By Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. – U.S. Navy Capt. Dean E. Allen, a Reno, Nevada native and 2020 alumnus of Georgetown University, assumed duties as commanding officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic (NAVFAC MIDLANT) on May 8.
Returning to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the fourth time in his naval career, Allen brings more than 25 years of distinguished service, technical expertise and leadership experience to the command. He shared with guests that the workforce has always been what draws him back to the area.
“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, emphasizing he will require and empower the team to speed up project delivery across military construction and centrally managed programs, but noted the rapidly shifting strategies and business practices may be challenging as they adapt to meet the expectations of the Navy, Marine Corps, and other partners. “I will lead you through this … it will be my greatest honor.”
Allen asked the workforce to embrace one guiding principle: that the most important thing they can accomplish – whether in routine or demanding circumstances – is “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 at Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida and earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University. He holds a Master of Business Administration (2010) from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and a Master of Science in Finance (2020) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He also completed the Executive Development Program (2024) at The Wharton School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Strategic Leaders Program (2022) at the Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
His expeditionary tours include: Seabee Engineer Reconnaissance Team Officer-in-Charge and Assistant Operations Officer, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4; Aide to the Commander, First Naval Construction Division; Resident Officer-in-Charge of Construction (ROICC) Al Anbar Province, Army Corps of Engineers; Operations Officer, NMCB 133; Commanding Officer, NMCB 11; and Commander, 30th Naval Construction Regiment.
His shore assignments include: Disaster Preparedness Officer, Naval Support Activity Bahrain; ROICC Vicenza, Italy; Public Works Officer, Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan; Shore Readiness Budget Analyst, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Operations Officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic; and Commanding Officer, Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center.
He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of North Carolina, a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps, and a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer.
Allen’s awards include: Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (five awards), Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), and Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards). He was also awarded the 2013 Society of American Military Engineers’ Admiral Ben Moreell Medal for excellence in leadership and engineering in support of Operation Enduring Freedom while deployed to Afghanistan.
NAVFAC MIDLANT serves as the Navy’s premier shore facilities and base operating support engineering systems command, delivering lifecycle and acquisition solutions aligned to Fleet and Marine Corps priorities across a broad area of responsibility – from South Carolina to Maine, extending west to Illinois and south to Indiana. Guided by its mission to provide these solutions in direct support of operational readiness, the command remains committed to its core purpose of ensuring quality facilities and dependable shore support for Sailors, Marines, and their families.
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