16 Jul 2019

Heuser retires from military service; heads to Army War College as a civilian

Army Reserve Col. Todd M. Heuser was retired July 13, 2019, at the George Washington Hotel in downtown Winchester, Virginia, after a 30-year military career. And, in an unusual twist, he was also “farewelled” from his civilian position as the Transatlantic Division’s Chief of Plans as he departs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to attend the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Usually, military colonels attend the Army’s senior service school while still in uniform; however, it is open to members of the civil service ranks. Heuser will be a part of the Class of 2020, where he will earn a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies following 10-months of rigorous study at the college.

26 Jun 2019

Beck takes command of Transatlantic Division

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division held a Change of Command ceremony June 26, 2019, at the Winchester National Guard Armory, as the division’s outgoing commander, Col. Mark C. Quander, relinquished his command to Col. Christopher G. Beck. The change of command – a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority from one commanding officer to another – was hosted by Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, the 54th Chief of Engineers and USACE Commanding General.

16 Jun 2019

Mosul Dam Task Force celebrates mission completion

When a heavy downpour the morning of June 15, 2019, dumped even more water into the 32 billion gallons already in the reservoir of Iraq’s Mosul Dam, it didn’t faze the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) staff, the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) employees, or the Italian Contractors working inside and on top of the dam, because they knew that despite record rainfalls this past Winter, Mosul Dam was standing strong. In fact, the rain was a welcomed addition to the day because it cooled down the entire valley a few hours prior to the arrival of several dignitaries, including U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Matthew H. Tueller, Iraq Minister of Water Resources Jamal Abbas al-Adili, and Italian Ambassador to Iraq Bruno Pasquino, who were travelling to Mosul Dam to formally recognize the conclusion of the largest drilling and grouting project currently in the world, and to celebrate the full return of the drilling and grouting operations back to the Iraqis.

1 May 2019

TAM employees receive 'impact awards' for work in Bahrain

Transatlantic Middle East District employees Andrea Greene and Peter DeMattei were presented with the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal during a surprise ceremony held at the TAD headquarters in Winchester, Va., on April 25, 2019. The Civilian Service Commendation Medal is the civilian equivalent of the Army Commendation Medal and is awarded for very specific levels of achievement by civilian employees.

30 Apr 2019

Go 'outside the cubicle' with new Current Ops Chief

Emergency Management expert Kimberly Adkins is just finishing up her fourth week at the Transatlantic Division in Winchester, Va., so she says she's "still in learning mode" when it comes to her job and how TAD operates. Her primary responsibility is to maintain awareness of all current operations in the TAD area of responsibility and review, analyze and report on current events and activities that might affect or intersect with those operations.

25 Apr 2019

USACE partners with Qatar to promote Human Rights

His Excellency Mr. Mohamad bin Hasan Al-Obaidly, Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs at the Qatari Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, spoke to a group of more than two thousand U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) contractors at a USACE build site in Doha, Qatar, on Apr. 21, 2019. The event bolstered ongoing Qatar human rights initiatives, while also supporting the U.S. government's Combating Trafficking in Persons prevention measures. Remarks were delivered in both Arabic and Hindi to ensure workers received the information in their native languages, and all attendees received a "Workers' Rights" booklet printed in their language of choice.

11 Apr 2019

Task Fore Essayons Hq. Detachment changes command

The Transatlantic Division’s Task Force Essayons (TFE) conducted a change of command for its Headquarters Detachment on April 6, 2019, at Camp Taji, Iraq. TFE Commander Col. Jim Riely presided over the ceremony where Capt. Joe Marut relinquished command to Capt. Andrea Taylor.

9 Apr 2019

Outside the Cubicle:

The USACE Transatlantic Division's new Chief of Safety and Occupational Health, Lorese Dudley, says her mission is to prevent accidental injury, loss of life, and loss of equipment, all which could impact the mission. Dudley considers safety as a cultural state 24/7 and not a reactive response only implemented during duty hours.

2 Apr 2019

Contracting expert earns TAD ‘Employee of the Year’ award

Rachael Raposa, the Transatlantic Division’s Regional Contracting Chief, received TAD’s “Employee of the Year Award” for 2018 by TAD Commander Col. Mark C. Quander during a ceremony at the TAD headquarters in Winchester, Va., March 28, 2019.

29 Mar 2019

TAD HQ and forward deployed task forces rate their jobs as ‘Best places to work’

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division Headquarters and TAD’s Deployed Task Forces were voted “best places to work” across USACE for 2018. The designation came from an unusual source: The employees working in Winchester, Va., and those forward deployed across the Middle East. The BPTW score is calculated based on the percentage of positive responses to questions during the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, taken annually by Federal employees.