Construction continues at Fort Bragg of state-of-the-art facilities that are being built to accommodate the specific needs of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). Project managers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District’s Fort Bragg USASOC Area Office have an intense schedule, and are meeting the demands of the Special Operations community by keeping the projects on time and on budget.
“Our stakeholders know what their facilities require to meet their mission and they work hand-in-hand with us through the life of the projects,” said Ron Cannady, Area Engineer at the Wilmington District’s USASOC Area Office. “We take pride in our projects, by partnering with our stakeholders and contractors to make every project successful.”
Feedback from the stakeholders is immediate. Project managers such as Michael Hinsley works on projects for the 3rd Special Forces Group said some of the biggest comments are improved convenience and operability of the new facilities over the decrepit buildings the Soldiers used to occupy.
“These units in recent past have been somewhat strung out between different buildings in generally the same area,” said Hinsley. “As you can imagine, that can make command and control, coordination, and logistical support challenging, so they are very pleased to be all under the same roof. It is a drastic improvement in the quality of the facilities. Many of the buildings that they have been operating in are old, wooden, World War II-era structures that originally had an expected lifespan of roughly 15 years. The new facilities are like mansions in comparison.”
USACE designed the facilities to be modified at will, especially with sophisticated communications equipment. Communications equipment can be outdated within months and need replacing immediately. After working with USASOC Soldiers over the years Hinsley knows what they expect, and he understands how critical it is for them to have the best equipment possible.
“In warfare, knowledge has always meant power, and creating operational spaces where vast amounts of data is received and synthesized into actionable information is powerful,” he said. “These information nexus in the facilities really facilitate the modern warfighter in the completion of their missions, and is impressive to see once assembled.”
To meet Army energy efficiency needs there are modern amenities to keep operating costs down. Solar panels, for example, help heat water for showers and other needs, and darkened windows help keep rooms cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
“These new buildings are quite impressive, and contain some of the latest technology on the market for the building sciences. We’ve installed energy efficient HVAC and controls systems, and combined with extremely tight building envelopes, this means the Army is able to operate them with minimal costs,” Hinsley said.
USACE’s support to USASOC means that the Soldiers can plan their missions more efficiently in state-of-the-art facilities. For Hinsley, being able to support the green berets means they’re not just ordinary stakeholders.
“There is a certain pride that comes from helping to accomplish this mission for the Special Forces,” he said. “These individuals are literally the tip of the spear on the battlefields of today, and aiding in their mission by providing modern facilities from which to train and to deploy is quite rewarding.”