Home / About / Transatlantic Afghanistan District (Update) / Media / Stories

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division serves as USACE’s tip of the spear in one of the most dynamic construction environments in the world, STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS, BUILDING CAPACITY, and ENHANCING SECURITY for our nation, allies, and partners. 

We SAFELY deliver agile, responsive, and innovative, design, construction, engineering and contingency solutions in support of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and other global partners to advance national security interests.

  • September

    Change of command photo for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

    55th Chief of Engineers takes Command, outlines priorities

    Lieutenant General (LTG) Todd T. Semonite, Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), relinquished command to LTG Scott Spellmon in a short virtual ceremony September 10, 2020. 
  • A new podcast series tells the stories of how, over the last 10 years, a growing international community of practitioners, scientists, engineers, and researchers across many disciplines and organizations are working together to combine natural and engineering systems to solve problems and diversify infrastructure value by applying the principles and practices of Engineering With Nature®.

    Using natural infrastructure to increase resilience for military installations

    In this episode of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast, guest Brig. Gen. Patrice Melancon, executive director of the Program Management Office, Tyndall Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force, shares how she and her team are incorporating the principles and practices of Engineering With Nature into the Air Force’s Installation of the Future initiative.
  • U.S. Army Col. Michael Helton, Portland District commander, highlights details of the South Jetty rehabilitation at the Mouth of the Columbia River to Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici during a small commemoration event, Aug. 31. The Corps estimates that it will complete rehabilitation on South Jetty by 2024 and will use 400,000 tons of stone. The group, which included Senator Ron Wyden and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, was able to see some of the work as contractors placed rock in the background. So far, the Corps has placed more than 14,000 tons of stone at South Jetty. (U.S. Army photo by Jeremy Bell)

    Violent confluence of Columbia River and Pacific Ocean make jetty work … weighty

    During violent winter storms, waves taller than the length of six king-sized beds stacked end-to-end (40 feet) can meet the Columbia River as it makes its way out to the Pacific Ocean. This concentrated colliding of water makes crossing the bar incredibly dangerous, according to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. So precarious, in fact, that this channel had a nickname, “the graveyard of the Pacific,” at least until the U.S. government built critical infrastructure to reduce some of the risk.
  • Lt. Col. Nathan Branen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District deputy commander, presents the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division 2020 Interpretive Excellence Award Sept. 2, 2020 to Park Ranger Robert Buck, natural resources specialist at Lake Barkley in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. Branen presented the award on behalf of Maj. Gen. Robert Whittle, commanding general. (USACE Photo)

    Lake Barkley park ranger garners interpretive excellence award

    GRAND RIVERS, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2020) – A Lake Barkley park ranger recently garnered the 2020 Interpretive Excellence Award from the commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division.
  • (IN THE PHOTO) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Contractors install temporary generators at one of the sites requested by the state of Louisiana. Emergency power installation is one of the Corps’ primary missions during emergency recovery operations, in addition to supporting the temporary housing mission, providing temporary roofing and conducting infrastructure assessments. (USACE photos by Royalle Woods)

    Corps of Engineers fully engaged in LA Hurricane recovery efforts

    When Hurricane Laura struck Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) response and recovery teams were already in place to execute the critical mission assignments assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Damages sustained in southwestern Louisiana warrant USACE expertise. Mission assignments range from temporary roofing and emergency power installation to supporting the temporary housing mission and conducting infrastructure assessments and providing debris removal technical assistance to the state.