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United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a direct reporting unit and engineer formation of the United States Army that has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil works. USACE has 37,000 civilian and military personnel,[2] making it one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. The USACE workforce is approximately 97% civilian, 3% active duty military. The civilian workforce is primarily located in the United States, Europe and in select Middle East office locations. Civilians do not function as active duty military and are not required to be in active war and combat zones, however volunteer (with pay) opportunities do exist for civilians to do so.

United States Army Corps of Engineers

1775–present

French: Essayons, lit.'Let Us Try'

   Scarlet and white

16 June (Organization Day)

Major General William H. Graham Jr.

USACE

The day-to-day activities of the three mission areas are administered by a lieutenant general known as the chief of engineers/commanding general. The chief of engineers commands the Engineer Regiment, comprising combat engineer, rescue, construction, dive, and other specialty units, and answers directly to the Chief of Staff of the Army. Combat engineers, sometimes called sappers, form an integral part of the Army's combined arms team and are found in all Army service components: Regular Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve. Their duties are to breach obstacles; construct fighting positions, fixed/floating bridges, and obstacles and defensive positions; place and detonate explosives; conduct route clearance operations; emplace and detect landmines; and fight as provisional infantry when required. For the military construction mission, the chief of engineers is directed and supervised by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for installations, environment, and energy, whom the President appoints and the Senate confirms. Military construction relates to construction on military bases and worldwide installations.


On 16 June 1775, the Continental Congress, gathered in Philadelphia, granted authority for the creation of a "Chief Engineer for the Army". Congress authorized a corps of engineers for the United States on 11 March 1779. The Corps as it is known today came into being on 16 March 1802, when the president was authorized to "organize and establish a Corps of Engineers ... that the said Corps ... shall be stationed at West Point in the State of New York and shall constitute a Military Academy." A Corps of Topographical Engineers, authorized on 4 July 1838, merged with the Corps of Engineers in March 1863.


Civil works are managed and supervised by the Assistant Secretary of the Army. Army civil works include three U.S. Congress-authorized business lines: navigation, flood and storm damage protection, and aquatic ecosystem restoration. Civil works is also tasked with administering the Clean Water Act Section 404 program, including recreation, hydropower, and water supply at USACE flood control reservoirs, and environmental infrastructure. The civil works staff oversee construction, operation, and maintenance of dams, canals and flood protection in the U.S., as well as a wide range of public works throughout the world.[3] Some of its dams, reservoirs, and flood control projects also serve as public outdoor recreation facilities. Its hydroelectric projects provide 24% of U.S. hydropower capacity.


The Corps of Engineers is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has a budget of $7.8 billion (FY2021).[4]


The corps's mission is to "deliver vital public and military engineering services; partnering in peace and war to strengthen our nation's security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters."[5]


Its most visible civil works missions include:

The of 1824 authorized use of army engineers to survey roads and canals. The next month, an act to improve navigation on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers initiated the Corps of Engineers' permanent civil works construction mission. Although the 1824 act to improve the Mississippi and Ohio rivers is often called the first rivers and harbors legislation, the act passed in 1826 was the first to combine authorizations for both surveys and projects, thereby establishing a pattern that continues to the present day.[20]

General Survey Act

Survey and construction of the until Federal funds were withdrawn (1838)

National Road

The 555 ft 5+18 in (169.29 m) tall , completed under the direction and command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lincoln Casey, 1884

Washington Monument

completed under supervision of Army Engineer officers, 1914

Panama Canal

made flood control a federal policy and officially recognized the Corps of Engineers as the major federal flood control agency

Flood Control Act of 1936

completed in 1937

Bonneville Dam

which channelized the Los Angeles River and parts of the Santa Ana River

Flood Control Act of 1941

USACE took over all real estate acquisition, construction, and maintenance for army facilities, 1941

There was no road between and Panama until the Corps began one in 1941–1943. The concern was access to the Panama Canal during wartime.[21]

Costa Rica

The (1942–1946)[22]

Manhattan Project

Planning and construction of , completed in 1943 just 16 months after groundbreaking[23]

the Pentagon

first authorized by congress in 1948

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

USACE began construction support for leading to major activities at the Manned Spacecraft Center and Kennedy Space Center, 1961

NASA

1973–1987[24]

King Khalid Military City

The (WRDA 86) brought major change in financing by requiring non-federal contributions toward most federal water resource projects

Water Resources Development Act of 1986

Cross Florida Barge Canal

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

Organization[edit]

Headquarters[edit]

The Chief of Engineers and Commanding General (Lt. general) of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has three mission areas: combat engineers, military construction, and civil works. For each mission area the Chief of Engineers/Commanding General is supervised by a different person. For civil works the Commanding General is supervised by the civilian Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works). Three deputy commanding generals (major generals) report to the chief of engineers, who have the following titles: Deputy Commanding General, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operation, and Deputy Commanding General for Military and International Operations.[26] The Corps of Engineers headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. The headquarters staff is responsible for Corps of Engineers policy and plans the future direction of all other USACE organizations. It comprises the executive office and 17 staff principals. USACE has two civilian directors who head up Military and Civil Works programs in concert with their respective DCG for the mission area.

