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BAGHDAD, Dec. 11, 2009 – In preparation for the upcoming Iraqi national elections, the Gulf Region District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is serving as the managing partner for the construction of 15 “expedient police stations” in northern Iraq. Army Col. Dan Anninos, center, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District, inspects the progress of an expedient police station in Mosul, Iraq, with project engineer Navy Lt. Cmdr. Frank Carroll, left, Larry Petrosino, the district’s deputy of program management. U.S. Army photo by Scott Harris  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The police station...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2009 – As 30,000 additional troops move into what admittedly will be “pretty austere conditions” in Afghanistan, the Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with unit-level engineers and contractors to provide basic creature comforts -- while focusing heavily on longer-term projects considered critical to their ultimate success there. U.S. Army Col. Kevin Wilson, commander of Afghanistan Engineer District – South, right, chats with U.S. Air Force Maj. Bryan Opperman, officer in charge of the Qalat resident office, at the construction site of a new Afghan National Police station. U.S. Army photo by Patricia Ryan   (Click...

KIRKUK — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Gulf Region District, Kirkuk Resident Office is seriously delving into the road construction business. The Kirkuk office is serving as construction design manager for the Kirkuk Ring Road project and the manager of “Village to Market” road repair project. The $130 million, two-year Kirkuk Ring Road project is an aggressive 31-kilometer highway extension, designed to create a southern access bypass road from the Sulamaniya Interchange to the Taza Road Interchange. The three-phase project is being funded by oil revenues from the provincial government. USACE, through the Economic Support Fund, provided $4.3...

11/23/2009 - KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Khost Provincial Reconstruction Team engineers conducted quality assurance training for more than 30 Afghan contractors, foremen and engineers at the Civil-Military Operations Center in downtown Khost, Afghanistan recently. The engineers conduct monthly training to address issues found during project site audits throughout the 12 districts and one municipality of Khost. This training, the third session held by the PRT, concentrated on brick masonry, material storage and project administration. Previous topics included concrete preparation and processing, and plaster and mortar finishing techniques. "We are addressing recurring quality issues in our training sessions," said U.S....

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Nov. 20, 2009 – A Basra, Iraq, native brings 50 years of experience as an architect, a master’s degree and a resume that reads like a travel guide ranging across Europe and the Middle East and even Japan to his job as leader of the Iraqi facilities engineering team here. A worker at the Anzio logistics site on Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, bends rebar to be used in the placement of housing trailers for U.S. troops Nov. 14, 2009. The work at the site is being overseen and planned by an Iraqi facilities engineering...

Sgt. James Glomski, of Alpena, Mich., with the 1434th Engineer Company, observes Iraqi Pfc. Omar Khodair Abbas making his first cut using a circular saw during a "train the trainer" carpentry course for the Iraqi Army in Baghdad, Nov. 14. Photo courtesy of the 16th Engineer Brigade. BAGHDAD — Iraq Soldiers here ended two days of basic carpentry training with a practical exercise of building dormitory-style rooms in the old Ministry of Defense, Nov. 14. Soldiers of the 1434th Engineer Company taught a "train the trainer" course to the 11th Field Engineer Regiment, 11th Iraqi Army Division, so the IA...

JOINT SECURITY STATION CONDOR, Iraq, Nov. 9, 2009 – For most soldiers assigned to the 1st Armored Division’s 4th Brigade “Highlanders,” the unit's “advise and assist” mission requires a rethinking of traditional roles in a stability operations environment. Soldiers train on proper sweeping techniques with a mine detector on one of several training lanes at Joint Security Station Condor in Iraq’s Maysan province, Oct. 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Brendon Hischar  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The engineers of 2nd Platoon, Company E, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, are no different. Some people associate engineers with...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE GARRYOWEN, Iraq, Nov. 6, 2009 – Iraqi army engineers put their training to good use Oct. 18 on a reconnaissance mission to evaluate a local bridge. Army Sgt. Ryan Loseby, an Iraqi soldier and their interpreter review measurements as Army Pfc. Garrett Childress, far left, looks on during a reconnaissance mission to evaluate a bridge near Contingency Operating Base Garryowen, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Benjamin Hann  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Engineers from the 10th Iraqi Army Field Engineer Regiment Detachment joined their trainers from Company E, 4th Battalion, 6th...

