USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has long tended the Mississippi River, seen here from a scenic overlook at the Trail of Tears State Park in Jackson, Mo.
MEET THE
DIVISIONS The Army Corps’ missions, from sea to shining sea
E
By Peggy J. Noonan
NGINEERS INCORPORATE THE CONCEPT of resilience into their work, “whether it’s something as simple as a foundation design or levee design,” said James C. Dalton, chief of engineering and construction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). “It’s part of our training. Resilience is absolutely not a new concept.” But the idea of bouncing back after a major event has taken on new meaning in the wake of expensive disasters, a changing climate and new military missions. Now, resilience “helps those that we serve to better understand risk and uncertainty,” Dalton said. “In just about any definition of resilience, you’ll see the terms ‘prepare,’ ‘absorb,’ ‘recover’ and ‘adapt.’” Those four principles of resilience help the Corps plan ahead. In disaster response, for example, the Corps prepares by putting measures into place so a community can better absorb the
results of events such as hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes, and during cleanup and rebuilding. As the community recovers, the Corps can help by providing shelter or electricity, or by pumping away water from flooded areas. And it assists military communities in adapting to changing needs, including the new emphasis on sustainability. The Army’s Net Zero initiative, for example, helps to better manage water and energy use as well as waste disposal at Army facilities. “By achieving Net Zero energy, water and waste, our installations can more quickly recover from catastrophic events or minimize disruptions to mission operations,” Dalton said. Meet the nine divisions of the Army Corps and learn how they’re carrying out these missions. CO N T I N U E D
GAYLE HARPER