The Army Corps of Engineers announced recently that it has produced a new enterprise research and development (R&D) strategy that will address the nation’s most complex engineering challenges.
The Corps of Engineers R&D Strategy is a strategic collaborative effort that uses innovative solutions to save time, money and effort in the future. It charges Corps divisions, districts and centers to facilitate a "whole-of-government" approach towards tomorrow’s problems, the Corps said.
“It’s my firm belief that we will not 'build our way' out of many of the challenges we face – we have to think, innovate, and engineer our way out,” said Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, 55th Chief of Engineers and Corps of Engineers commanding general. “To do that, we’ll need new, improved, and, in some cases, yet-to-be-discovered tools and technologies that only a robust and responsive R&D program can deliver.”
The Corps R&D Strategy’s Top 10 R&D priorities serve as the plan’s major component. They charge Corps entities to:
1) Mitigate and adapt to climate change.
2) Win future wars.
3) Modernize our nation’s infrastructure.
4) Support resilient communities.
5) Enable smart and resilient installations.
6) Ensure environmental sustainability and resilience.
7) Secure reliable installation energy.
8) Revolutionize and accelerate decision-making.
9) Improve cyber and physical security.
10) Protect and defend the Arctic.
“Our strategy will establish a bold, new era of R&D that will help us to address numerous complex 21st century challenges,” said Dr. David W. Pittman, chief scientist and Corps director of R&D. “This initiative will enhance the USACE response to future disasters, conflicts, the environment and energy efficiency demands.”
To ensure successful strategy execution, the Corps will examine future research needs, focus on the collaborative application of R&D, enhance R&D community engagement and serve as a key partner in the whole-of-government effort for solutions. The Corps R&D Strategy can be accessed at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll11/id/5457