11/3/2009 - ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- "Roads bring people. People bring business and business improves life for everyone." These words, spoken in 2006 by Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Pepin, then the deputy general for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, have proven prophetic, as, three years later, the ability to move vehicles and goods along roads here has been greatly enhanced, improving the lives of Afghans across the country. In response, Taliban insurgents routinely target the newly-built infrastructure. Air Force engineers assigned to the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team have countered, along with Army security forces, by conducting missions along Highway One,...

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2009 – Members of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District North performed site assessments and a helicopter flyover to view construction and road projects here Sept. 20. Col. Ayoub, Afghan National Border Patrol commander, left, discusses a project in the Sarkani district of Afghanistan’s Kunar province that will house 90 to 100 border policemen, Sept. 20, 2009. With him, left to right, are Martin Reed, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District North construction representative and quality assurance lead, a translator, and Army Maj. William Lewis, the district’s resident officer in charge....

Hundreds of thousands of Bay Area commuters remain in limbo today as crews scramble to complete an emergency repair to the workhorse Bay Bridge. The 73-year-old bridge, crossed by more than 260,000 cars and trucks a day, was shut down for a larger, unrelated seismic upgrade project. Now, crews are working to fix a cracked steel link, called an eyebar, that helps hold up the east span. Inspectors discovered the problem Saturday afternoon, setting in motion a dash to fix a problem that - by itself - would have forced officials to shut down the bridge. "There's a lot of...

The Soldiers of 277th Engineer Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, work on the first step of a many step process to build a Mabey Johnson Float Bridge near Taji, Iraq. The huge undertaking requires 6,000 cubic yards of dirt to be moved to level the ground for the bridge. That is nearly 400 dump truck loads of dirt. Photo by Sgt. Rebekah Malone. BAGHDAD — The Tigris River, or in Arabic Nahr Dijlah, winds itself through the very heart of Baghdad. For centuries, it has provided life-sustaining water and enabled trade in Mesopotamia.Traversing the fabled waterway is what...

Lt. Col. Humberto Ramirez, GRS Basra Area Office deputy commander, and Todd Harter, GRS construction representative, discuss the construction progress at the Al Basra Institute for Vocational Training renovation project with Iraqi project engineers. GRD photo by A. Al Bahrani. BASRAH — A vocational school renovation project here is slated to help residents of Al Hyyaniya, a densely-populated neighborhood in Basrah, learn job training skills that should increase their employment opportunities.Funded by the Commander’s Emergency Relief Program, the $2.5 million Al Basrah Institute for Vocational Training renovation project is being managed by the Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of...

COB SPEICHER — The Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here began its transformation as part of the responsible drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq when it discontinued two of its three subordinate districts and merged them into the Gulf Region district, July 20. The Division’s Gulf Region North and Gulf Region Central districts became the newly-formed Gulf Region district. The new district, along with the division’s South district, will continue to provide full-spectrum construction management in support of the U.S. government and the government of Iraq. The consolidation began at a discontinuance ceremony where Col. Margaret W....

TAJI — Iraqi Army (IA) Field Engineer Soldiers partnered with U.S. Soldiers to train on Mabey and Johnson Bridge emplacements at the Iraqi Army Engineer School here, July 3-13. Like most training the IA receives, a “train the trainer” approach was taken. Students from previous classes can now help new students learn these skills. The IA Engineer School trains 400-500 Engineers each rotation. The 50th Multi Role Bridge Company (MRBC), which supports 555th Engineer Brigade, assists this effort by instructing groups of 20 to 30 IA Engineers during ten-day blocks of classroom and hands-on bridge training. The combined IA and...

Note: The following text is a quote: 09 July 2009 EGYPT ARRESTS TERRORIST CELL OF 25 MEMBERS CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) The Egyptian authorities have arrested a terrorist cell of 25 members, 24 Egyptians and one Palestinian, for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Suez Canal, Egyptian Interior Ministry said in statement issued on Thursday. According to the statement, the members of the cell who believe in Jihad (Holy War) were located in Cairo, Alexandria and Daqahlia governorates and communicated through internet with other terrorist groups outside Egypt. The cell's members, mostly engineers, were developing high-tech and electronic devices...

