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The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or '''USACE''', is made up of some 34,600 Civilian and 650 Military men and women. The Corps' mission is to provide Engineering services to the United States , including:
The Corps' history began in 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized the first Chief Engineer whose first task was to build fortifications near Boston at Bunker Hill . The first Corps were mostly composed of French subjects, who had been hired by George Washington from the service of Louis XVI . In 1802 a corps of engineers was stationed at West Point and constituted the nation's first Military Academy . Highlights Continental Congress authority for a "Chief Engineer for the Army" dates from June 16 , 1775 . '''A corps of Engineers for the United States''' was authorized by the Congress on March 11 , 1779 . '''The Corps of Engineers''' as it is known today came into being on March 16 , 1802 , when the President was authorized to '''"organize and establish a Corps of Engineers ... that the said Corps ... shall be stationed at West Point in the State of New York and shall constitute a Military Academy."''' The United States Military Academy was under the direction of the Corps of Engineers until 1866 . The Corps' authority over river works in the United States began with its fortification of New Orleans after the War Of 1812 . '''A Corps of Topographical Engineers''', authorized on July 4 , 1838 , was merged with the Corps of Engineers in March, 1963. Notable projects by the Corps include the 555 ft 5 1/8 in (169 m) tall Washington Monument , completed under the direction and command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lincoln Casey in 1888 , major Hydroelectric projects, the planning and building of The Pentagon , and the Manhattan Project . Leadership The Chief Of Engineers has separate and distinct command and staff responsibilities. As a staff officer at the Pentagon , the Chief advises the Army on engineering matters and serves as the Army's Topographer and the proponent for Real Estate and other related engineering programs. As commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Chief of Engineers leads a major Army command that is the world's largest public engineering, design and Construction management agency. This office defines policy and guidance and plans direction for the organizations within the Corps. The current Chief of Engineers is LTG Carl Strock . The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters is made up of an Executive Office and 17 Staff Principals. The Headquarters, located in Washington, DC , creates policy and plans future direction of all the other Corps organizations. Organization The Corps is organized geographically into nine divisions and 45 subordinate districts throughout the U.S., Asia and Europe . The districts oversee project offices throughout the world. Divisions and districts are defined by Watershed boundaries for civil works projects, and by political boundaries for military projects. The eight U.S. divisions are:
Since 11 September 2001 , the Corps has responded with the creation of expeditionary elements in Iraq (the Gulf Region Division or GRD) and Afghanistan (the Afghanistan Engineer District or AED). Enforcement One of the major responsibilities of the Corps of Engineers is administering the wetlands permitting program under Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972. (AKA "The Clean Water Act "). This Act authorized the Secretary of the Army to issue permits for the discharge of dredged and fill material. Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (codified in Chapter 33, Section 403 of the United States Code ) gave the Corps authority over navigable waters of the United States. As navigable waters are defined as "navigable waters of the United States are those waters that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or are presently being used, or have been used in the past, or may be susceptible for use to transport interstate or foreign commerce", the Corps has broad authority to enforce this. There are three types of permits issued by the Corps: Nationwide, Regional General, and Individual. 80% of the permits issued are nationwide permits, which include several general types of activities, as published in the Federal Register. To get a nationwide permit, an applicant need only send a letter to the regional Corps office notifying them of your intent. Regional general permits are specific to each Corps division office. Individual permits are required for projects greater than 0.5 acres (2,000 m²) in size. Research The Engineer Research And Development Center (ERDC) is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research and development command. ERDC consists of eight unique laboratories. Research support includes:
Support services There are several other major organizations within the Corps of Engineers:
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