In the event our armed forces are mobilized to meet a national threat, the Vicksburg District would assume a role of military construction on the home front, building training bases, barracks, airfields, and other necessary facilities. Mobilization, like a flood fight, requires preparation to assure a smooth transition from civil works to military construction. Of course, no one wants war but, as George Washington told both Houses of Congress in his first annual address in 1790, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." To ready civilian employees in case of emergency, the Corps holds regular mobilization exercises to test responses and find weaknesses and strengths.