USACE Program Funding, COOP, and Civil Works Budget

Introduction and Regulatory Authority

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) identifies itself with the following mission: to offer critical services in the public engineering area, during times of war and peace, for strengthening America's security, mitigating disaster risks, and energizing the nation's economy. Via its Regulatory Program, the USACE oversees and implements the Clean Water Act (CWA), Section 404, and the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (RHA), Section 10. The latter forbids unsanctioned alteration or obstruction of any of America's navigable waters unless one possesses a USACE permit. The term "navigable American waters" refers to all waters subject to the tide's rise and fall that have been used previously, are currently used, or might potentially be used in the future for the transportation of foreign or interstate commerce.

CWA Section 404 empowers the Army Secretary, acting via the Chief Engineer, to supply permits — following public notice and hearing opportunities — for discharging fill or dredged material into American waters at specific disposal sites (see 33 CFR Part 323). American waters include, though are not restricted to, all of the nation's navigable waters, wetlands, and tributaries adjacent to these waters.

The Army Corps is a major engineering force comprising well-organized individuals who work with partner units through disciplined action and thought to deliver sustainable, innovative solutions to America's engineering challenges. A crucial means of carrying out this mission is through adequate and sustained funding. A firm executes a sound continuity program using relevant procedures and plans, a sound continuity Test, Training, and Exercise (TT&E) initiative, and the functional capacity to support those procedures and plans. The institution of procedural and planning goals and requirements — as well as use of metrics to ensure that a key function does not pause during continuity activation — constitutes a critical component in the development of a holistic continuity plan.

Federal Continuity Directive 1 Requirements for USACE Funding

For the Army Corps to receive ongoing program funding, the following requirements must be met under Federal Continuity Directive 1 (FCD1):

Establishments must develop and record their continuity plans together with relevant procedures such that, when executed, the procedures and the plan allow uninterrupted performance of the organization's essential functions under all circumstances. They must also allow integration with other governmental and non-governmental organizations, as applicable.

The head of the organization — for instance, its Director, Administrator, or Secretary — or a designee must ratify the plan, as evidenced by his or her signature on the document, and recommend any important addendums or updates. Organizations should review and update the plan on an annual basis. Review dates and the names of staff members involved in the review process must be documented.

The continuity procedures and plan should:

Address important continuity elements — namely, essential functions, authority delegation, succession orders, continuity communications, continuity facilities, human resources, essential records, Test/Training/Exercise, reconstitution, and devolution — in addition to requirements linked to individual elements as specified in a given Federal Continuity Directive.

Address supporting continuity elements: program procedures and plans, budgeting and acquisition, risk management, and implementation phases of operation, in addition to requirements linked to individual elements as specified in a particular directive.

Focus on the four continuity phases: (1) preparedness and readiness, (2) activation, (3) continuity operations, and (4) reconstitution.

Provide a process for ascertaining organizational readiness and for making decisions with regard to related actions in order to increase the organization's readiness posture.

Offer a methodology or process for guaranteeing plan implementation.

Develop and maintain suitable relocation instructions and procedures for members of the Emergency Relocation Group (ERG) to alternative sites.

Create and maintain proper instructions and procedures for devolving roles to Devolution Emergency Response Group (DERG) members at devolution sites.

Outline the transition of responsibility to deployed ERG or DERG personnel.

Develop a process to achieve operational capabilities at every continuity facility within the minimum acceptable disruption period for essential functions.

Provide a methodology or process for ensuring sustained operations can continue until resumption of normal operations, or for up to one month.

Determine and institute procedures for ensuring key resources, records, and facilities are protected, accessible, and available to support continuity operations.

Institutions should integrate continuity prerequisites into everyday operations to guarantee the immediate and smooth continuation of their essential functions.

All non-headquarters organizational units — such as subcomponents, field offices, and regional offices — must submit the following documents annually to their headquarters through proper reporting channels, to provide visibility on continuity efforts at every organizational level:

A certificate of continuity plan maintenance (with date and signature) by the office or unit, signed by the head of the organization or a designated authority. A certification of participation by the office or unit in a yearly exercise of moving continuity workers to an alternative site, signed by the head of the organization or a designated authority (the certificate must include the date of the latest exercise).

