their families at 13 Navy and four Marine Corps installations. Demonstrating acute business acumen and a keen focus on supported commander’s missions, he led the delivery of more than $6.3 billion in facility services, design and construction.
Additionally, Riethmiller enhanced shore lethality to pace Strategic Competition, which included enabling Columbia-class submarine delivery and executing projects to revitalize Navy shipyards. As the Regional Engineer, he displayed refined leadership in managing a complex facility program, balancing regional priorities with a focus on resiliency and environmental stewardship.
Riethmiller received the Legion of Merit from Cuadros for his exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as commanding officer of NAVFAC MIDLANT and as the Regional Engineer for Navy Region Mid-Atlantic from July 2022 through August 2024.
“Thank you for this time-honored tradition,” Riethmiller said in reflection of ceremony, his time as commanding officer, and for his long and successful career as a Civil Engineer Corps officer in the U.S. Navy. “Today is about recognizing heroes, not Ryan or myself, but rather the people that enable the Navy’s mission every day. Thank you.”
Riethmiller, who commissioned in November 1996 through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, retired with more than 28 years of naval service. Upon retirement, Riethmiller and his family will permanently relocate to Concord, New Hampshire.
NAVFAC MIDLANT provides facilities engineering, public works and environmental products and services across an area of responsibility that spans from South Carolina to Maine, as far west as Illinois, and down to Indiana. As an integral member of the Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic team, NAVFAC MIDLANT provides leadership through the Regional Engineer organization to ensure the region’s facilities and infrastructure are managed efficiently and effectively.
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