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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency and International Services

Carrying out the nation's work abroad

Wolner said outreach programs to former Soviet Bloc nations in both Central Asia and Eastern Europe began shortly after the end of the Cold War, helping with development of infrastructure as well as civil and military training. Overall, when, where, and how USACE responds with an IIS effort is based on need and invitation, without respect to other government-to-government relations.

“The Corps has value in different eras and changes in the political landscape, but we bring a technological expertise related to engineering, environment, [and] water resources that every nation needs, along with defense, diplomacy, and development, which is true now and in the past,” he continued. “Those are the kinds of technology capabilities other nations are seeking and we have the ability to provide through different authorities and partnerships, such as USAID.

“For some of the programs in developing countries, capacity development is a principal driver. Doing small projects in places like Bangladesh and Southeast Asia are expensive, given the long distances involved, so it makes sense to reach out to local capabilities and then provide training to those to build schools or medical facilities, etc. The intent is to build capacity in that community for that project, not just come in with all our horsepower and do it ourselves.”

Building partner capacity has become a key element of U.S. foreign and military policy and, according to Balocki, a side benefit of the work USACE does through IIS. In part, that is accomplished through the employment of host-nation workers to the extent feasible.

“It depends first on what kind of technical capabilities the local government and workforce have – are they able to do things at the high end, technically, such as computer-controlled design and drawing, or is it simple manual labor? We will tailor the requirements of the work we do based on the needs of a particular project,” he said, adding that also can be complicated by language and local, often tribal, conflicts.

Solar-powered streetlights have boosted commerce in busy business districts in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, where USACE installed them late last year. In addition to improving commerce and security, the streetlights are improving residents’ perception of their city as well. Since the lights were installed, more families walk along the street and shop at night, giving the area a busy, bustling atmosphere. USACE photo by J.D. Hardesty 

Solar-powered streetlights have boosted commerce in busy business districts in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, where USACE installed them late last year. In addition to improving commerce and security, the streetlights are improving residents’ perception of their city as well. Since the lights were installed, more families walk along the street and shop at night, giving the area a busy, bustling atmosphere. USACE photo by J.D. Hardesty

“For example, one of the challenges we have in Afghanistan is security and our ability to have U.S. quality assurance reps see that materials and construction specs are in accordance with the contract. That is hampered by the need to move them around in armored vehicles and with guards. A solution was to hire Afghan university graduates, who could learn our methods, then freely move around the country speaking local dialects with local contractors without interpreters. So it is a case of employing local nationals to implement appropriate practices and procedures.”

Occasionally, as in the Chinese water resources effort, USACE may learn as well as teach. But in all cases, the support provided is not to help build another nation’s army or police, but to help the civilian population as part of the effort to stabilize nations and regions – and thereby enhance U.S. security at home and abroad.

“Is it quid pro quo? No, not in every instance. We participate in technology conferences where there are exchanges of papers and information,” Balocki said, adding that the effort in Afghanistan to develop water resources is more typical. “We put some folks on the ground there to work with the Ministry of Water and Energy for a number of months or a year to help understand the challenges and develop programs to enhance water security, provide irrigation and hydropower.

“One might think, at the headwaters of the Hindu Kush [region], Afghanistan would be a water-rich nation, but it is not and faces a number of challenges. Our folks who deal in that environment, with the scarcity, develop a sustainable solution, which also pays back to us. So it is not a direct exchange where a technical person there shares with us, but learning challenges and solution sets by simply being there. The Afghans have been doing things for centuries that we have found interesting and have helped us improve our own capabilities.”

USACE is a military-led organization with a civilian technology workforce, which Wolner said is a power combination in dealing with the facilities, infrastructure, environment, and problems all nations face. While some of those are small projects, they combine to produce multiple benefits, both to host nations’ abilities to manage their own disasters or infrastructure facilities in the future and to work on common problems with long-term benefits.

“The Corps of Engineers, by virtue of unique authorities, works in the international environment where the technology connection we can make augments the diplomatic and military connections our nation makes. That makes the Corps uniquely positioned as a national security resource, with access and innovative small footprint solutions to needs, which is pretty powerful. And, frankly, the nation benefits from having an arm that can do internationally what other agencies of the federal government may not be able to accomplish,” Balocki said, but emphasized that is not done independently.

“At the end of the day, we respond to the guy who is paying the bills. We may or may not be privy to exchanges between our military and diplomatic colleagues. We will tell them what is technically possible or the cost if a change is suggested, but what those may be is up to the guy operating in that space. IIS also allows leaders of foreign governments, whether ministers of defense or interior or public works, to see our Soldiers and key leaders as citizen Soldiers, drawn from the fabric of our society and leading areas of social development, things that lead to good government and a strong national fiber, as opposed to just being warriors.”

Even so, he added, there remains one major misconception about USACE: That it is primarily a design, engineering, and construction organization.

“In fact, that is only one element of all we do. We have a rich and robust R&D capability, for example, in some cases with the nation’s top experts on some of the technologies we are developing,” Balocki concluded. “Which makes the Corps an asset the nation owns that can be deployed anywhere on Earth to do the nation’s work or support others who may need our capabilities.”

This article originally appeared in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Building Strong®, Serving the Nation and the Armed Forces 2012-2013 Edition.

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J.R. Wilson has been a full-time freelance writer, focusing primarily on aerospace, defense and high...