Photo By Ann Zaniewski | As she prepares to retire in March 2026, Christina Rieger, acting executive director...... read more read more
By KAYLA RIEGER TACOM student trainee
DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. – Christina Rieger never imagined when she was an intern at U.S. Army Materiel Command that she would one day become acting executive director of the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s Integrated Logistics Support Center.
As she prepares to retire later this month, Rieger said she looks back on her long career serving the warfighter with gratitude.
“As I reflect on the past 37 years, I am tremendously honored to have had the opportunities TACOM provided me to grow, flourish and lead,” she said.
Rieger’s journey with the Army began in her childhood. Her father was a Soldier, and most of her youth was spent moving around the U.S. and Europe. She attended 10 different schools in 13 years.
While relocating frequently made life feel somewhat unstable, the Army was always a consistent, comforting presence in her life.
But that changed when she turned 21. As Rieger prepared to graduate from Western Kentucky University with a degree in business management, she knew that she would have to turn in her dependent ID card – and was worried about losing her lifelong connection to the Army.
As she pondered her future, Rieger heard through a classmate about Civilian job opportunities and felt relieved at the possibility of being able to keep the Army in her life. At the job placement office at her school, she stumbled upon a posting for AMC, not knowing it was for an Army Materiel Command intern.
“My immediate thought was, ‘AMC movie theaters?’” she said with a laugh.
Once she realized AMC was Army Materiel Command, Rieger immediately signed up for an interview. She was offered an opportunity to train at the AMC Logistics Leadership Center (formerly the School of Engineering & Logistics). Nine months later, she had to pick an assignment location. She had two options: New Jersey or Michigan.
“I made the right choice, picking Michigan,” Rieger said. “I firmly believe that TACOM is the best organization within the AMC organization.”
As the years passed, Rieger moved steadily upward in her career. The support and guidance she received from her mentors encouraged her to grow and expand her strategic thinking skills. In 2019, Rieger shifted into a position in the Supply Policy and Planning Division and assumed the role of the supply division chief. She believed the position would help prepare her for a role within the ILSC Board of Directors.
“I knew I needed to expand my experience to get a greater understanding of the core ILSC mission,” she explained.
Rieger has been the acting executive director of the ILSC since June. She has worked to increase sustainment support and deliver Army readiness, moving with a sense of urgency. She said she strives to integrate change while maintaining focus on TACOM’s core mission of supporting the warfighter.
Rieger has faced several challenging moments during her career. She said Operation Desert Storm taught her resilience and patience, while the COVID-19 pandemic taught her how to work through roadblocks and communicate effectively and efficiently. During hiring freezes, reorganizations and furloughs, Rieger learned how to adapt quickly and manage Army readiness through some of the toughest times.
“We can pivot quickly when needed. Things may not be ideal, we push on,” she said. “From Desert Storm and reinventing the government in the 1990s to the Army Transformation Initiatives of today, I have seen many challenges that seemed impossible and insurmountable make our Army better and more lethal.”
Rieger values communication and believes in patience and perspective, especially when it comes to handling conflict. She said it is important to remember that everyone handles and responds to conflict differently.
Being a leader is rewarding but can also be tremendously stressful. Rieger said she often leans on her confidants at work for advice and believes that talking through your problems can relieve stress. Almost every day during the week, she calls her mother on her drive home.
“I cherish the ability to (talk to her openly and honestly),” she said. “I am fortunate to have her there for me.”
Rieger said she’s grateful to be in her position and honored to have gained the trust of TACOM and AMC leaders throughout her career. She also said it is a humbling experience leading thousands of extremely talented and dedicated people within the ILSC.
No career journey is complete without the support of numerous friends and colleagues. Rieger cited Deputy to the Commander Brian Butler and her best friend, former TACOM employee Susan Rieder, who has stood by her since her days as an intern, as among her biggest influences and supporters.
She said the TACOM family is strong and powerful, and that she’ll forever cherish the bonds and relationships formed with her fellow teammates.
“I am truly blessed to have a strong sense of community within TACOM,” Reiger said. “I enjoy the work, and I enjoy my colleagues and teammates.”
Outside the office, Rieger enjoys spending time with her family, especially the cat her daughter recently brought home. She has been a dance mom, a cheer mom and a proofreader of countless essays. She also likes to tap into her creative side and recently started teaching herself how to draw.
Finding a work-life balance can sometimes be difficult.
“I’m not sure I’m that successful at managing it,” she said with a laugh.
As of now, Rieger doesn’t have any specific plans for her retirement, other than taking some time for herself and spending more time with her family and friends.
“As I hand off the leadership reins and move on to the next chapter of my life, I do so knowing that we have very talented leaders and an amazing workforce that is ready to embrace the change to come,” she said. “A workforce that lives up to the TACOM ‘Committed to excellence’ motto daily.”
One of Rieger’s proudest professional moments came when she read letters that Soldiers from Route Clearance Units, which are responsible for ensuring safe travel routes by clearing them of explosive hazards, wrote thanking TACOM and the Program Executive Office for their work on mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles and route clearance vehicles.
“I know what we do is important and impactful, but when a Solider takes time to write a personal letter of thanks, that’s what it’s all about,” she said.
Rieger said the letters underscored a message that she likes to share with her team – and something she hopes they carry with them after she retires.
“Know that you are valued, what you do is important and where you’re headed is limitless,” she said.
Kayla Rieger, a student trainee in the TACOM Public and Congressional Affairs office, is the daughter of Christina Rieger
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2026 17:27 |
| Story ID: | 560198 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘Where you’re headed is limitless’ Acting ILSC director reflects on career as retirement approaches, by Ann Zaniewski, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