LONDON: High-ranking Pakistani officials were behind the killing of eleven French ship-building engineers in Karachi seven years ago, two French judges have ruled. Until now al-Qaida had been blamed for the bomb attack on a bus in 2002 that killed 11 engineers and three Pakistanis. The judges suspected that the Pakistanis were retaliating over a decision by former French President Jacques Chirac, to halt payment to Pakistani officers of millions of pounds in secret commission from an 720 million pounds contract signed in 1994, for three French submarines, the Time reported on Tuesday. The dead engineers were working on the...

6/17/2009 - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FINLEY-SHIELDS, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Nangarhar Province is seeing a rush of construction projects due in large part to the vision and planning of an Air Force civil engineer team here. As part of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team, civil engineers work with fellow PRT members, including civil affairs teams, to address the needs of a specific district or village and nail down the particulars necessary to get a project approved and built. The civil affairs team works with local leaders on determining the specific needs of an area. The province, approximately 7,700 square miles with...

The Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons football team, was recently crowded with cheering fans and adrenaline-filled competitors. A thrilling competition crowned new champions. But this was not a football game. It was a robotics competition for high school students interested in engineering, a program that now attracts about 200,000 student-competitors and nearly 100,000 volunteers. Known as FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), this program demonstrates that there is no shortage of American engineering minds. Started nearly 20 years ago by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the clever Segway that officials scoot around on, this competition...

Iraqi Soldiers learn important engineering skills at a school in Taji, April 10. Photo by Maj. Pat Simon, 225th Engineer Brigade. TAJI — Some of the best and brightest Iraqi Soldiers are undergoing training at the Iraqi Army (IA) Engineer School here. Call it Iraq's own version of Advanced Individual Training, but just not as advanced. Yet, they're making strides to improve the quality of the training that goes on here. "It's an incremental progress here," said IA Col. Flahe, IA Engineer School commander. "There's no big bang here – just little victories." Those little victories were few and far...

COB SPEICHER — As a sign of increasing Iraqi participation in infrastructure and facility construction projects, the U.S. Air Force Facility Engineer Team (FET) recently led the way for an Iraqi FET to take over base engineering design and construction management here. “We are transitioning the efforts here to provide a more active role for Iraqis in infrastructure projects,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Kilbourn, commander, FET-1, Joint Base Balad (JBB). “This initiative gives engineers more experience, and allows them to train their own laborers, so when Coalition forces leave the country, they will be able to tackle their own problems.”...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER — Baseel Ali, Deputy Director of Agriculture for the Dhi Qar province, cut a red ribbon at the Nasiriyah Tree Nursery last week to officially open the facility. Just four months earlier, this location was an empty dirt and gravel lot. Today, it consists of two greenhouses used for planting vegetables and a fenced-off area for growing trees. "This will support our province and will greatly benefit us," said the Director of Agriculture, Abdul Salih. "We thank the Americans for everything they've done." The nursery can produce up to 50,000 vegetable and 4,000 tree seedlings each...

President Barack Obama today nominated a key U.S. Senate staffer to serve as assistant secretary of the Army for public works, a position that oversees the Army Corps of Engineers. Jo-Ellen Darcy is senior environmental policy adviser to the Senate Finance Committee, where she has worked on energy, environmental and conservation initiatives using the tax code. Earlier, she served as senior policy adviser, deputy staff director and staffer with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

FOB CONSTITUTION, Iraq - Bulldozers and graters tore up chunks of earth as 6th Iraqi Army engineers and 277th Engineer Company Soldiers toiled together during a five-day heavy machinery training class at Forward Operating Base Constitution March 24. "While we were out here, we found a road buried," said a smiling San Juan, Puerto Rico native, Sgt. 1st Class Bifredo Barros, a platoon sergeant for 277th En. Co., 46th En. Battalion, 225th En. Brigade. "So we started to question what else we were going to find." What engineers of the 6th IA and 277th En. Co. also found was friendship....

