For Lt. Col. Donald Lew, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District, the pursuit of excellence within the Engineer Regiment was not a deliberate goal. Instead, it was a byproduct of the decisions he made throughout his career.
Lew is the first and currently only Active-Duty Engineer Officer to achieve all 9 Engineer Additional Skill Identifiers (ASIs) that the Engineer Regiment is a proponent of, a journey that took him just over 15 years to complete. ASIs are administrative codes in military officers' files that identify a unique skill or qualification that could make them suitable for a particular position or mission. They are maintained throughout that officer’s career once awarded. Within the Army’s Engineer Regiment, those are: Sapper Leader, Facilities Planner, Geospatial Leader, Licensed Engineer Officer, Degreed Engineer Officer, Construction Project Manager, Construction Quality Assurance Officer, Energy and Environmental Officer, and Facilities Engineer.
Lew’s path to earning all 9 ASIs began in 2010, when he graduated from the Engineer Basic Officer Leadership Course and, shortly after, from the Army’s Sapper Leader Course. Sappers, also known as combat engineers, are specially trained in minefield placement and clearing, bridge-building, demolitions, field defenses, and road and airfield construction.
Lew has since achieved the additional 8 ASI’s, earning the last in September of 2025 when he earned Geospatial Leader. He said that at some point, it became a goal to attain them all, but initially, it wasn’t on his radar. “Originally, I didn’t strive to achieve all 9 Engineer ASIs starting out. As a young Engineer Officer, my mentors and senior leaders advised and highly encouraged them to distinguish myself from my peers. My initial interest was to earn the Sapper Leader and Licensed Engineer. My motivation stemmed from a passion for lifelong learning and a desire to continuously improve myself for the betterment of my organization," Lew explained.
After learning he would be assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, he decided he needed to expand his knowledge further to bring additional skill sets to his next assignment.
"Knowing that I was going to the 75th Ranger Regiment to serve as the Regimental Engineer on the Regimental Staff, I knew I needed to be the master of my profession," he recalled. This led him to pursue the Construction Project Manager, Facilities Engineer, and Degreed Engineer ASIs during his time at the Resident Intermediate Level Education (ILE). While serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment, he earned three more ASIs directly related to his responsibilities: Facilities Planner, Construction Quality Assurance Officer, and Energy and Environmental Officer. The regiment helped facilitate these certifications.
After obtaining eight of the nine ASIs, his engineer branch manager encouraged him to pursue the final one. He took three of the required courses while at the 75th Ranger Regiment and completed the remaining requirements while at the USACE’s Middle East District, culminating in passing the GEOINT Professional Certification Fundamentals Exam.
When asked about the most challenging ASI, Lew singled out the Licensed Engineer.
"The Professional Engineer was a marathon of an effort from earning a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, passing Fundamentals of Engineering, 5 years of experience, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Application, and finally, passing the Professional Engineer Exam," he said. He credits pursuing an MBA with helping him get back into a study mindset for the PE exam, which he took just a week after his first child was born in April 2016.
"I have leveraged every ASI over my career," Lew stated. "Each new skill set has given a foundational understanding to excel as an Engineer Leader. Each Engineer assignment has called upon expertise in one or more of the ASIs simultaneously. Only while assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment was I called upon to master every single Engineer ASI due to the scope of responsibilities."
Even ASIs not directly "needed" for a specific role have proven valuable. Lew highlighted the Geospatial Leader ASI as particularly beneficial. "GEOINT is a whole new world that most are not well-versed in...it is important as a leader to understand that world. GEOINT is critical for modern national security, defense, and disaster management."
And while he’s proud to be the first and currently only Active-Duty Engineer Officer to have earned them all, he hopes his accomplishment won’t stand alone for long.
"The biggest barrier to achieving ASIs is yourself. It is not that hard to earn ASIs after you make it a deliberate goal. First, understand the requirements, pick something that interests you, and be deliberate with time and resources to achieve over a realistic period."
In October of 2027, the Engineer Regiment will recognize 2 additional ASIs, Structural Discipline Engineer and Electrical Discipline Engineer. Lew, who is set to take command of USACE’s Detroit District this summer, said that although he’d like to keep his quest alive, the new ones require academic degrees he wouldn’t be able to get without returning to school.