Photo By Kathryne Gest | Equipment from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 1st Mobile Brigade Combat...... read more read more
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WASHINGTON – When the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) needs to move over 1,000 trucks, trailers, and tons of equipment for a large training exercise, they rely on the cost-effectiveness and convenience of the nation’s waterways.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains an extensive network of inland and intracoastal waterways that play a critical role in supporting military operations. By facilitating the movement of over 400 million tons of military and commercial cargo annually, the Corps plays a crucial role in sustaining the readiness and effectiveness of warfighters across the nation.
Last month, Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team relied on USACE-managed inland waterways to move their equipment from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, by barge on the Cumberland, Ohio, Mississippi, and Red Rivers to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
This safer, much more cost-effective route underscores the importance of navigable waterways to national defense and military readiness.
“Moving (equipment) by barge is more cost efficient, a more reliable method overall, more convenient and less cumbersome on the Soldier,” said Curtis Clark, division transportation chief for the 101st. “Rail cars usually take about a week to load, with a lot of chaining down and restrictions, but with a barge, we can load the same amount of equipment in fewer days and take just about anything.”
USACE maintains more than 12,000 miles of navigable inland waterways across the United States. This infrastructure not only supports commerce but also plays a critical role in the rapid deployment of combat power.
“Our mission is to maintain a 9-foot channel ready for any user, whether it’s commercial or military,” said Kristopher “KC” Ellis, chief of Navigation for USACE’s Monroe, Louisiana, Project Office. “This system is reliable, and that’s by design.”
The Monroe Navigation Project Office oversees nine locks and dams on the Ouachita-Black and J. Bennett Johnston waterways. A lock raises or lowers vessels to the next section of river depending on its elevation.
“The lock acts like an elevator to the next pool level,” said Ellis. “You raise the pool high enough and build the lock to provide that 9-foot channel. Then you’re basically stair-stepping up the river to maintain that consistent depth, in this case over 90 miles.”
These inland routes are widely used to move commercial cargo like aggregate, grain and fuel, but they’re also vital for movements like the 101st.
As the 101st equipment passed through two locks on its way to Fort Johnson, USACE teams worked behind the scenes to ensure reliable passage. This included managing sediment buildup, especially on sediment-heavy rivers like the Red River Waterway, performing preventative maintenance and adjusting operations as needed.
“During a previous rotation, we had a lock dewatering underway. We worked with the military and port authorities to identify alternate routes and options where the rotation would not be held up,” said Ellis. “Although it was a different unloading scenario, it still saved time and money and kept the mission on track.”
Since 2018, the 101st has conducted 10 JRTC barge movements with the support of USACE, each one building on prior lessons learned to improve the process.
“I’ve been here 18 years, and each time we’ve used the waterway it’s improved with every iteration,” said Clark. “Going from one load and offload area to three, and during this last iteration high water from heavy rain meant we had to adjust our path, but each time we’ve expanded and are now able to stage even more equipment.”
Each successful movement along America’s waterways reinforces the strategic value of USACE infrastructure as a flexible, scalable option for military movement.
The 101st offloaded their equipment at the Central Louisiana Regional Port in Alexandria, La. said Port Executive Director Ben Russo: “This Port is uniquely positioned as the only inland public port in the United States actively supporting the deployment of U.S. military equipment and personnel…This reflects our unwavering commitment to national defense readiness and the strategic advantage of using inland waterways for military logistics. As we look to the future, we stand ready to adapt our capacity and capabilities to meet the congested and contested transportation challenges that lie ahead and to further establish ourselves as a projection platform for the U.S. Army.”
The 101st recent movement reflects a resurgence in the use of inland waterways as a strategic logistics option, made possible through USACE’s enduring navigation mission.
“It’s a very fluid process and better each time, and great that USACE allows us to use the waterway,” added Clark. “Other places and organizations are looking into moving equipment this way, and I would recommend it.”
As the U.S. Army modernizes its approach to large-scale readiness, the waterways USACE has maintained for more than two centuries continue to provide essential infrastructure that enables movement when and where it is needed most.
“Our partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other stakeholders ensures that these critical movements are supported by reliable, well-maintained infrastructure, strengthening both national security and the economic vitality of the region,” said Russo.
Navigation is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ earliest Civil Works mission, established by federal law in 1824 to improve safety on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and several ports. Today, USACE’s navigation mission continues to evolve in support of national defense, economic strength and strategic mobility.
“Navigation is what we do,” said Ellis. “We might not be the ones loading the barges, but we have and maintain the infrastructure that makes this possible, and we will continue to support that.”
As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers marks its 250th anniversary this year, its navigation mission remains vital, ensuring navigable waterways are ready to support national security and strategic mobility across the nation.
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2025 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 499188 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, USACE Navigation mission critical to Armed Forces’ strategic readiness, by Kathryne Gest, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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