18th annual Engineers week event . My
name is Tom Sims and I'm honored to be
your MC for this year's event
throughout my career . As an engineer
for the Department of Defense , I have
witnessed extraordinary changes in the
advancement of the engineering
profession as defense systems become
more complex and the challenge
continues to evolve . Engineers
consistently meet the moment with
dedication , ingenuity and forward
thinking . It is a privilege to serve
our country as an engineer . And I am
confident the messages we hear today
will reflect the department's
appreciation for our engineering
workforce and moreover , encourage new
and future professionals to consider
defense engineering as a promising and
rewarding career . We have a great
lineup today of speakers uh to begin ,
we will hear from leaders of our
cosponsoring agencies , the Washington
Headquarters , services , facilities ,
services directorate and the under
Secretary of Defense for Research and
Engineering . We will then hear from
our two featured speakers who will
share with us their perspectives on the
power of engineering . As we welcome
the future audience members will have
an opportunity to ask questions of our
speakers . At the end of the program .
Please submit any questions to the
Engineers Week mailbox at WHS
dot Engineers week , Mail dot Mill .
After our event concludes , we will
work with our speakers to address the
questions received from the inbox . All
questions and answers will be posted on
the Engineers Week website following
the event . Once again , that email
address is WHS dot Engineers Week at
Mail dot mill . Please note this event
is being recorded and closed caption is
provided to kick off our event . We
will hear welcome remarks from Mr Paul
mcmahon , senior advisor for the
Infrastructure and resiliency
Washington Headquarters Services .
Please welcome Mr mcmahon .
Thank you . Good afternoon and welcome
to the Pentagon's 19th annual Engineers
Week event . Thank you all for joining
us today . Washington Headquarters
Services is excited to once again
jointly host our annual program for
Department of Defense employees in the
national capital region and nationwide
along with the under Secretary of
Defense for Research and Engineering .
To start . I would like to thank the
WHS Facilities Services Directorate and
the under Secretary of Defense R and E
teams that helped us organize this
year's event with special thanks to
Eric Kloh in the safety and compliance
division of the facility services
director . In addition , I'd like to
thank past future speakers who may be
present today watching our virtual
event . They have contributed much to
our understanding of engineering . We
hope they enjoyed today's presentations .
The Under Secretary of Defense for
Research and Engineering's welfare
marks will be provided by MS Heidi Xu .
The undersecretary's
also like to recognize today's feature
speakers , Doctor Stephen Walker , vice
President and Chief Technology Officer
of the Lockheed Martin Corporation and
Major General Kimberly Culliton , the
Deputy Commanding General for military
and international operations in the
United States Army Corps of Engineers
to begin with . Let's take a moment to
acknowledge the engineers watching this
live stream across the Department of
Defense and Industry and academia .
Welcome . I wanna thank you for your
hard work and dedication to our country .
Through engineering . Our work at the
Department of Defense would not be
possible without each of you , many
Americans are unaware of what the
engineering profession entails and what
it accomplishes every day . Engineers
pioneer innovations that improve
quality of life from providing clean
drinking water to developing
technologically advanced defense
systems . Each year discover e honors
engineering contributions such as by
holding a nationwide Engineers Week
event to recognize the importance of
the engineering profession . Discover
es 2024 engineers week theme . Welcome
to the future . Celebrates today's
achievements and paves the way for a
brighter and more diverse future in
engineering . Engineering stands for
innovation and is instrumental in
designing solutions that shape the
world of tomorrow . From the
development of the internet and
smartphones to space exploration and
renewable energy solutions . Engineers
have been at the forefront of progress
making our lives more efficient , more
comfortable and more connected
engineering teams are addressing global
challenges , driving technological
advancements and making a positive
impact on Satie future . Through their
creativity , expertise and dedication .
Engineers are an important part of a
diverse facility services , workforce
providing property management ,
building operations , maintenance ,
construction and renovations ,
environment protection and other
support services to a customer base of
approximately 64,000 civilian and
military personnel in the national
capital region . Among his capabilities ,
the facility services directorate
manages engineering and design services
in the fields of hydraulic ,
environmental , architectural , civil
structural geotechnical , mechanical
electrical and construction engineering .
