WEBVTT 00:04.409 --> 00:07.179 In 1961 , NASA turned to UAE to build 00:07.179 --> 00:09.020 launch facilities for the Apollo 00:09.020 --> 00:10.909 program . The centerpiece of that 00:10.909 --> 00:13.020 effort was the John F . Kennedy Space 00:13.020 --> 00:15.020 Center in Florida that launched the 00:15.020 --> 00:17.520 moon landing in 1969 . Passage of 00:17.520 --> 00:19.631 significant environmental legislation 00:19.631 --> 00:21.742 in the 1970s , including the National 00:21.742 --> 00:23.909 Environmental Policy Act and the Clean 00:23.909 --> 00:25.853 Water Act amendments , require the 00:25.853 --> 00:27.964 Corps to greatly expand environmental 00:27.964 --> 00:30.187 review and permitting programs and hire 00:30.187 --> 00:32.353 a new generation of experts on natural 00:32.353 --> 00:34.464 systems . The creation of the Defense 00:34.464 --> 00:36.464 Environmental Restoration Program , 00:36.464 --> 00:38.930 first funded by a 1983 law , led to a 00:38.930 --> 00:41.041 noteworthy enlargement of the Corps's 00:41.041 --> 00:43.097 environmental work . The new program 00:43.097 --> 00:45.097 added hazardous waste disposal from 00:45.097 --> 00:47.097 formerly used defense sites and the 00:47.097 --> 00:49.430 removal of unsafe buildings , ordinance , 00:49.430 --> 00:51.541 and other debris from both active and 00:51.541 --> 00:53.430 former military sites . The Water 00:53.430 --> 00:55.319 Resources Development Act of 1986 00:55.319 --> 00:57.430 signaled a major historical change in 00:57.430 --> 00:59.374 how water projects are financed by 00:59.374 --> 01:01.486 requiring cost sharing by non-federal 01:01.486 --> 01:04.360 partners for most projects . WeRDA 86 01:04.360 --> 01:06.527 authorized key infrastructure projects 01:06.527 --> 01:08.804 for flood risk management , navigation , 01:08.804 --> 01:11.027 and water supply , stablished a project 01:11.027 --> 01:13.249 management system for the Army Corps of 01:13.249 --> 01:15.416 Engineers , and promoted environmental 01:15.416 --> 01:17.582 protection and ecosystem restoration . 01:17.582 --> 01:19.559 The 1988 Stafford Act restructured 01:19.559 --> 01:21.503 federal disaster response , funded 01:21.503 --> 01:23.615 relief efforts , established disaster 01:23.615 --> 01:25.726 declaration procedures , and enhanced 01:25.726 --> 01:27.837 coordination among agencies . It also 01:27.837 --> 01:29.837 streamlined the corps of engineers' 01:29.837 --> 01:31.948 role in flood mitigation and response 01:31.948 --> 01:35.529 operations . Between 1991 and 2005 , 01:35.779 --> 01:37.557 5 successive rounds of the base 01:37.557 --> 01:39.557 realignment and closure initiatives 01:39.557 --> 01:41.668 resulted in major increases in USAC's 01:41.668 --> 01:45.330 military construction program . In 1991 , 01:45.599 --> 01:47.655 in response to Iraqi dictator Saddam 01:47.655 --> 01:49.766 Hussein's invasion of Kuwait , US and 01:49.766 --> 01:51.988 international coalition forces launched 01:51.988 --> 01:54.155 Operation Desert Storm Desert Shield . 01:54.190 --> 01:56.134 Yay provided construction and real 01:56.134 --> 01:58.079 estate support to coalition forces 01:58.079 --> 02:00.134 during operations and helped rebuild 02:00.134 --> 02:04.000 Kuwait after hostilities ended . The 02:04.000 --> 02:06.519 1993 Mississippi River flood , one of 02:06.519 --> 02:08.575 the most devastating in US history , 02:08.600 --> 02:10.800 impacted nine states . Prolonged rains 02:10.800 --> 02:13.022 caused widespread flooding , leading to 02:13.022 --> 02:15.244 billions in damages . The Army Corps of 02:15.244 --> 02:17.356 Engineers coordinated the flood fight 02:17.356 --> 02:19.244 and provided critical engineering 02:19.244 --> 02:20.967 support during the crisis . On 02:20.967 --> 02:22.689 September 11 , 2001 , al Qaeda 02:22.689 --> 02:24.689 terrorists attacked the World Trade 02:24.689 --> 02:26.467 Center in New York City and the 02:26.467 --> 02:28.411 Pentagon in Arlington , Virginia , 02:28.411 --> 02:30.522 killing more than 3000 people in both 02:30.522 --> 02:32.356 locations . UA provided valuable 02:32.356 --> 02:34.411 expertise and services in New York , 02:34.411 --> 02:36.633 UAE's floating plants immediately began 02:36.633 --> 02:38.689 evacuating people out of Manhattan . 