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 – Military engineers have made great strides in improving infrastructure and governance capabilities in Iraq and are making positive contributions in Afghanistan as well, the Air Force’s top engineer officer said here today. Air Force Maj. Gen. Delwyn R. Eulberg told reporters during a roundtable discussion that the military has adapted well to its dual missions in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its two-fold operation of warfighting and nation building. U.S. and NATO partnerships in the two countries have improved national capabilities to levels never seen before, he said. “It’s not just about fighting the...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 16, 2009 – Shockwaves reverberated through the mountains and a large black cloud of smoke rose from the road as an improvised explosive device was detonated. A soldier with the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan, is on a mission with his canine partner to find improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, March 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Frazier  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. On March 9, the engineers of the 10th Mountain Division's Alpha Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, once again had beaten the insurgents...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., March 13, 2009 – Air National Guard civil engineer squadrons comprising hundreds of construction and repair experts will involuntary deploy overseas in historic numbers and scope over the next two years, senior Air Guard officials said. The mobilizations involve nearly one-eighth of the Air Guard’s civil engineer squadrons and differ from previous deployments, when citizen-airmen stepped forward as volunteers to man joint expeditionary groups. "We have large groups being involuntarily mobilized in the beginning and middle of 2009,” Air Force Col. John Elwood of the Air Guard Readiness Center's civil engineer office said. He said...

Col. Ahmed Saddam, commander of the 6th Iraqi Army Engineers, shares in dance with his Louisiana National Guard partners from the 225th Engineer Brigade, during a Mardi Gras themed celebration on Camp Liberty, March 7. Courtesy photo. BAGHDAD – U.S. Soldiers with the 225th Engineer Brigade didn’t get enough of Mardi Gras on the actual holiday — so they celebrated two weeks late with their Iraqi engineer partners here, March 7.“Engineer Call,� a monthly social intended to bring both U.S. and Iraqi Army Engineers together in a casual atmosphere, aims at forging a strong relationship between both groups. This month’s...

BAGHDAD - In a cramped, wooden shack behind the 688th Engineer Company headquarters at Camp Liberty, about 30 combat engineers sit on beat-up couches and poke fun at each other before another route clearance mission begins. “We sit around and listen to music and play cards after our mission prep is done,” explains Sgt. Zach Rostan, the truck commander for the “Buffalo”, a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle assigned to the Army Reserve unit from Fayetteville, Ark. “We all like to have fun and relax; we’re going out looking for bombs you know, so we try to stay relaxed.” After...

2/17/2009 - FORWARD OPERATING BASE HUNTER, Iraq (AFNS) -- Twenty joint expeditionary tasking, or JET, Airmen are building a 64-tent living area for more than 700 Soldiers in one week here. "Our challenge and main mission is to complete a 64-tent living area beddown to support 780 personnel of an entire Army battalion and then some," said Master Sgt. Jason Elftmann, 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Construction Team 10 superintendent and horizontal repair and project manager. "I've got approximately 20 JET Airmen comprised of electricians, carpenters, pavement and equipment technicians and plumbers here who are facing a challenge of getting...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2009 – Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently mentored Afghan contractors to ensure the construction of a new school in northeastern Afghanistan’s Laghman province will last through the harsh climate for years to come. Bill Stratton, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, puts mortar on a brick as he demonstrates the proper technique to construct a wall in northeastern Afghanistan’s Laghman province, Feb. 3, 2009. Stratton is teaching construction techniques to Afghans as they work on The Center of Excellence, a school for boys. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2009 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Mississippi National Guard unit are clearing the way to a safer and more self-sufficient Iraq -- one at sea and the other on land. U.S. and Iraqi officials sign a certificate of agreement at the Gulf Region Division headquarters in Baghdad, Feb. 12, 2009, signaling design approval for the $53 million Umm Qasr pier and seawall project. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In Basra province, the Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division is slated to begin construction next month of a $53...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2009 – When Air Force Maj. Kimberly Riggs dons all of her “battle rattle,” it looks as if it weighs more than she does. Air Force Maj. Kimberly Riggs, chief engineer for the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, listens during a contractor’s conference held Feb. 7, 2009, at Gardez City, near Forward Operating Base Gardez. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The chief engineer for the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Paktia province originally wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and become...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2009 – To maintain a consistent presence to the southeast of Forward Operating Base Ramrod in southern Afghanistan, 1st Infantry Division soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, recently secured a piece of desert to build Combat Outpost Terminator. Army Spc. Eric Hesler, 62nd Engineer Bravo Company, builds a tent floor. The company has built several forward operating bases during its year-long deployment in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jill LaVoie  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Within six hours of arriving, 62nd Engineer Bravo Company soldiers...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2009 – Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Moy is a busy man, and for good reason. Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Moy, provincial reconstruction team commander in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, travels by Black Hawk helicopter to a remote combat outpost with the provincial governor, police chief and a religious leader for a meeting with district leaders, Feb. 8, 2009. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Fresh from an assignment at the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, Moy heads an 80-member provincial reconstruction team here and...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 26, 2009 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division marked five years of reconstruction progress in Iraq yesterday with more than 4,400 projects completed and turned over to the Iraqi government. “As we mark five years of building strong foundations together with the people of Iraq, I am humbled to be part of this historic effort,” Army Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre, commanding general of the division, said at an afternoon ceremony at division headquarters to mark the anniversary. “With more than 4,400 projects completed and turned over to the government of Iraq, and several hundred...

