Torring takes command of Army Veterinary Corps

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​Dr. Erik H. Torring III was promoted to brigadier general and appointed as chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps on Oct. 29, 2015.

Brig. Gen. Torring is the 26th chief of the Army Veterinary Corps, which comprises more than 700 veterinarians, 80 warrant officers, and 1,800 enlisted soldiers on active or reserve duty. Torring is also assuming the position of deputy commanding general for the Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic (Provisional), located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Brig. Gen. Torring III
Army Brig. Gen. Erik H. Torring III

President Obama nominated the then-colonel for promotion and assignment as corps chief, which the Senate approved in late October. At the time, Dr. Torring had been serving as the staff veterinarian of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service in Dallas.

The Army Veterinary Corps was established in 1916 to provide veterinary services to the Defense Department and will celebrate its 100th anniversary June 3, 2016. The corps provides for the nation’s defense through food safety, biomedical research and development, and animal medical programs in support of force health protection and military readiness.

Torring received his DVM degree from Kansas State University in 1989 and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He holds master’s degrees in public health–epidemiology and in national security and strategic studies from the University of Oklahoma and the Army War College, respectively.

Since his commission as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps in 1989, Torring has been stationed throughout the United States, including as commander of the U.S. Army Veterinary Command at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and he has deployed to Korea and Iraq.

Decades of military service have brought Torring numerous awards and decorations, such as the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator for Veterinary Preventive Medicine.