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Small businesses a vital part of the team

December 12th, 2011
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Maj. Gen. Merdith W.B. (Bo) Temple addresses the audience at the 2011 SAME Small Business Conference in Washington, D.C.

Did you know that small businesses in the U.S. represent 99 percent of all employer firms, and employ about half of all private sector employees? Small businesses have generated 65 percent of the net new jobs over the past 17 years, and hire 43 percent of high tech workers, including scientists, engineers, computer programmers and others.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) understands the importance of small businesses. In Fiscal Year 2011, 42.5 percent of all USACE contract obligations were awarded to small businesses at a total value of $8.1 billion. I am very proud that our teams not only met but exceeded our assigned goals this year in every category, including awards to Small Disadvantaged, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Women-Owned and HUBZone businesses.

Recently, Corps leaders and our hard-working acquisition professionals, as well as their counterparts from other Department of Defense (DOD) agencies, participated in the Society of Military Engineers’ annual Small Business Conference for DOD Engineering, Construction and Environmental Programs. This event and others like it offer small businesses vital information and training to prepare them to work with the government, while allowing us to learn how their companies can help the Corps serve the military and the Nation.

If you take a look back at what the Corps has accomplished over the past year, you will see clearly the importance of our small business and industry partners. After five years of intense effort, we met our commitments to deliver $11 billion of Base Realignment and Closure projects to our military customers and provide 100-year risk reduction to the citizens of New Orleans with the massive $14 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. Our teams were on the ground this year helping communities recover from tornadoes and hurricanes and managing historic flooding throughout much of the country. Where the Corps has served our Nation, small businesses have played a vital role. The same is true overseas, where we are reaching out and working with local contractors in Europe, Asia and Afghanistan to build Host Nation Capacity.

It takes the whole team – USACE and our federal partners, state and local agencies, tribal nations, special interest groups, academia and industry – to deliver sustainable engineering solutions and the Small Business community is a very important part of our success.

Afghanistan, Civil Works, Contingency Operations, Contracting, Emergency Response, Gulf Coast Recovery, Iraq, Military Programs, Partnership, Small Business

Corps delivers on BRAC ’05 mission

November 1st, 2011
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September marked the deadline for delivering projects in the Army Base Realignment and Closure 2005 (BRAC ‘05) plan. BRAC ’05, an $18 billion investment and the largest military construction program since World War II, provided an unprecedented one-time opportunity for reshaping how the Army trains, deploys, supplies and equips garrisons.

The Corps executed the facilities portion of Army BRAC ‘05, which includes 274 of 329 MILCON projects valued at $11 billion (The National Guard executed the remaining 55). These projects included everything from hospitals and four-star headquarters to training facilities and massive office complexes. Fulfilling our BRAC mission was a Corps-wide effort and thousands of our employees, in coordination with our contractors and military customers, were involved in designing and constructing sustainable, cost-effective facilities for our Armed Forces and they did so safely, on time and within budget.

Over the past six years, fiscal years 2006 – 2011, the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Military Construction programs have managed projects valued at $93 billion in support of the Army, Air Force, Defense Department, Overseas Contingency Operations, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, BRAC and Energy Conservation Investment Program. The Corps was able to do this because we had the right people with the right capabilities, and we had the flexibility to adapt our acquisition and delivery methods.

The BRAC program has been a great learning experience for USACE, and we are now better postured to meet the challenges of future missions in this complex, resource-constrained environment. I am very proud that the Corps is Building Strong for the Army and the Nation.

Essayons!
Temple

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District managed the design and construction of a $304M state-of-the-art headquarters facility for the Army Forces Command and Army Reserves Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Military Programs, Uncategorized

Army Chief of Staff Thanks USACE

September 17th, 2010
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I am proud to share the following letter we recently received from Gen. George W. Casey, the Army’s Chief of Staff.  

Gen. Casey thanks USACE.