Divisions and districts[edit]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is organized geographically into eight permanent divisions, one provisional division, one provisional district, and one research command reporting directly to the HQ. Within each division, there are several districts.[27] Districts are defined by watershed boundaries for civil works projects and by political boundaries for military projects.

Navigation. Supporting navigation by maintaining and improving channels was the Corps of Engineers' earliest Civil Works mission, dating to in 1824 authorizing the Corps to improve safety on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and several ports. Today, the Corps of Engineers maintains more than 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of inland waterways and operates 235 locks. These waterways—a system of rivers, lakes and coastal bays improved for commercial and recreational transportation—carry about 16 of the nation's inter-city freight, at a cost per ton-mile about 12 that of rail or 110 that of trucks. USACE also maintains 300 commercial harbors, through which pass 2,000,000,000 short tons (1.8×109 metric tons) of cargo a year, and more than 600 smaller harbors. New locks are needed, according to the Corps and barge shippers, where existing locks are in poor condition, requiring frequent closures for repairs, and/or because a lock's size causes delays for barge tows.[38]

Federal laws

Flood Risk Management. The Engineers were first called upon to address flood problems along the Mississippi river in the mid-19th century. They began work on the Mississippi River and Tributaries Flood Control Project in 1928, and the gave the Corps the mission to provide flood protection to the entire country.

Flood Control Act of 1936

Recreation. The Corps of Engineers is the nation's largest provider of outdoor recreation, operating more than 2,500 recreation areas at 463 projects (mostly lakes) and leasing an additional 1,800 sites to state or local park and recreation authorities or private interests. USACE hosts about 360 million visits a year at its lakes, beaches and other areas, and estimates that 25 million Americans (one in ten) visit a Corps' project at least once a year. Supporting visitors to these recreation areas generates 600,000 jobs.

Power. The Corps of Engineers was first authorized to build hydroelectric plants in the 1920s, and today operates 75 power plants, producing one fourth of the nation's hydro-electric power—or three percent of its total electric energy. This makes USACE the fifth largest electric supplier in the United States.

Hydroelectric

Shore Protection. With a large proportion of the U.S. population living near our sea and lake shores, and an estimated 75% of U.S. vacations being spent at the beach, there has been Federal interest — and a Corps of Engineers mission — in protecting these areas from hurricane and coastal storm damage.

Dam Safety. The Corps of Engineers develops engineering criteria for safe dams, and conducts an active inspection program of its own dams.

[28]

Water Supply. The Corps first got involved in water supply in the 1850s, when they built the . Today USACE reservoirs supply water to nearly 10 million people in 115 cities. In the drier parts of the Nation, water from Corps reservoirs is also used for agriculture.[6][28][39]

Washington Aqueduct

Water Safety. The Corps of Engineers has taken an interest in recreational water safety, with current initiatives for increasing the use rate of life jackets and preventing the use of alcohol while boating.

One HQ, 8 Divisions, 2 Provisional Division, 45 Districts, 6 Centers, one active-duty unit, 2 Engineer Reserve Command

At work in more than 90 countries

Supports 159 Army installations and 91 Air Force installations

Owns and operates 609 dams

Owns or operates 257 navigation lock chambers at 212 sites

Largest owner-operator of hydroelectric plants in the US. Owns and operates 75 plants—24% of U.S. hydropower capacity (3% of the total U.S. electric capacity)

[45]

Operates and maintains 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of commercial inland navigation channels

Maintains 926 coast, Great Lakes, and inland harbors

Dredge 255,000,000 cubic yards (195,000,000 m3) annually for construction or maintenance

Nation's number one provider of outdoor recreation with more than 368 million visits annually to 4,485 sites at 423 USACE projects (383 major lakes and reservoirs)

[46]

Total water supply storage capacity of 329,900,000 (406.9 km3)

acre-feet

Average annual damages prevented by Corps flood risk management projects (1995–2004) of $21 billion (see "Civil works controversies" below)

Approximately 137 environmental protection projects under construction (September 2006 figure)

Approximately 38,700 acres (157,000,000 m2) of wetlands restored, created, enhanced, or preserved annually under the Corps' Regulatory Program

Approximately $4 billion in technical services to 70 non-DoD Federal agencies annually

Completed (and continuing work on) thousands of infrastructure projects in Iraq at an estimated cost over $9 billion: school projects (324,000 students), crude oil production 3 million barrels per day (480,000 m3/d), potable water projects (3.9 million people (goal 5.2 million)), fire stations, border posts, prison/courthouse improvements, transportation/communication projects, village road/expressways, railroad stations, postal facilities, and aviation projects. More than 90 percent of the USACE construction contracts have been awarded to Iraqi-owned businesses — offering employment opportunities, boosting the economy, providing jobs, and training, promoting stability and security where before there was none. Consequently, the mission is a central part of the U.S. exit strategy.

