United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. It has three main jobs: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil works. It has many workers, both civilian and military, and is one of the biggest engineering and building groups in the world. Most of its civilian workers are in the United States, Europe, and some Middle East places.

The USACE is led by a lieutenant general called the chief of engineers. This leader manages engineers who help in battles by building bridges and clearing paths. The chief also oversees the building of military bases and other structures around the world.

The USACE has been around since 1775, when the Continental Congress in Philadelphia created a chief engineer for the Army. Today, it works on many important projects, such as building locks and dams, protecting areas from floods, and helping the environment. Its work supports both the military and the public.

History

18th century

The United States Army Corps of Engineers began during the American Revolution. On June 16, 1775, the Continental Congress created the group, led by a chief engineer and two assistants. Colonel Richard Gridley was the first chief engineer for General George Washington, helping build defenses near Boston at Bunker Hill. The Congress asked France for help training engineers.

Louis Lebègue Duportail, a French engineer, joined the Continental Army in 1777 and became its engineer commander. He led the building of siege works at the Battle of Yorktown. The corps was disbanded in 1783 but re-established later during presidency of George Washington. From 1794 to 1802, engineers were combined with artillery.

19th century

The modern Corps of Engineers started on March 16, 1802, when President Thomas Jefferson signed a law to create a military academy at West Point in New York. The General Survey Act of 1824 let Army engineers survey roads and canals. In 1838, a separate group of officers called the Corps of Topographical Engineers was created for mapping and building federal projects. It joined the Corps of Engineers in 1863.

In 1841, the Lake Survey began in Detroit to map the Great Lakes. During the American Civil War, engineers were very important. They built bridges, forts, and roads. Both sides used engineers.

20th century

The National Defense Act of 1916 created a reserve corps, and some served in World War I. In World War II, the Corps helped build many military and industrial projects, including camps for soldiers, airfields, and important buildings like the Pentagon. They also worked on civil projects like navigation and flood control.

During World War II, engineers were important in both Europe and the Pacific. In Europe, they built bridges and roads. In the Pacific, special teams prepared jungle paths and built bridges for soldiers.

Notable dates and projects

The General Survey Act of 1824 started the Corps' work on roads and rivers. They built the National Road until 1838, the tall Washington Monument, completed in 1884, and the Panama Canal, finished in 1914. They also worked on flood control, like the Bonneville Dam, and big projects such as the Pentagon, finished in 1943. They helped with space centers like Kennedy Space Center starting in 1961.

Big events like the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore showed how important the Corps is in helping after disasters.

Organization

The chief of engineers and commanding general (lt. general) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has three main areas of work: combat engineers, military construction, and civil works. For each area, a different person oversees the chief of engineers. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C.. The staff there helps make plans and decisions for all the other groups in the Corps of Engineers.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is organized into eight permanent divisions, one provisional division, one provisional district, and one research command. Each division has several districts.

The divisions include the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, Mississippi Valley Division, North Atlantic Division, Northwestern Division, Pacific Ocean Division, South Atlantic Division, South Pacific Division, and Southwestern Division. There is also a Transatlantic Division that supports projects overseas.

The Engineer Regiment includes combat engineers and support engineers. The Regiment is headquartered at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Other groups within the Corps of Engineers include the Engineer Research and Development Center, which does research; the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, which gives technical help; and the Finance Center, which handles money matters. There are also groups for geospatial information, marine design, water resources, logistics, and information technology services.

Mission areas

See also: Sapper, Combat engineer, and Military engineering

The United States Army Corps of Engineers helps with important tasks both during and outside of wars. They build and keep up places where the Army and Air Force train, live, and move. They also build systems that help ships and boats move safely. Their research helps find new ways to protect soldiers and improve maps.

During wars, they give special help to leaders. Small teams of experts can join soldiers to give quick advice or connect to bigger teams for more help. Before troops left Iraq and Afghanistan in 2021, they helped rebuild places there and set up important services.

Homeland security

The Corps helps the United States protect against dangers like storms and floods. They work with groups that handle emergencies and natural disasters. Every year, they help with many big and small emergencies across the country.

Infrastructure support

They take care of many important buildings and places for the military and for everyday life. This includes keeping waterways open for ships, watching over dams, and making sure flood walls are strong.

More than half of the goods we use come through special ports that the Corps keeps safe. They watch over 12,000 miles of water paths for boats and ships. They also take care of 609 dams, 257 locks for boats, and 75 power plants that make electricity.