Gulf Coast Recovery, Military Programs, Miscellaneous "neat stuff", Partnership, Uncategorized

Military Construction

June 5th, 2008
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A few months ago, my friend Bo Temple, Deputy Commanding General for Military and International Operations, blogged about some of his experiences as he visited some of our military construction sites around the world. Well, I just got some updated information about our massive military construction efforts and I wanted to share the latest.
 
This is some of the new family housing in Korea

This is some of the new family housing in Korea

We are facing the largest military construction workload since World War II.  Between fiscal years 2008 and 2013, we will manage an Army military construction program totaling an estimated $39 billion. That is peaking right now, in 2008 and 2009, at about $10 billion per year, as we meet the intense demand brought about by Army transformation, global restationing and base realignment and closure.
 
Some of the accomplishments we’ll see from this include: 47 child development centers, accommodating nearly 9,500 children; 112 Armed Forces Reserve Centers or Army Reserve Centers; approximately 38,100 permanent barracks spaces and more than 66,500 training barracks spaces; over 1,200 Family housing units; 13 Brigade Combat Team complexes; and nearly 120 range facilities. 
And this is the inside view...

And this is the inside view...

This program is spread out all around the world. In the southwest at Fort Bliss, we’re delivering a building per week for the next five years. In the Pacific region, the Corps will continue the massive construction underway in Korea with Camp Humphreys planned as the new home of the U.S. Forces Korea in 2012.  Meanwhile, in Japan, massive construction efforts include airfields, operational facilities and housing to support a major realignment of bilateral forces in both mainland Japan and Okinawa.
The bottom line with our military construction mission is that we must ensure the Soldiers and their Families have facilities commensurate to the quality of their selfless service to the Nation, and I am proud that the Corps is a part of it!

Corps Projects, International and Interagency Services, Military Programs , , , , , , ,

USACE Around the World Part 3 – New York City

March 18th, 2008
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Guest Blog by MG Bo Temple
 
(Original Posted March 18, 2008)
Well, I put on my traveling boots again, this time for a much shorter trip to Fort Drum, N.Y. It was ironic to me that the weather in New York was colder than in Alaska a week earlier!
 
As I drove around the installation, I saw new facilities being constructed around every corner. Over the next few years, we’ll be working hard to build facilities to support the addition of three brigade combat teams. Before those units can come to Fort Drum, we have to build new headquarters, barracks, housing, child development centers, and various other support facilities.
This is one of the many facilities under construction in NY.

This is one of the many facilities under construction in NY.

This enormous boom in construction is being skillfully handled by a program manager named Ed, and his highly motivated team. One of the best parts of my job is meeting members of our team – I really enjoyed visiting with all of the folks at Fort Drum, like Jerry, one of our team leaders. We all have important jobs to do in support of our nation’s defense – I was reminded of this when I met a program analyst named Cheryl who has been working very hard over the past year to support the Soldiers on the installation while her husband was bravely serving in Iraq.
On my visit I also toured a Child Development Center that is under construction.  I met the project engineer team leader Brett, the building contractor, and, I was surprised to meet the customer, Becky. In fact, it was Becky, who serves as the operational specialist for child development, who walked me through the site pointing out the features of the building.  It was interesting to see the relationship that the area office had fostered between her and the contractor to ensure the finished project will be what the customer needs. I can tell that our children are in good hands.
I later toured a storage and maintenance facility for the fleet of snow removal equipment at the Wheeler Sack Army Airfield.  The project engineer Dick, also known as “Rambo-Tool Man”, had helped deliver a high quality facility on time and below the programmed amount. The customer had moved into the facility only days before my visit, and they were very pleased by the final product.
Throughout my travels I saw a number of successful projects and met a number of outstanding people.  For every name I mentioned above (or in the other two blog posts), there are dozens of others whose hard work and dedication are critical to providing the quality of facilities we are delivering today. I was amazed by the number of projects that were being constructed on time, within cost, and without accidents or injuries.  The Corps’ professional staff is working hard to make sure that our service members and their families have facilities for work and leisure activities that are commensurate with the tremendous level of service they are providing to our great nation.
 