The Corps of Engineers has one of the strongest Small Business Programs in the Army—Each year, approximately 33% of all contract dollars are obligated with Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Women Owned Small Businesses, Historically Underutilized Business Zones, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Jackie Robinson-Burnette was named the Chief of the Corps' Small Business Program in May 2010. The program is managed through an integrated network of over 60 Small Business Advisors, 8 Division Commanders, 4 Center Directors, and 45 District Commanders.

Summary of facts and figures as of 2007, provided by the Corps of Engineers:[28]

Environmental protection and regulatory program[edit]

The regulatory program is authorized to protect the nation's aquatic resources. USACE personnel evaluate permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in the nation's waters, including wetlands. Two primary authorities granted to the Army Corps of Engineers by Congress fall under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.


Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (codified in Chapter 33, Section 403 of the United States Code) gave the Corps authority over navigable waters of the United States, defined as "those waters that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or are presently being used, or have been used in the past, or may be susceptible for use to transport interstate or foreign commerce." Section 10 covers construction, excavation, or deposition of materials in, over, or under such waters, or any work that would affect the course, location, condition or capacity of those waters. Actions requiring section 10 permits include structures (e.g., piers, wharfs, breakwaters, bulkheads, jetties, weirs, transmission lines) and work such as dredging or disposal of dredged material, or excavation, filling or other modifications to the navigable waters of the United States. The Coast Guard also has responsibility for permitting the erection or modification of bridges over navigable waters of the U.S.


Another of the major responsibilities of the Army Corps of Engineers is administering the permitting program under Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, also known as the Clean Water Act. The Secretary of the Army is authorized under this act to issue permits for the discharge of dredged and fill material in waters of the United States, including adjacent wetlands.[28] The geographic extent of waters of the United States subject to section 404 permits fall under a broader definition and include tributaries to navigable waters and adjacent wetlands. The engineers must first determine if the waters at the project site are jurisdictional and subject to the requirements of the section 404 permitting program. Once jurisdiction has been established, permit review and authorization follows a sequence process that encourages avoidance of impacts, followed by minimizing impacts and, finally, requiring mitigation for unavoidable impacts to the aquatic environment. This sequence is described in the section 404(b)(1) guidelines.


There are three types of permits issued by the Corps of Engineers: Nationwide, Regional General, and Individual. 80% of the permits issued are nationwide permits, which include 50 general type of activities for minimal impacts to waters of the United States, as published in the Federal Register. Nationwide permits are subject to a reauthorization process every 5 years, with the most recent reauthorization occurring in March, 2012. To gain authorization under a nationwide permit, an applicant must comply with the terms and conditions of the nationwide permit. Select nationwide permits require preconstruction notification to the applicable corps district office notifying them of his or her intent, type and amount of impact and fill in waters, and a site map. Although the nationwide process is fairly simple, corps approval must be obtained before commencing with any work in waters of the United States. Regional general permits are specific to each corps district office. Individual permits are generally required for projects that impact greater than 0.5 acres (2,000 m2) of waters of the United States. Individual permits are required for activities that result in more than minimal impacts to the aquatic environment.

Dam safety systems

and topography terrain analysis

Mapping

design, construction, operations and maintenance

Infrastructure

Structural engineering

Cold-regions science and engineering

Coastal and , producing products such as HEC-RAS

hydraulic engineering

Environmental quality, including toxic chemistry of and other dredge spoils

bay mud

Geotechnical engineering

Earthquake engineering

High performance computing and information technology

The Corps of Engineers has two research organizations, the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the Army Geospatial Center (AGC).


ERDC provides science, technology, and expertise in engineering and environmental sciences to support both military and civilian customers. ERCD research support includes:


AGC coordinates, integrates, and synchronizes geospatial information requirements and standards across the Army and provides direct geospatial support and products to warfighters. See also Geospatial Information Officer.

former U.S. Army Brigadier General and the oldest Army officer to serve on active duty during World War II.[62][63]

Charles Keller

former U.S. Army Major General and the oldest Army officer to serve on active duty during World War I. The only known person to serve in both the American Civil War and the First World War.[64]

Peter Conover Hains

Combat Pin for Civilian Service

SDEF

Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations

United States Air Force

Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers

Seabees

United States Navy

Public Domain This article incorporates from Miscellaneous USACE History Publications. United States Army.

public domain material

Public Domain This article incorporates from The United States Army Corps of Engineers website. United States Army.

public domain material

(from the Portal to Texas History)

Historic photos of Corps of Engineers lock and dam projects throughout Texas in 1910-20s

(1945). Engineering the Victory: The Story of the Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 11 November 2014.

Stars and Stripes

Edit this at Wikidata

Official website

at Federal Register

Engineers Corps