Capt. Kelly Lanphere (right), Sami Bello (center) and Nami Alsaiegh, bilingual and bicultural advisors with 4th Sqdn. 10th Cav. Regt., discuss a project in the Mansour District of northwest Baghdad. Photo by 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Since security has improved in northwest Baghdad, the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment has developed many engineering projects to advance the citizens’ quality of life. Over the past year, two bilingual and bicultural advisors made sure those projects were done right. In areas such as Ameriyah, Khandra, Adl, Jamiya, Washhash and Mansour, Iraqi-American civil engineers Nima Alsaiegh and Sami Bello worked...

1/16/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Twenty members of the 379th Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems shop at this air base in Southwest Asia give power to the people while giving them the energy they need to get through every day. Responsible for repairing and maintaining all lighting fixtures, street lights, power outlets and other low voltage jobs for all flightline and base facilities, most people do not notice the sheer magnitude of power these Airmen have. "Most everything is electrical in nature," said Master Sgt. Stuart Fawler, the NCO in charge of the electrical systems shop. "Our work ranges...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2009 – Coalition and Iraqi partnerships are stronger than ever, and they are taking advantage of the improved security situation to further reconstruction efforts in Baghdad, the U.S. military’s top engineer officer in Baghdad province said yesterday. Throughout the past year, nearly 400 projects and reconstruction actions valued at more than $70 million have led to “tremendous improvements” in infrastructure as well as the availability of essential services to Baghdad residents, Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Talley told reporters during a news conference in Baghdad. Rebuilding and refurbishing Iraq’s infrastructure “represents a commitment from the people of the...

One significant deficiency of the Iraqi Security Forces is its imited engineering capabilities. Training personnel in the technical fields of engineering and explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) takes considerable time and the emphasis has been on fielding more infantry. This weakness is particularly glaring because of the enemy's emphasis in using landmines (improvised explosive devises or IED). Current plans are to fill out the Iraqi Army engineers during 2009 and 2010. Until that training is complete, US engineers will have to remain to provide support and training to Iraqi forces.

An Iraqi Army engineer navigates a Talon robot through a makeshift improvised explosive device training course at Combat Outpost Al Kindi, Mosul, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2008. Photo by Pfc. Adam Blazak, 11th Public Affairs Detachment. MOSUL — Various explosives are used by the enemy to disrupt or destroy the significant security gains made here by Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. Coming across an IED isn’t a rarity here, and defeating these weapons is no easy task.  However, significant strides are being made.Simply put, “It’s intense every time,� said Loveland, Colo. native, Staff Sgt. Jeron Pilger, training cadre, 59th Mobility Augmentation...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2008 – The general who leads what he calls “an engineer fight” in Baghdad credits attention to sanitation and reconstruction of essential services with creating a dramatic turnaround that’s having a ripple effect throughout Iraq. “It doesn’t matter if you are in direct support of lethal operations or on the nonlethal side, it is almost always an engineer leading on both sides of the house right now,” Army Brig Gen. Jeffrey Talley, engineer for Multinational Division Baghdad, told American Forces Press Service by phone from his headquarters. A reservist who in civilian life is an engineering professor...