Water resources

See also: Army engineer diver

The Corps does many projects to help protect our coasts, stop floods, make power, and give people water. They build and fix waterways so boats can move easily. They also help keep rivers from flooding and make lakes and beaches safe for fun.

They run many places where people can fish, boat, and have picnics. About 260 million people visit these places each year.

They also make electricity from rivers and lakes. Their power plants give about a quarter of the nation’s hydroelectric power. They work to keep beaches safe from big storms and watch over dams to make sure they are safe.

Environment

The Corps works to keep nature healthy. They clean up places that used to have factories or military bases and help bring back wetlands and animals that need special care.

Sustainability

The Army wants to use energy and resources wisely. The Corps helps by building things that save energy and water. They are learning new ways to build and keep up places so they are good for the Earth. They report each year on how they are doing to make sure they keep getting better.

Operational facts and figures

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a big group that helps build and manage many important things. They have one main office, 8 divisions, and 45 districts. They work in over 90 countries and help take care of Army and Air Force bases.

They own and manage many dams, power plants, and water paths for boats. They also keep harbors safe and maintain many outdoor spaces where people can visit and enjoy nature. Their work helps prevent flooding and protects the environment. They have built many important projects, including schools, water systems, and roads, helping communities grow and stay safe.

Environmental protection and regulatory program

The United States Army Corps of Engineers helps protect the country's water areas, like rivers, lakes, and wetlands. They check requests for building or changing these areas to make sure it does not harm the environment. They follow special rules from laws like the Rivers and Harbors Act and the Clean Water Act.

They give out different kinds of permits for building near water. Most are nationwide permits for small projects, while bigger projects need individual permits. All permits help make sure that building near water is done safely and carefully to protect nature.

Research

The Corps of Engineers has two research groups: the Engineer Research and Development Center and the Army Geospatial Center.

The ERDC works on science and technology for building and protecting the environment. It studies things like dam safety, mapping, infrastructure, and structural engineering.

The AGC helps the Army with maps and location information for its work.

Insignia

Main article: Corps Castle

The Corps of Engineers has a special symbol called the Corps Castle. It started in 1841 when students at West Point wore this symbol. In 1902, it became the official symbol for the Corps of Engineers. The "castle" shows the Pershing Barracks at West Point in New York.

A special tradition began with gold castle pins that belonged to General Douglas MacArthur. In 1945, he gave these pins to his chief engineer, General Leif J. Sverdrup. In 1975, General Sverdrup gave the pins to Lieutenant General William C. Gribble, Jr. Since then, each new Chief of Engineers has received these special gold castle pins.

Controversies

Civil works

Main article: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works controversies

Some projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been criticized. People have said these projects sometimes cost too much money or don't help the economy as much as promised. For example, the New Madrid Floodway Project and flood protection in New Orleans have been discussed this way. After Hurricane Katrina, some flood walls failed, causing flooding in much of New Orleans.

Reviews of these projects have also been questioned for not being fair. An investigation into the flood wall failures during Hurricane Katrina was paid for by the Corps of Engineers and included their employees.

Projects by the Corps of Engineers exist in all 50 states. They are approved and funded by Congress. Local groups often ask Congress for money to build specific projects in their areas.

Senators Russ Feingold and John McCain tried to make these projects more open. They suggested checking the projects with experts before they start. A law about this was passed in 2007.

Military construction

Some army camps and buildings made by the Corps of Engineers have sometimes caused problems for nearby communities. For example, the old Camp O'Ryan in New York State may have polluted water with lead. This pollution could affect drinking water for many people because the water flows into the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. Making things harder, the plans for how Camp O'Ryan was built are missing.

Greenhouse whistleblower suit

Bunnatine "Bunny" Greenhouse, a top official in the Corps of Engineers, won a lawsuit against the U.S. government in 2011. She had spoken up about problems with how costs were estimated for a big contract. After she complained, she was moved to a lower job. A court later gave her almost one million dollars for what she went through.

Units

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has many units that help with engineering tasks. These units include commands like the 412th Engineer Command and 416th Engineer Command, as well as brigades such as the 1st Engineer Brigade, 16th Engineer Brigade, and 18th Engineer Brigade. There are also many battalions, like the 10th Engineer Battalion, 14th Engineer Battalion, and 46th Engineer Battalion. These units work together to support the Corps' missions.

Notable personnel

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has had many important leaders. Charles Keller was a former U.S. Army Brigadier General and one of the oldest officers during World War II. Peter Conover Hains was a former U.S. Army Major General and one of the oldest officers during World War I. He is the only person known to have served in both the American Civil War and the First World War.