Photo By Luke Waack | Lt. Col. Karl A. Davis, 20th Engr. Bn. Commander, left, addresses his Soldiers on the...... read more read more
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Developing new leaders is a top priority in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Some active-duty Army engineers don’t experience a USACE district until late in their careers, if at all.
To give Soldiers some education on USACE, the Galveston District (SWG) supported the leadership development of junior officers and senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) from the 20th Engineer Battalion “Lumberjacks”, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Cavazos, Texas, with an overview tour of SWG operations and Civil Works projects, April 25, 2025.
USACE Civil Works programs include Navigation, Coastal Storm Risk Management, Flood Risk Management, Environmental Restoration, Emergency Management, and the Regulatory Program and permits.
https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/
SWG Deputy District Commander, Lt. Col. Darryl W. Kothmann, met the Lumberjack Leadership Development Program “LDP” group at Baytown Marina, before a tour of the General Arnold dredge, operated by private contractor Callan Marine.
Callan Marine is working on Project 11, widening and deepening the Houston Ship Channel (HSC), to provide safer navigation for the ever-increasing size of cargo vessels.
Approximately 25 percent of U.S. commercial cargo traffic passes through the HSC, and the Lumberjack LDP group saw it up close from the General Arnold dredge.
After the dredge tour, the group visited SWG Headquarters in Galveston, where Kothmann delivered an overview of district projects and operations.
“We’re hosting about 50 officers and noncommissioned officers of the 20th Engr. Bn.,” Kothmann said. “They’re conducting a leadership professional development class, not only to learn about USACE, but also the Galveston District.”
Kothmann spent 10 years on active duty before he experienced a USACE district.
“So, what I really like to do is provide an opportunity for military officers and NCOs who’ve never worked with USACE before to what else the Engineer Regiment is involved in,” Kothmann said.
The Engineer Regiment refers to all the 84,000 engineers in the U.S. Army, active duty, National Guard and Reserve, enlisted Soldiers and officers.
“Until now, most of them have no experience with USACE, and they have a limited scope on the USACE mission,” Kothmann continued.
The district is involved in virtually every mile of the 367-mile Texas coastline and plays an integral role in both the preservation of natural treasures that are a living part of the Texas coastal region, as well as serving and preserving the industries that fuel commerce and power our nation.
“So, to show them the effect our district has on navigation, environmental restoration, coastal storm and flood risk management, I know for me was a pretty eye-opening experience,” Kothmann concluded.
Lt. Col. Karl A. Davis is the 20th Engr. Bn. Commander.
“As a tactical engineer battalion … we’re very familiar with the combined arms fight, our engineer craft of mobility, counter mobility and survivability and general engineering operations,” Davis said.
Davis’ unit recently completed a battalion gunnery, and elements of the battalion also completed a National Training Center rotation at Fort Irwin, Ca.
But for many of Davis’ Soldiers, this was their first USACE visit.
“We’re not as well-educated and informed about the other side of our expertise within the Corps of Engineers,” Davis said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to learn from the military leaders as well as the civilian employees of the Galveston District, about some of the civil works initiatives they have here.”
Plans Officer for the 20th Engr. Bn., Cpt. Kole M. Moses, is one of the Soldiers who had their first exposure to USACE during the visit. He also coordinated the visit to SWG.
“We’re a combat unit, we have combat engineer companies, so we spend most of our time focused on combat, but we also want to make sure our officers and NCOs are well-rounded,” Moses said.
USACE has about 650 military positions and 37,000 civilians.
“I would like to get into the Corps of Engineers,” Moses said.
Moses is scheduled to take command of the 510th Combat Engineer Company-Armored (CEC-A) next month.
“We are an enabler battalion for the Third Armored Corps, so we provide mobility, counter mobility and survivability support. We have three CEC-A’s which provide combat support, but within those companies we do have a platoon, assault and obstacles, that have the JAV bridges, which basically provides you the ability to cross a 20-meter gap. We can also provide demolition to reduce obstacles and clear lanes through mine fields.”
The SWG Commander, Col. Rhett Blackmon, linked up with the Lumberjack LPD and presented Moses with a district coin.
“I know it takes a lot of work to plan these sorts of things and when the logistics go well, the rest of the program goes well,” Blackmon said.
Lumberjack LPD concluded their day in the district with a short walk on the Galveston Seawall, a USACE project which has protected Galveston from Coastal Storm surge for more than one hundred years.
Cpt. Cori Lemere, 87th CEC-A Company Commander, said she learned a lot during her visit to SWG.
“It’s one thing to see something as a line item on a Powerpoint, like the Corps of Engineers is good at this, but this was a great opportunity to get out and actually experience it.”
For more information about SWG, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2025 10:48 |
| Story ID: | 498046 |
| Location: | GALVESTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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