12/24/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- "Answering the call" is a motto 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen believe in, and it's something Soldiers can attest to. This team of combat-trained engineers, assigned to the 732nd ECES Det. 6, will build anything, anywhere to help Soldiers in Iraq accomplish their mission or to improve quality of life. "We do vertical and horizontal construction projects at different forward operating bases," said Maj. Thomas Taylor, the Det. 6 commander. "We can build a FOB from the ground up or expand facilities to provide more space for Soldiers to live and...

BASRAH — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working closely with Iraqi businessmen to teach them how to bid on contracts for work with the U.S. government. At a workshop in Basrah Oct. 9, USACE contract specialist, Karen Johnson, and project manager, Sheila Hyde, provided information on a variety of topics. The businessmen were shown how to read and understand government solicitation requirements; the key steps in the USACE contracting process, from initial scope of work to contract award; adhering to the Defense Base Act insurance requirements; other important documents (i.e. past performance evaluations, letters of recommendation, security...

Hey. I'm new here and I apologize for the vanity post, but I'd like to interview people with AC-130 experience. I'm working on a story and need an objective opinion. The deadline is 10-16-08. Thanks.

Spc. Roberto Giron of the 74th Multi Role Bridging Company works to teach an Iraqi combat engineer how to properly set bridge panels during the unit’s training session held at Camp Taji. The training of the Iraqi army combat engineer is just another step in helping the country sustain itself in the future. Photo by Spc. Michael Behlin. CAMP TAJI — Getting Iraq to the point of being able to sustain itself in all operations is an important factor in today’s war on terrorism. With the country being able to govern, defend, and sustain itself, the U.S. military presence has...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WAR EAGLE, Iraq, Sept. 12, 2008 – The soldiers of Earth Movers Platoon, Company B, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion, gathered for their mission briefing. Army 1st Lt. Jeremy Atkinson briefs his platoon before the soldiers head to Baghdad’s Sadr City district Sept. 9, 2008. Atkinson serves as a platoon leader with Company B, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Multinational Division Baghdad. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerry Saslav, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. They would pick up a quality assurance/quality control team and then head into Baghdad’s Sadr City district....

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, July 25, 2008 – Multinational Division Baghdad engineers with the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team journeyed to the Grand Canal Bridge in Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad, on July 22 to monitor repair progress. Construction workers from a local construction company weld steel that is going to be used to fix the hole in the northbound lane of the Grand Canal Bridge in Taji, northwest of Baghdad, July 22, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Lyndsey R. Dransfield, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The bridge, which spans a portion...

JOINT BASE BALAD — Army engineers across the world face the same challenges each day for soldiers, materials and equipment. Shortages of repair parts, force protection measures, and limited construction equipment are just some of those challenges. These shared challenges provided the opportunity for two engineer units to construct a lasting partnership together. Together, Soldiers from the 5th Engineer Battalion and the 5th Iraqi Army Engineer Regiment in Diyala province constructed an aggressive six-month training and combined operations partnership, June 5. The two engineer units are organized similarly, with combat capabilities of combat engineers, construction engineers and a boat and...

6/3/2008 - PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- More than 1,000 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a new $6 million road May 28 in Barak of the Bazarak District in the Panjshir province. During the ceremony, Afghan officials from the highest levels of government discussed the critical importance of the road, which will extend from Barak to Khenj, to Panjshir and to all of Afghanistan. Ahmad Zia Massoud, Afghanistan's first vice president and the brother of famed Panjshir martyr and Afghan national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud, was the main speaker during the hour-long ceremony. The ceremony was held adjacent to...