The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville is building on its origins of ballistic missile defense by becoming the Ballistic Missile Defense System Mandatory Center of Expertise Sept. 30.
Engineer Regulation 1110-2-8163 outlines roles and responsibilities for the new CX.
The Huntsville Center (then Huntsville Division) stood up in 1967 with the primary mission of supporting Sentinel/Safeguard. Since that time, the Center continues to adapt to the changing needs of the country and to expand its portfolio – always maintaining technical expertise in Ballistic Missile Defense. Due to that expertise, and the proximity of Huntsville Center to the Missile Defense Agency's location on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, MDA requested establishing a formal MCX, and Headquarters, USACE approved the MCX.
The BMDS-MCX provides standard USACE support and technical expertise to MDA, and ensures standardization of design where applicable; maintains technical expertise; leverages technical knowledge; and assures consistency and efficiency in delivery of BMDS facilities and infrastructure.
“The MCX serves as the ‘door to the Corps' for MDA,” said Bill Craven, the BMDS Branch chief. “We provide centralized reporting, maintain contracts for use not only by Huntsville Center, but also by districts that have MDA projects, and most importantly, we assist the geographic districts with their MDA projects – from planning and programming to assisting in requirements development to providing technical expertise (in-house or assist in finding elsewhere) to assisting in construction services to other support.”
According to Craven, the key is Huntsville Center assists the USACE geographic districts as part of the Program Project Delivery Team, which the geographic district's assigned project manager leads. When MDA comes to Huntsville Center with a project or requirement, we engage the geographic district and ensure coordination takes place between the district and the MDA, he said.
“On the rare occasion that a district cannot take on the new work, we either do it within the BMDS MCX or steer it to the appropriate office, such as the Electronic Security Systems MCX or Installation Support and Programs Management (both at Huntsville Center), depending upon the nature of the project,” Craven said. “The most important thing is to provide the right support to MDA and their mission of delivering capabilities that support national security.”
Huntsville Center’s BMDS MCX and various offices within the Center are currently assisting the following geographic districts: Alaska (Clear Air Station and Fort Greely), Honolulu (Meck Island), Europe (Poland, Romania, Turkey and other locations), Los Angeles (Vandenberg Air Force Base) and Japan.