It was a great whirlwind of a trip. Thanks for letting me share some of my experiences with you.

Corps Projects, Family Readiness, Infrastructure, Military Programs

USACE Around the World Part 2 Alaska

March 17th, 2008
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(Originally posted March 17, 2008)

Special Guest Posting by MG Bo Temple
After a few days enjoying one of coldest Okinawan winters in recent memory (with lows in the 50s), I went “North, to Alaska” to spend some time with Colonel Kevin Wilson and his great team at the Alaska Engineer District.  I was pleased to hear that I had missed the cold snap a couple weeks prior to my visit, and enjoyed the weather in the 20s and 30s.
 
The good weather allowed us to travel north from the district office to visit a variety of projects in central Alaska.  I was very excited to see the rehabilitated Central Heating and Power Plant at Ft. Wainwright. This project was completed about a year ago by a highly competent crew led by a great engineer named John. This critical facility upgraded the heating and electric power sources for all the facilities and housing on the military installation.  In a place where temperatures drop to minus 40 degrees, heating and power are an absolute necessity and this new facility provides peace of mind to the Soldiers and their Families who depend on it. 
The gang at the Central Heating and Power Plant at Ft. Wainwright

The gang at the Central Heating and Power Plant at Ft. Wainwright

My next stop was the new post hospital. The hospital commander and staff were very pleased with the facility constructed by Roger, the project manager, and his team. We all know how important it is to provide quality health care to Soldiers and their families; this facility helps ensure the Army is keeping its promise to do that.
 
I also had the opportunity to see some of the family housing at Fort Wainwright, which was truly impressive. My executive officer, Major Rob Kimmel, and I walked through a company grade officer’s quarters. We both were amazed by the quality, the layout, and the size of the quarters. These houses, being constructed by Phil and his team, are the kind of quarters that a Soldier can be proud to live in. 
Then it was off to visit Fort Greely, where we toured a group of facilities recently constructed for the Missile Defense Program.  These highly technical facilities have to be constructed to exacting standards, and our team is meeting that challenge head-on.  Their support to the Soldiers who man the facilities is critical to our national defense.  The customer was very pleased with the outstanding work we have done, as well as the work that is on-going.
 
At Eielson Air Force Base, I toured a new chapel that is under construction.  The project is beautifully designed and won a prestigious design award. The project manager, Jeff, and the rest of the team are building a facility that the Airmen and their families will enjoy for years to come.  Similarly, Jack, a Quality Assurance Representative, is helping construct a gorgeous expansion project at the Eielson Fitness Facility that will provide an indoor track and exercise field that Airmen will be enjoying during the long winter months for years to come.
I then headed south to Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Air Force Base.  These two bases are being combined in a new Joint Basing Initiative and will soon be known simply as Elmendorf.  The merger changes the way the district interacts with the bases, and changes the types of facilities we are constructing.  Colonel Wilson and his team are doing an outstanding job working through the issues as they come up, ensuring that they continue to provide the same high level of support to the customer. 
 
I visited a number of projects on both sides of the base, including some barracks constructed using the standard designs developed through our new operating principles, known as Military Construction Transformation. This is our initiative to deliver projects at a 15 percent savings from traditional cost expectations, while reducing construction time by 30 percent. I was impressed by our team and by the quality of the facilities being constructed at or below the programmed amount.
 
After this long trip, I returned home for a couple of days to thaw out before hitting the road again – next I’ll tell you about my visit to Fort Drum, N.Y. – where the people warmed my heart, even though the weather was freezing!

Corps Projects, Military Programs , , , , , , ,

USACE Around the World Part 1 Japan

March 14th, 2008
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(Originally posted March 14, 2008)

Guest Posting by MG Bo Temple
LTG Van Antwerp asked me to share my experiences from my visit to Japan last month. In February, I spent some time with District Engineer Colonel Barrett Holmes and his team.
 
