The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District has selected John Breland as Chief of the Office of Counsel.

The Office of Counsel gives timely and innovative advice and representation to the district in the areas of procurement, environmental and regulatory law, real estate, tort claims, admiralty, labor law and statutory construction.

Breland joined the Vicksburg District in 2012 as Deputy District Counsel.

Breland began his military career in 1992 as a commissioned officer in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. In 2001, he received a second branch qualification as a civil affairs officer at the John F. Kennedy School of Special Warfare. He obtained a master’s degree in strategic studies as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Army War College in 2015.

He deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning two Bronze Star Medals and the Combat Action Badge. He also served with the U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, where he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

After completing his second command assignment, Breland retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a colonel in 2022.

Breland is a Stone County native. After attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies and a Master of Education degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1991 where he studied as a James O. Eastland scholar and served as student body president.

Breland lives in Clinton with his wife Andrea. They are the parents of four children: Barrett, Anna, Parker and Grant.