National Engineers Week: Military Engineers Transform Dreams into Reality

Norfolk District Public Affairs
Published Feb. 22, 2017
NORFOLK, VA – Heavy equipment is staged along the beach in Norfolk, Virginia’s East Ocean View neighborhood. Contractors will use the equipment to move dredged up sand on the beach to create a 60 foot wide beach berm that slopes to 5 feet above mean low water. Engineers’ designed the beach to absorb the wave energy, protecting critical infrastructure during coastal storms. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

NORFOLK, VA – Heavy equipment is staged along the beach in Norfolk, Virginia’s East Ocean View neighborhood. Contractors will use the equipment to move dredged up sand on the beach to create a 60 foot wide beach berm that slopes to 5 feet above mean low water. Engineers’ designed the beach to absorb the wave energy, protecting critical infrastructure during coastal storms. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

Military engineers from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and U.S. Navy (USN) continue to work hard to transform today’s dreams into tomorrow’s reality. Showcasing creativity, passion, and technical acumen, these engineers are creating a better future.

Engineers from the USCG’s Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center (SILC) have the unique opportunity to design and plan a more energy efficient future. Joanna Skaredoff, the SILC Energy Group Lead is responsible for selecting the best projects that will help the USCG reduce energy usage, reduce water usage, and generate renewable energy.

“This past year, we reduced our energy usage by 808 million British Thermal Units (BTUs), which saved greenhouse gas emissions of a car driving 399,145 miles,” said Joanna Skaredoff. “Over the last 5 years, our energy reduction has saved the Coast Guard over $53 million dollars.”

None of these accomplishments could have been realized without engineer acumen. Calculating how much electricity the project will save, how much money it will cost, and whether the location is suitable for renewable energy are some of the many questions that USCG engineers answer. Problem solving is fundamental to a more energy efficient future.

Energy engineers build a stronger USCG that stands ready to protect our nation and save lives while also helping to protect the natural world we live in.

Engineers with the USACE Norfolk District continue to take on the nation’s toughest challenges. Whether it is looking at the challenges of sea-level rise and the threat it poses to our coastal communities; enabling commerce to traverse the nation’s ports by maintaining the nation’s water highways; or designing and constructing some of the most innovative buildings the nation’s Army and Air Force has ever seen, the District’s engineers are advancing the nation and military into the future.

This week, equipment is arriving at the Willoughby Spit and Ocean View neighborhoods of Norfolk, Virginia, to start work on a $34.5 million storm damage reduction project that the Corps’ engineers designed to protect those neighborhoods from being damaged during coastal storms.

At the Port of Virginia, engineers from the District are studying the depths of the federal navigational channels, determining ways to safely and efficiently advance the port into a new age of larger, deeper-drafting ships.

The District’s engineers are overseeing the design and construction of state-of-the-art facilities for NASA Langley Research Center, Fort Lee, and Defense Supply Center Richmond as well as for Fort A.P. Hill.

Norfolk District Engineers are part of the backbone of what the USACE does for the nation and military and they continue to solve today’s complex problems.

Engineers from Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic (NAVFAC MIDLANT) provide facilities engineering, public works and environmental products and services across an area of responsibility that spans from Georgia to Maine and as far west as Indiana. As an integral member of the Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic team, NAVFAC MIDLANT provides leadership through the Regional Engineer organization to ensure the Region’s facilities and infrastructure are managed efficiently and effectively.

NAVFAC MIDLANT serves the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Region, providing expert services in Asset Management (Base Development, Planning, and Real Estate Services), Capital Improvements (Design and Construction), Public Works (Facilities Maintenance and Services, Utilities and Energy Management, and Base Support Vehicles and Equipment), and Environmental Services. With more than 4,500 positions, including 117 military officers and 18 enlisted members, NAVFAC MIDLANT will execute approximately $4 billion in business volume during FY-17, with nearly 450 centrally managed programs.

The command is focused upon product and service delivery; infrastructure readiness; energy security; people; financial trust and analytical decision-making to accomplish our vital national defense mission. These six lines of effort encompass 20 goals to guide our actions. “The Naval Facilities Engineering Command--NAVFAC--continues to maintain a strong reputation for mission accomplishment in the face of demanding challenges. In a world that is increasingly complex, we remain ready to provide critical facilities services and expeditionary support to Navy, Marine Corps, and Combatant commanders in defense of our nation,” RADM Bret Muilenburg, NAVFAC Commander, Chief of Civil Engineers.

Military engineers from the USCG, USACE, and USN demonstrate that today’s dreams can become tomorrow’s reality with planning, hard-work, and perseverance. Our engineers are the backbone for the nation and military and continue to solve today’s complex problems. Together, engineers from these three agencies are building a better tomorrow.

 

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