Photo By Jon Connor | Capt. Timothy Johnson is U.S. Army Sustainment Command’s command surgeon...... read more read more
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ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Imagine not knowing if your water is safe to drink? Or if your work environment has undiscovered hazardous issues? Thanks to the Army’s medical expertise, getting sick to find out is not the norm.
Capt. Timothy Johnson is U.S. Army Sustainment Command’s command surgeon environmental science and engineering officer. He is responsible to ASC’s leadership throughout the chain of command for environmental, safety, and public health concerns.
As an ESEO, Johnson said his primary duty is preventive medicine. Likewise, ESEOs work hard to prevent Soldiers, Army Civilians, and their Families from getting illnesses in the first place.
“Because of this, many people do not even realize we exist and that is the way it should be. If we are doing our job effectively, you don’t even know it is happening,” he said. “From the food you eat, to the water you drink, we work hard to ensure it is done in a way that is safe for everyone.”
Johnson’s position is vital as he helps ensure ASC personnel can work in environments that are safe and minimize risk.
“People are the most important asset we have, and reducing the risk of illness and injury is critical to ensure continued readiness and mission effectiveness,” he explained.
ASC has a workforce of tens of thousands of people, located worldwide at Army Field Support Brigades, Army Field Support Battalions, and more than 80 Logistics Readiness Centers. As the operational arm of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, ASC delivers combat-ready formations, providing Soldiers with the right equipment, at the right place and the right time, in the right condition.
It was in his youth that Johnson said he began taking interest in environmental engineering as he observed how coal mining unfortunately affected the landscape and water.
“I grew up in Morrisdale, Pennsylvania, which is in the center of the state. The region was very big in coal mining, and I personally saw the damage that occurred to the environment – polluted streams, stripped lands with no topsoil, etc. – that occur when resource extraction is done in a way that doesn’t consider the remediation effects after,” Johnson explained. “This is what got me interested in pursuing environmental engineering in college/graduate school.”
“Capt. Johnson is extremely talented and hard-working,” said Dr. (Lt. Col.) Kimberley Phillips, ASC command surgeon, citing his work in assisting managing the public health and environmental issues during two organizational inspections of the AFSBs since coming here in July 2023.
These inspections fall under a commander’s inspection program conducted biennially to identify, prevent, and eliminate readiness issues through inspections, visits, and audits, ensuring a cohesive and focused approach to command objectives.
“He was able to join the safety section for an in-person inspection at Fort Liberty (renamed Fort Bragg in 2025) (North Carolina) last year and recognized best practices in their ergonomics program. His attention to detail is outstanding,” Phillips explained.
As a small Army post on the Mississippi River, RIA is different from many Army locations.
“RIA is a very small installation and therefore available medical/environmental assets are limited,” Johnson said. “This has led to all the medical/environmental personnel from the garrison, tenant organizations, and the [Woodson] health clinic to work together to provide the best possible care for our people.”
Yet, Johnson said ASC’s mission is also unique due to the sheer scale in terms of mission and footprint.
“Effective sustainment operations win wars and truly is the backbone of the Army. This large footprint and mission mean that ASC has a multitude of moving pieces that, from my perspective, as an ESEO, must be assessed to ensure they are done in the safest manner possible to reduce risk of injury or illness,” Johnson said.
One way in which he helps people stay safe is through a safety stand-down day.
A safety stand-down day provides leadership the opportunity to reinforce safety awareness and provide opportunities for personnel to learn about and discuss safety-related topics during unit-related events.
“It included multiple booths from several on-post and area resources, including the RIA firefighters, RIA law enforcement officers, and our own G1 (Human Resources) Ready and Resilient team. It was a rousing success, and will be repeated,” she said of the winter safety event.
Johnson’s duties also include shadowing the Industrial Hygiene team at RIA’s Woodson Health Clinic and then working with other tenant units here. The team ensures workplace environments have effective controls to reduce hazardous exposures to its personnel.
Now in his second assignment, Johnson’s first assignment was with the Public Health Command Europe in Landstuhl, Germany, serving as the deputy chief of Health Risk Management and chief of Environmental Health Engineering.
“It was a rewarding mission,” he said, “with my favorite work being responsible for conducting sanitary and vulnerability assessments for all the drinking water systems at every Army Installation in Europe.”
In 2019 Johnson joined the Army after he met a medical recruiter at a job fair.
“I learned from the recruiter that there were opportunities for environmental engineers in the Army and knowing that I could leverage my expertise to benefit the Army and Soldiers got me excited,” he said.
Johnson was a recruiter’s delight possessing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and environmental science, and a master’s degree in environmental engineering.
So, what professionally lies ahead for this young medical officer? Johnson said he hopes to acquire a degree in cybersecurity.
“Water treatment facilities rely heavily on supervisory control and data acquisition systems to control processes that ensure safe drinking water is provided to customers. These systems, however, are at risk to cyberattacks,” he said.
“I believe having a deep understanding on these systems and how we are able to harden them to cyber threats, will go hand in hand with my deep understanding on how the water treatment processes work, giving me a ‘full picture’ understanding of the entire system.”
Additionally, Johnson said he would like to pursue getting a professional engineering license, because having a credential like this is beneficial when reviewing reports and building plans.
“He shows genuine enthusiasm about learning new skills and investigating various aspects of the impact of environmental issues that, in turn, can impact Soldiers,” Phillips said of Johnson’s career goals.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2025 11:39 |
| Story ID: | 495869 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 41 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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