USACE briefs world-wide capabilities to allies

Huntsville Center Public Affairs
Published July 15, 2014
Col. Robert Ruch, Huntsville Center commander, center, and Janet Phillips, HQ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Deputy Chief of Security Assistance, provided a capabilities brief to foreign military officers associated with the Army Program Executive Office-Aviation July 10.

Col. Robert Ruch, Huntsville Center commander, center, and Janet Phillips, HQ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Deputy Chief of Security Assistance, provided a capabilities brief to foreign military officers associated with the Army Program Executive Office-Aviation July 10.

When you think of foreign military sales, you may not consider the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, USACE does have a role.

Representatives of the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville and Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met with a group of foreign liaison officers associated with the Army Program Executive Office-Aviation July 10 to provide an overview of the Corps’ services available through the Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales program.

Col. Robert Ruch, Huntsville Center commander, and Janet Phillips, HQ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Deputy Chief of Security Assistance, provided basic information about the Corps and Huntsville Center capabilities to military officers from Australia, Canada, Israel, Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

The foreign officers are assigned to Redstone Arsenal for face-to-face coordination for the aircraft their nations procure.

However, the aircraft -- be it rotary wing, fixed wing or unmanned aerial vehicle -- are but one element of a system, and Ruch and Phillips took the opportunity to help the officers understand USACE and Huntsville Center’s capabilities to support the very systems their nations procure.  

Phillips explained USACE capabilities through Federal Authorities including Foreign Military Sales and Foreign Military Financing, Arms Control Act and Section 607 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

She gave examples of how the Corps has worked with other nations citing the Corps’ Institute for Water Resources planning and management project in Brazil and Bahrain and the Corps’ Army Geospatial Center information technology support in Canada.

 “The Corps is typically looked at as an engineering and construction organization, but we also provide engineering solutions and services, too,” Phillips said.

Ruch provided an overview of Huntsville Center projects and programs such as the Chemical Demilitarization, engineering, ordnance and explosives and installation support with a focus on the Installation Support and Programs Management Directorate’s Energy Division.

Ruch said because Huntsville Center is not limited by geographic boundaries, the Center can provide effective, innovative engineering solutions anywhere on the globe. 

He also explained Huntsville Center has five Mandatory Centers of Expertise: Medical Facilities; Army Ranges and Training Lands; Electronic Security Systems; Environmental and Munitions and Utility Monitoring and Control Systems.

 “We (Corps of Engineers and Huntsville Center) are a dynamic group of people and we have always welcomed any projects that strengthen partnerships with our strategic allies,” Ruch said.

Russ Dunford, Huntsville Center operations officer, said  the USACE/Huntsville Center capabilities information briefing was set up to provide a conduit to the international officers allowing them to gain a greater understanding of the Corps of Engineers in general and Huntsville Center’s specific mission capabilities so they have the information  to communicate with their nations’ military chain of command.

“Relationships matter, and it is the desire of USACE and Huntsville Center that in the future should an ally require an engineering requirement, they remember all the resources in their arsenal to accomplish their requirement,”  Dunford said.

“Whether it's civil works or military installation support, Huntsville Center can enhance and further solidify engineering options via relationships with our allies.”

Australian Maj. Mike Hansen said the briefing gave him insight into the structure of the USACE and a great appreciation for all the work Huntsville Center is doing in the field of energy reduction.

“I was particularly interested in the metering program and the other energy management strategies,” Hansen said. .

PEO-Aviation streamlines aircraft acquisitions and is the single direct reporting link to the Army Acquisition Executive and is the total life cycle system manager of the Army’s rotary wing, fixed wing and unmanned aircraft systems.