I had the pleasure of joining the Japan Engineer District at the annual Senior Engineer Conference, a joint forum sponsored by the District and the United States Forces Japan. At the conference, we discussed a variety of issues involving the current and future construction programs taking place throughout Japan.  The event was a big success due to the hard work of people like Keily, known by most as “Snoopy.”
 
During my trip, I visited a number of the key projects sites on the main Japanese island of Honshu, including a wharf upgrade project at Yokosuka where the U.S. Navy will soon deploy the USS George Washington and its crew. Our team is upgrading the berth itself, and building a high quality water facility, a new power station facility, and a series of utility tunnels that will connect the generation plant to the wharf upgrades. These projects wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding work of people like Arnold, the project engineer for the wharf upgrade, and Yoshio, the quality assurance representative and electrical engineer on the power upgrades.
A project briefing at the Iawakuni airstrip in Japan

A project briefing at the Iwakuni airstrip in Japan

From Yokosuka I traveled south to Iwakuni.  The folks there are literally moving mountains.  The Marine Corps requires a new runway, but the only way to expand the base is out into the water.  So, Setsuharu, and others on the team there, are making land where there was none. Through exemplary technical and leadership skills they relocated more than 21 million cubic meters of earth from a nearby mountaintop to create 533 acres of new land for the new runway.  Their close coordination with the Government of Japan, the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps made this project happen.  

My final stop was in Okinawa, where I visited the vast array of projects that our dedicated people are responsible for. Dawn, the Okinawa Area Engineer, and Dewai, the chief of Project Management Branch-Okinawa, have been instrumental in managing the diverse joint program throughout the island.
 
I visited a beautiful middle school that will be ready for students next year.  I was truly impressed by the quality of construction that the Ryukyu resident engineer, Shigeru, and the rest of the team are delivering.  These facilities are on par with the finest schools in any city in the United States – service members and their families who are considering an assignment in Okinawa can feel good about their quality of life.
 

In northern Okinawa, I visited a range construction program led by Norman.  He and his crew are working hard to ensure our troops have quality facilities to hone their war-fighting skills. Given the rugged terrain, they are employing a number of creative ideas to achieve the desired training effect on each range.
I had a great visit with the Japan Engineer District team – they truly are providing quality projects for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their Families living and working in Japan.
Next time, I’ll tell you about my wild adventures going “north to Alaska!”

Corps Projects, Infrastructure, International and Interagency Services, Military Programs , , , , , , , ,

Supporting Soldiers, Civilians and Families

February 26th, 2008
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(Originally posted Feb 26, 2008)

I recently gave Defense of Freedom Medals- the civilian equivalent to the Purple Heart- to Natalie and Jarrod for IED wounds received in Iraq. They, along with our other 800 civilians deployed in OIF/OEF, are courageous and committed to getting ‘er done over there. I stand in awe.

Natalie’s and Jarrod’s injuries put the spotlight on how we take care of wounded Civilian warriors and their Families. We succeeded because of the extraordinary efforts of COL Ray Midkiff and his team in Louisville (and many others), but we also learned we could have had things wired better for our Civilians and their Families-to do them justice.

We’re now fast-tracking our efforts to create a value-adding Family Readiness Program, with standardized procedures for helping with pre-, during-, and post-deployment issues.

In early February, dozens of USACE employees and their family members teamed up to take this on. At the end of their time together, representatives outbriefed a number of needed actions. Using this as a kick start, we made a commitment to begin in earnest to build the USACE Family Readiness Program for our employees – Civilians and Soldiers (Active Duty, Reserve and Guard). This week, we are reconvening and expanding a HQ Family Readiness Project Development Team (PDT) to address the issues raised — to include participation in the Army’s family programs, clarification of casualty management and medical processes, and improvement in the way we deploy our team members and bring them home. One exciting development is that we have a commitment from HQ Department of the Army to provide 10 Army Integrated Family Support Network Specialists to help us in our efforts. Timelines and specific arrangements are working now to make that a reality.
The Corps is absolutely committed to taking care of our people and their families. We are making great progress with this initiative. If you have a passion to help in this area, please contact your leadership and get involved. It takes a “Village”!