02:38.689 --> 02:40.911 Later , the New York district moved 1.2 02:40.911 --> 02:43.244 million tons of debris to Staten Island . 02:43.244 --> 02:45.078 At the Pentagon , UAE structural 02:45.078 --> 02:46.967 engineers examined the building's 02:46.967 --> 02:48.856 integrity to allow it to open for 02:48.856 --> 02:51.022 business the day after the attack . In 02:51.022 --> 02:53.078 response to the attacks of 9/11 , US 02:53.078 --> 02:55.133 forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 , 02:55.133 --> 02:57.244 Operation Enduring Freedom , and Iraq 02:57.244 --> 03:00.240 in 2003 , Operation Iraqi Freedom to 03:00.240 --> 03:03.199 effect regime change . Ua supported OEF 03:03.199 --> 03:05.366 for the construction of facilities for 03:05.366 --> 03:07.255 the Afghan army and police and to 03:07.255 --> 03:09.477 modernize the country's public services 03:09.477 --> 03:11.532 in Iraq , USAs worked to restore the 03:11.532 --> 03:13.755 oil industry , electricity supply , and 03:13.755 --> 03:15.366 The country's other critical 03:15.366 --> 03:17.421 infrastructure failures in the levee 03:17.421 --> 03:19.477 system protecting New Orleans during 03:19.477 --> 03:21.421 Hurricane Katrina in 2005 led to a 03:21.421 --> 03:23.532 growing awareness of the value of our 03:23.532 --> 03:23.294 infrastructure and one of the most 03:23.294 --> 03:25.350 complex risk analysis carried out by 03:25.350 --> 03:27.350 the Corps as part of an interagency 03:27.350 --> 03:29.572 task force . At the same time , through 03:29.572 --> 03:31.794 its dam and levee safety programs , UAE 03:31.794 --> 03:33.850 was becoming a world leader in using 03:33.850 --> 03:36.072 risk to make better decisions about how 03:36.072 --> 03:38.294 to invest in aging infrastructure . USA 03:38.294 --> 03:40.461 responded to the devastation caused by 03:40.461 --> 03:42.683 Superstorm Sandy , which struck densely 03:42.683 --> 03:44.572 populated areas of New York , New 03:44.572 --> 03:46.461 Jersey , and Pennsylvania in late 03:46.461 --> 03:48.683 October 2012 , coordinating with FEMA , 03:48.683 --> 03:50.627 they carried out critical missions 03:50.627 --> 03:52.683 including power restoration , debris 03:52.683 --> 03:54.905 removal , reopening ports , and pumping 03:54.905 --> 03:57.238 floodwaters in 2018 . And again in 2025 , 03:57.289 --> 03:59.345 catastrophic wildfires in California 03:59.345 --> 04:01.067 cost human lives and destroyed 04:01.067 --> 04:02.900 thousands of private dwellings , 04:02.900 --> 04:04.622 schools , and public offices . 04:04.820 --> 04:07.089 Following both incidents , Usa helped 04:07.089 --> 04:09.210 remove debris , hazardous waste , and 04:09.210 --> 04:10.988 contaminated soil to enable the 04:10.988 --> 04:13.449 affected communities to rebuild . In 04:13.449 --> 04:15.338 the spring of 2020 , the Corps of 04:15.338 --> 04:17.338 Engineers responded to the COVID-19 04:17.338 --> 04:19.505 pandemic by protecting its active duty 04:19.505 --> 04:21.060 in civilian workforce while 04:21.060 --> 04:23.282 simultaneously undertaking a nationwide 04:23.282 --> 04:25.449 construction program of alternate care 04:25.449 --> 04:27.227 facilities to address potential 04:27.227 --> 04:29.393 shortages of hospital beds . The Corps 04:29.393 --> 04:31.393 modified 38 existing buildings into 04:31.393 --> 04:33.449 facilities with the capacity of more 04:33.449 --> 04:37.440 than 15,000 beds . On 26 March 2024 , 04:37.779 --> 04:40.001 the Francis Scott Key Bridge across the 04:40.001 --> 04:42.112 Potapsco River at the entrance of the 04:42.112 --> 04:44.112 Baltimore harbor collapsed when the 04:44.112 --> 04:46.057 cargo ship Dolly rammed one of its 04:46.057 --> 04:48.049 piles . The destruction killed 6 04:48.049 --> 04:49.993 maintenance workers and closed the 04:49.993 --> 04:52.480 harbor for all traffic . In a record 77 04:52.480 --> 04:54.760 days . Ua removed the bridge debris and 04:54.760 --> 04:57.399 reopened the shipping lanes . For 250 04:57.399 --> 04:59.566 years , the US Army Corps of Engineers 04:59.566 --> 05:01.621 has enabled our nation's soldiers to 05:01.621 --> 05:03.843 win wars , strengthen the economy , and 05:03.843 --> 05:06.066 reduce risk for hundreds of millions of 05:06.066 --> 05:08.066 Americans . It's a mission UAE will 05:08.066 --> 05:08.390 continue to perform into the future .