Organizational headquarters must document the continuity plan date, the signature of authority, and the date of the latest continuity exercise, not only for its divisions but for the headquarters itself. Organizational headquarters must also submit Readiness Reporting System (RRS) reports on a monthly basis.

Human Capital Strategic Plan Requirements (2012–2017)

Human capital's life cycle constitutes a continuous and evolving process. Understanding the ongoing nature of this cycle is essential. The individual stages of the life cycle are described below, followed by examples of programs and initiatives drawn from the USACE Human Capital Strategic Plan 2012–2017:

Plan: Human capital planning must be performed continuously to meet changing requirements and shape the Army Corps' future workforce for carrying out diverse and challenging tasks. Key activities include Succession Planning, Organizational Design, and Workforce Planning.

Recruit: Employees must be recruited based on how well they fit job requirements. Since many organizations compete for talent, USACE must ensure it prevails in this competition through Hiring Reform, Corporate Recruitment, Intern Programs, Career Programs, and positioning itself as an employer of choice.

Develop: Employees must be developed and prepared for evolving missions. USACE can accomplish this by offering workforce enrichment opportunities such as the Leadership Development Initiative, Individual Development Programs, Leadership Assessment, Learning Center, Civilian Educational System, Developmental Assignments, and Competency Management.

Sustain: USACE must ensure retention of valuable employees by recognizing their contributions through Personnel Engagement, a Personnel Value Proposition, Worklife Programs (such as wellness and telework), Family Readiness programs, and Recognition of Employee Achievements.

Four primary goals related to human capital have been identified for meeting the changing needs of the Army Corps and its employees. These goals were formulated on the basis of a lifecycle model for organizational human capital, key personnel engagement drivers, and the existing and anticipated external and internal environments. Progress toward these goals will advance USACE on the road to becoming an organization of choice for recruits:

Human Capital Goal 1: Determine present and future skills requirements; identify the causes underlying gaps in organizational competency; and have effective solutions in place for bridging those gaps. End State: Personnel possess required competencies, described in specific terms, demonstrated through superior workforce performance.

Human Capital Goal 2: Carry out adaptable and agile human capital planning that is responsive to evolving personnel needs and mission requirements. End State: A dynamic and flexible talent pool capable of timely delivery of required competencies as mandated by mission requirements.

Human Capital Goal 3: Prepare next-generation leaders and equip them to cope with future transformational challenges. End State: A group of self-aware, agile, and adaptive leaders who establish challenging expectations and achieve results even in the face of adversity.

Human Capital Goal 4: Cultivate a diverse, motivated, engaged, and empowered workforce in the challenging modern environment, while ensuring equality and accountability. End State: A collaborative Army Corps culture propelled by innovation, with sound leadership that inspires personnel commitment to accomplishing missions successfully.

The organization will continue promoting human capital programs through routine stakeholder meetings, the HR Practice Community, and performance reviews during Command Management Reviews (CMR), Command Strategic Reviews (CSR), and Directorate Management Reviews (DMR). Maintaining open communication and making course corrections in response to changing USACE needs is imperative. To ensure accomplishment of human capital aims and targets, a yearly implementation plan will be formulated that identifies specific requirements needed. The following elements will be included in the implementation plan:

Primary actions necessary for objectives achievement; key deliverables for individual actions; metrics or measures for determining action efficiency; and requisite resources, including personnel, time, and funding.

Conclusion

Recently, the Chief Engineer of the Army stated that roughly two-thirds of USACE's budget is allocated for military use. However, he anticipates continued reductions, with program funding returning to pre-9/11 levels (Leipold, 2014). Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick, the Army Corps commander, stated that over the preceding decade, his organization implemented a particularly large military initiative worth nearly $30 billion at its peak in 2008. This included work related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Base Realignment and Closure, and efforts in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bostick also stated that since 2002, the Army Corps has overseen a construction initiative comprising roughly 1,000 Afghan projects valued at over $10.8 billion. Sustained funding must therefore continue in order to reach these goals; the Army Corps demonstrably fulfills the requirements that justify it.

References

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