Field Force Engineering

Field Force Engineering

Field Force Engineering (FFE) provides engineering services to the military, Department of Defense and federal agencies in support of military and catastrophic disaster relief operations relevant to national security.  History shows that engineering requirements in these missions are often overwhelming in the early stages of operations and again during the post-hostility/post-declaration phase. As a result, USACE specialists are called upon to fill the capability gaps.

USACE's FFE program uses small, expeditious teams of military and USACE civilian specialists to bring the Corps technical engineering capabilities and expertise to the front with minimal footprint.

Through the use of cutting-edge, off-the-shelf communications equipment, FFE provides 'reach-back' capability to enable personnel deployed worldwide to talk directly with experts in the United States when a problem in the field needs quick resolution.  Deployed troops are linked to subject matter experts within USACE, such as the Reach-back Operations Center, private industry, and academia. This relationship with the combatant commander allows direct access to vast resources to support theater engagement strategies, contingency planning, and wartime operations.


Field Force Engineering Teams

Forward Engineer Support Team – Advance (FEST-A):  Provides engineer planning and limited execution capability to a combatant commander or Army service component command engineer staff, a joint task force or a brigade combat team (BCT). This small, advance engineering team deploys quickly and augments the engineer staff of other organizations from the combatant commander. It conducts initial critical infrastructure assessments to include sewer, water, electrical, academics & trash (SWEAT), environmental surveys, technical engineering and design assistance, limited contracting support, and limited real estate acquisition support to include reach-back capabilities.

Capabilities:
• Engineering planning and design utilizing the Theater Construction Management System to design at least one-500 person base camp each day.
• Real estate surveys, disposal and acquisition support, when augmented with Contingency Real Estate Support Team.
• Infrastructure assessments at a rate of 0.5 square kilometers of urban facilities/day.
• Technical engineering and reach-back through TeleEngineering

Contingency Real Estate Support Team (CREST): Provides real estate support to American forces during overseas contingency operations leading to war, during war-time operations and operations other than war. Acquire (leases, temporary easement, hold harmless agreements) real estate for use, document real estate condition prior to use and dispose of real estate after operations.  This team also provides temporary office space, lodging and other support facilities for USACE operations as required.

Capabilities:
• Provide guidance & advice to theater commander on real estate matters
• Participate in site selection
• Research and determine land and facility ownership
• Determine and document lease consideration
• Determine property description, mapping
• Prepare host nation lease forms
• Negotiate lease terms with owner/agent
• Inspect property and document inventory & condition
• Manage leases and periodic payments
• Terminate leases with or without restoration
• Return property to the host nation
• Disposal of real estate interests when no longer required
• Process real estate claims

Environmental Support Team (EnvST): Provides environmental support to FFE and the combatant command and its components during war, contingency operations, disaster relief operations and operations other than war in the area of responsibility.

Capabilities:
• Perform environmental baseline surveys: As units establish new bases or close bases, it is critical to perform the Environmental Baseline Survey (EBS) to not only identify hazards to soldiers, but to document existing conditions for liability purposes
• Solid Waste Management: Assist in site selection, design and construction oversight of landfills or burn pits
• Hazardous Waste Management: Assist with site selection, design, construction of hazardous waste cells and storage areas. Assist with management of the collection of the wastes from the units and management of the hazardous waste disposal contracts. These contracts are usually awarded theatre-wide, but EnvST members can assist theatre environmental personnel in defining the scope/volume for task orders, prepare the waste for shipment and assist the contractor in the pick up process.
• Wastewater Management: Assist with design of sewer systems to include location, placement and lift stations, tie into local sewer systems and assist with design of sewage lagoons, septic systems, and leach fields.
• Environmental Compliance: Perform compliance inspections on hazardous material storage areas, hazardous waste management procedures, spill control plans, and fuel handling

Base-camp Development Teams (BDT): Provides installation-level master planning, environmental baseline assessments, engineering design analysis, and facilities design expertise for intermediate staging bases, base camps, forward operating bases and displaced personnel camps. The BDT is a non-deployable asset that's engaged from crisis action planning through base camp construction. The main function of the deployed BDT engineers is to engage the supported base camp commanders in the final master planning and design process and coordinate approved updates and changes. BDT teams work directly with the customer on requests for information.

Capabilities:
• Master planning for theater of operations base development
• Austere theater facilities design
• Force protection engineering
• Environmental assessment and engineering
• Assessment of theater utility systems to include, water treatment and distribution, sewage collection and treatment, power generation and distribution
• Knowledge of local construction practices
• Cost estimating

US Army Corps of Engineers Reachback Operations Center (UROC):  The USACE Reachback Operations Center (UROC) at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) provides a “reachback” engineering capability to support contingencies across the full operational and natural disaster spectrum. The UROC rapidly leverages the Corps’ extensive resources to support deployed forces or those requiring specialized assistance.

Reachback Equipment

TeleEngineering Communications Equipment: TCE provides a secure and non-secure communications link between deployed USACE personnel, their higher headquarters, engineer units and subject matter experts to meet mission objectives.

Geospatial Assessment Tool for Engineering Reachback: The ike with GATER is a suite of applications allowing field data collection, a desktop application that serves as a conduit to synchronize data from the field to the desktop and then to the data repository, and online geographic information system mapping

Automated Route Reconnaissance Kit: The ARRK is an adaptable, easy to use reconnaissance package that allows any military or civilian unit to rapidly collect, process, and distribute route reconnaissance information.

FFE Recruiting Video

Contact Us

Email Us:
Reachback Operations Center Inbox

Call Us:
1-877-ARMY-ENG
(601) 634-2439

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