Army Col. Matthew Rivera assumed his current position as Defense Logistics Agency Distribution chief of staff in December 2025. He previously served as the DLA Distribution Network Integration deputy director since June 2024.
A native of Topsham, Maine, Rivera graduated from the University of Maine, Orono, in 2003 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps through the ROTC program.
His previous assignments include commander of the 39th Movement Control Battalion in Kaiserslautern, Germany; Support Operations Officer, 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; U.S. Army Southern European Task Force Logistics Mobility Air and Surface Chief, Vicenza, Italy; Surface Deployment and Distribution Command 597th Transportation Brigade Rapid Port Opening Element Commander and Battalion Executive Officer, Fort Eustis, Virginia; 160th Special Operations
Aviation Regiment, 2nd Battalion Logistics Officer, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 25th Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade company commander, Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii; Executive Officer / Platoon Leader, 251st Cargo Transfer Company, 191st Ordnance Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Rivera has multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq and directly supported the Ebola Crisis in Liberia during his Fort Eustis, Virginia, service.
His military education includes the Transportation Officer Basic Course, the Combined Logistics Captains Career Course, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and National Defense University at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School in Norfolk, Virginia.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Combat Action Badge.