United States Army Corps of Engineers

United States federal agency under the Department of Defense and a major Army command / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is an engineer formation of the United States Army that has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil works. The day-to-day activities of the three mission areas are administered by a lieutenant general known as the commanding general/chief of engineers. 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 commanding general 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.

Quick facts: United States Army Corps of Engineers, Active...
United States Army Corps of Engineers
USACE.gif
Active1775–present
CountryFlag_of_the_United_States.svg United States
BranchFlag_of_the_United_States_Army.svg U.S. Army
TypeEngineer
RoleCorps
Part ofEmblem_of_the_United_States_Department_of_the_Army.svg U.S. Department of the Army
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Motto(s)French: Essayons, lit.'Let Us Try'
Colors   Scarlet and white
Anniversaries16 June (Organization Day)
Wars
WebsiteU.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Commanders
Commander and Chief of EngineersLieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon
Deputy CommanderMajor General Richard J. Heitkamp
Insignia
Flag
Chief_of_Engineers_Flag.png
Logo
United_States_Army_Corps_of_Engineers_logo.svg
Coat of arms
US-ArmyCorpsOfEngineers-COA.svg
Engineer Regimental insignia
US-Engineers-Regimental_Insignia.png
AbbreviationUSACE
Close
Army_Corps_of_Engineers_Headquarters_2016.jpg
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.
OlmstedAerial_22May2012.jpg
Olmsted Locks and Dam was under construction for over 20 years under the US Army Corps of Engineers' watch, opening in 2018.
Colonel_Debra_Lewis%2C_a_district_commander_with_the_Army_Corps_of_Engineers_and_Sheik_O%27rhaman_Hama_Raheem.jpg
Colonel Debra Lewis, the Gulf Region Division Central District commander with Sheik O'rhaman Hama Raheem, an Iraqi councilman, celebrate the opening of a new women's center in Assriya Village that the Corps helped construct in 2006.[1]
Dredge_Tauracavor_3.jpg
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge Tauracavor 3 in New York Harbor.
Mississippi_River_Improvement_1890.jpg
Mississippi River improvement, 1890
Proctor_Lake%2C_Texas.jpg
Proctor Lake, Texas, constructed by the Corps of Engineers to provide flood control, drinking water, and recreation

Continental Congress authority for a "Chief Engineer for the Army" dates from 16 June 1775. 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.

For the civil works mission the commanding general is directed and supervised by the Assistant Secretary of the Army, also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Army civil works consists of three congressionally 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, 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.[2] USACE has 37,000 civilian and military personnel,[3] making it one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. 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. It 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: