Photo By Stacey Reese | Bay door construction at the Tulsa District’s Air Force’s KC-46 Pegasus Depot...... read more read more
2020 was a year of challenges not only for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, but for the world. The greatest challenge being COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic came travel bans, mandatory telework, recreation closures and virtual learning for children.
“COVID-19 changed our landscape. As professionals, we adapted and overcame these challenges and, as an organization, we led the Nation’s response,” said Brig. Gen. Christopher Beck, commander, Southwestern Division. “Through it all, we continued to deliver a program that will impact the region’s military for generations to come.”
In Fiscal year 2020, the Division’s Military Construction Program saw six project awards valued at $189 million with Installation Readiness projects at $739 million. The U.S. Army Centrally Funded Barracks program invested more than $500 million to renovate and repair barracks at Fort Hood, Fort Polk, Fort Sill, and Joint Base San Antonio.
On February 29, the Fort Bliss Hospital construction was completed, and Beneficial Occupancy was achieved. “We are proud of this achievement as this world-class healthcare facility will provide state-of-the-art medical services to active duty military personnel and their families,” said Beck.
As the Fort Bliss hospital was turned over, several other projects were awarded. At Altus Air Force Base, on March 24, the Fire-Crash Rescue Center was awarded. The project provides for a fire and crash rescue center to support emergency services for flight training operations.
Several months later the Little Rock Air Force Base C-130 Fuselage Simulator/Trainer Facility was awarded on August 31. The project includes four C-130 J model trainers and support areas with individual bays sized to perform night vision goggle operations for a K-Loader in each.
KC-46A Program
A current construction program of special note is the Tulsa District’s KC-46A Program for the Air Force’s new Air Refueling Tanker. The program spans two Air Force installations in Oklahoma, Tinker AFB and Altus AFB.
The projects at Tinker AFB include constructing a 150-plus acre campus for KC-46A depot maintenance which will have 14 state-of-the-art hangar facilities. As the newest air refueling aircraft the KC-46A will replace the aging KC-135 fleet that has been delivering fuel to the aircraft since the 1950s.
“The projects at Tinker AFB will culminate in a KC-46A campus consisting of 14 hangar bays, a Systems Integration Lab, airfield aprons and a taxiway,” said Adam Crisp, program manager for SWD’s Military Integration Division. “Total construction costs will be more than $600 million.”
The Altus AFB project will provide the Air Education and Training Command a formal training unit for the KC-46A and will eventually replace the KC-135. The facilities being renovated and constructed will house Formal Initial and Advance Specialty Training Programs for air refueling mobility forces providing global reach for combat and contingency operations.
Construction at Altus AFB will include a KC-46A Flight Training Campus that includes a new 29,903-square-foot, two-story flight training center and 10,590-square-foot fuselage training facility, both designed to support mission growth with future expansions.
The FTC supports 48 full-time students, includes a high-bay area for the fuselage training simulator, briefing rooms, classroom and general support areas. The 6,570-square-foot high-bay area accommodates a full-scale KC-46A fuselage to support training on aircraft cargo loading and unloading, refueling, emergency egress and other areas needed to support the mission.
According to Crisp, the $60 million construction and renovation program at Altus will provide state-of-the-art training facilities to train Airmen for years to come. The new tankers are key to U.S. Military Strategy, providing speed, range, and flexibility for global operations. This new age aircraft will achieve better mission-capable rates with less maintenance downtime improving the Air Force’s ability to respond with rapid, global capability to assist U.S. joint, allied and coalition forces and better support humanitarian missions.
“The Tulsa District has the unique opportunity to deliver the Air Force both the training and maintenance facilities for this new airframe,” said Beck.
Additionally, the Little Rock District’s Medical Support Team, one of only three team across the enterprise has provided timely, critical medical support expertise to the Defense Health Agency which was extremely beneficial during the pandemic response. According to SWD’s Chief of Military Integration Division Tony Roberson, this support added value throughout the enterprise and the entire Department of Defense and was highly regarded from all levels of Government.
Other Little Rock District accomplishments include the first construction project award under a new relationship agreement with the VA valued up to $140 million over the next several years. Little Rock also awarded the first Defense Health Agency construction projects at Keelser AFB and Fort Bragg.
“They reinvigorated a relationship with the Pine Bluff Arsenal, awarded a fuselage trainer project at Little Rock Airforce Base and were able to accomplish all this while awarding $238 million worth of MST work for their Army and Airforce stakeholders,” said Roberson.
In addition to construction projects, SWD executed a $230 million environmental program for DoD Stakeholders. “This was a $30 million increase indicating that USACE as an agent of choice for environmental actions,” said Beck.
The Division developed $400 million in contract capacity to assist the DoD with investigation and remediation of polyfluoroalkyl contamination on Army and Air Force installations.
SWD’s MID also supported the EPA’s Region 6 Targeted Brownfield Assessment program by completing 15 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, 5 Phase II ESA actions, and one Cleanup Plan for $700,000 in FY20 thereby supporting EPA’s Region 6’s Government Performance Results Act goal.
“As we look to FY21, I expect we will have challenges. As we take on the challenges to come, we will continue to deliver by meeting our commitments to our team and our military partners,” said Beck. “To do that, we will continue to build relationships, seek improvements and innovate for our Nation’s military.”
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2021 12:11 |
| Story ID: | 396938 |
| Location: | DALLAS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 183 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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