Afghanistan, Contingency Operations, Family Readiness, International and Interagency Services, Iraq, Military Programs , , , , , , , , ,

Iraq Reconstruction

February 13th, 2008
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(Originally Posted Feb 13, 2008) 
When I first took command, I sat down with all of my senior leaders and developed the priorities and tenets that will drive this organization during my tenure. One of the tenets was to have transparent communication, and thanks to technology, that’s easier than I thought!  So I’d like to dedicate my first posting to one of our Corps priorities – supporting the Global War on Terror.
 
A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Corps offices in Iraq and was able to tour a few of the projects our dedicated servicemembers, Civilians and contractors are working so hard on. I was there to mark the Gulf Region Division’s (GRD) 4th anniversary in Iraq, and it was awe inspiring to reflect on how much this organization has done for Iraq and its people. With more than 800 Civilian and military personnel currently deployed to the region, we have completed more than 4,300 projects along side some 40,000 Iraqis. When talking with our teammates at GRD, I found that their experiences in Iraq have given them a new and positive perspective on life. I am humbled by their sacrifices.
We had big plans for the trip with lots of projects to see, but unfortunately, the weather had other things in mind, so we had to pass on some of our original scheduled site visits. But in addition to our time in Baghad at GRD, I was able to visit Balad Air Base and As Sulaymaniyah.
 
One project I’d like to talk about is the renovation of Cham Chamal Prison in As Sulaymaniyah, in northeast Iraq. The facility was built years ago under Saddam Hussein, who used it as a prison to lock away thousands of Kurds; still a very sensitive subject for the Kurdish people in the region. Today, a Kurdish contractor is doing the renovations and upgrades, and work is well under way and on schedule, to make it into a high security confinement facility that the government of Iraq can use for years to come.
 
But one thing you just don’t see much of in the mainstream media, is the quality of life improvements I was able to see first hand: busy streets, markets overflowing with fruits and vegetables, and people going about their daily routines – all very positive signs of progress for that region.
 
Throughout Iraq, there is major progress to report. The country has more capacity to generate power today than during the Saddam Regime, and we’re spreading it more equitably across the country. Our efforts have almost doubled Iraq’s ability to generate power. There are families in Anbar Province that have never had power before – and now they do! Essential services, like hospitals, water sewage pump stations and fire stations have power 24 hours a day. There’s a 3 tiered approach to distribution, which is that first, essential services get power, then what remains is filtered to the government buildings, and then to the residents and private businesses, so that’s why some people, in Baghdad for example, who used to get power all the time, are experiencing less than before – but throughout the country it is a major improvement.
 
Add to that the fact that we are chasing an ever-changing goal – demand has increased more than 70 percent since 2004 because Iraqis are purchasing more energy-intensive products such as air conditioners, refrigerators, computers and other electronics. This is a good thing! It means the economy is growing stronger.
 
I was really disappointed that we were unable to visit the Basrah Children’s Hospital, which was one of the stops nixed for weather issues. But, the progress there is really promising – it’s now close to 80% complete. Along with Project HOPE, we are committed to complete the hospital project on schedule, and I am going to try again next time to be able to see it in person.
 
Looking ahead to the future, we remain committed to integrating Iraqi women and women-owned businesses as a component of building the workforce and infrastructure as Iraq gets closer to managing all of these services on its own.
 
In my view, winning in Iraq and Afghanistan takes more than military efforts alone. The work our leaders and teammates are doing on the infrastructure, in direct coordination with the Iraqi ministries, is building capacity and strengthening their own capabilities. I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Corps, who have a key role in this fight.
 
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you. I look forward to the dialog!
 
Best, Van

Contingency Operations, Corps Projects, Infrastructure, International and Interagency Services, Iraq, Military Programs , , , , , , , , , , , , ,