Photo By Emily Helton | 62nd Forward Engineer Support Team – Advanced (FEST-A) members are issued gear in...... read more read more
Six civilian professionals from across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have been selected to deploy with active duty leadership as part of the 62nd Forward Engineer Support Team – Advanced (FEST-A) mission. Among those chosen are Michael Haefeli and Alan Jaski from the USACE Chicago District.
The headquarters for the team is based out of USACE Alaska District but is open to engineers throughout the agency. It requires expertise across six engineering disciplines: civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, environmental, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These teams are deployed to provide rapid, on-the-ground engineering support to military missions abroad.
Alan Jaski learned about the opportunity through Michael Haefeli, who was helping to fill an electrical engineering role on the team. “I volunteered because this deployment offers a rare chance to enhance my leadership skills, work closely in a team environment, and gain valuable international experience,” Jaski explained.
The deployed engineers were re-routed temporarily and our currently working with the Joint Security Cooperation Group-Panama who are the facilitators for the infrastructure assessments for the National Aeronaval Service of Panama (SENAN). They will then support U.S. Army Europe by delivering technical expertise for a range of missions, often requiring travel to meet emerging needs on the ground.
“These missions can include anything from environmental surveys and infrastructure assessments to damage evaluations and building design plans,” Haefeli noted.
In preparation for deployment, the team traveled earlier this year to Latvia and Germany for a certification exercise. There, they trained alongside Latvian military partners and completed firearms familiarization, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) training, medical preparation, and administrative processing.
Participation in the FEST-A program is considered highly competitive and mission-essential within USACE.
“Colleagues who have taken part in this program often describe it as one of the most rewarding experiences of their careers,” Haefeli added.
“I’m drawn to the fast-paced, technical nature of this mission,” Haefeli said. “Being able to provide engineering services across Europe in support of the U.S. Army is a truly unique and valuable experience for USACE personnel.”
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2025 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 496871 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 95 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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