Throughout the Pentagon reservation
facility services . Engineers are
implementing four leaning projects to
help reduce our dependence on fossil
fuels , produce clean energy and
improve resiliency . FSD . Engineers
are perpetually developing new and
innovative energy strategies for the
Pentagon to be efficient during our use
of resources while maintaining
operations to support the Department of
Defense's worldwide missions and the
needs of the war fire . Our energy
program was recently selected to
receive $10 million in grant money from
the Federal Energy Management Program
to support the development of net zero
building projects . One project is
gonna be the development of a
comprehensive solar energy plan that
will provide sustainable energy and
battery storage at the Pentagon . These
energy initiatives are being
implemented and will build over time
gradually reducing the Pentagon's
carbon footprint . We are currently
replacing 96,000 flight fixtures in the
Pentagon with new led lighting , led
lighting requires less maintenance are
more energy efficient and save money
and energy costs . This project will
save approximately 26,200 megawatt
hours or $2.1 million annually .
FSD engineers are also working on three
ev charging station projects EVs use
about four times less transportation
energy than dust , internal combustion
energy vehicles . These projects will
support conversion of government
vehicles from internal combustion to
battery electric and in the future
support the conversion of private
vehicles also to battery electric . FSD .
Engineers have successfully completed
installation of high efficiency low
flow water fixtures , reducing water
consumption at the Pentagon by 30%
while saving 100 64 million gallons of
water . FSD , engineers are optimizing
and modernizing the heating and
refrigerating plant , the heart of the
Pentagon's heating and cooling systems .
This work will also save more than $10
million in electricity costs over the
next 10 years . As part of major design
and construction programs , FSD
engineers are designing and building
next generation security facilities
adapting to new and emergency
challenges in both physical security
and cybersecurity and enhancing the
secure working environment for the
Pentagon reservations . 25,000
employees , new access control
facilities will enhance our existing
security and improve the personal
experience of all service members ,
personnel and visitors at the Pentagon
FSD . Engineers are further designing
projects that strengthen and enhance
this historic building including
structure , utilities and
infrastructure that will keep depending
on fully operational , comfortable and
robust for the challenges of this next
coming century . Improvements to the
physical structure are part of a
comprehensive program that includes
structural passenger improvements ,
bridge and roadway improvements ,
accessibility enhancements , and
environmentally focused projects .
These renovations planned the next
decade , enhance all aspects of
physical resiliency and building system
modernization . All these engineering
efforts have contributed to wh S's
success in generating efficient
operations in support of the military
services . The office of the Secretary
of Defense Department of Defense
Agencies and components and other
agencies in the national capital region .
We look forward to continued success in
engineering projects in the future
generations of engineers . Joining our
efforts . Now , I would like to
introduce MS Xu and who will provide uh
welcome remarks on behalf of the under
Secretary of Defense Research and
Engineering , MS Xu . Welcome . Thank
you very much . Thank you for uh
to uh Tom Simms for inviting me to
speak at the 2024 Engineers Week and
thank you to discover e for the hard
work in putting on this event to
promote the importance and future
engineers . As we gather to celebrate
Engineers Week , we not only recognize
the invaluable contributions of
engineers within the Department of
Defense but also reflect on the
profound significance of national
service . Engineering as a discipline ,
embodies innovation , problem solving
and a commitment to advancing society
within the dod . Engineers are at the
forefront of addressing complex
challenges that are crucial for our
nation's security and prosperity .
National Service holds a special place
to us . It represents a call to duty a
commitment to something greater than
oneself . It is about dedicating one's
skills and talents to serve and protect
our country , ensuring the safety and
well being of our fellow citizens .
Engineers with a unique blend of
technical expertise and creative
thinking plays a pivotal role in
upholding this commit commitment within
the Dod . The theme of
Engineers week this year , welcoming uh
welcome to , welcome to the future
encapsulates the outstanding work being
carried out by engineers within the dod
today , I would like to focus on three
pivotal facets of the dod s unwavering
commitment to engineering excellence .
The Department of Defense recognizes
the critical importance of nurturing
the next generation of engineers in a
landscape marked by challenges in
quantum computing , artificial
intelligence as well as hypersonics
among other cutting edge technologies .
The dod is actively addressing
recruitment initiation , uh
initiatives such as uh smart
scholarship program and the Ven of our
Bush faculty fellowships are tangible
expressions of our commitment to
supporting stem education and
engineering development . Beyond
recruitment , the dod is steadfast in
its dedication to fostering e equity
and diversity within the engineering
ranks by actively investing in
historically black colleges and
universities as well as Hispanic
serving universities . The department
ensures that the opportunities are
extended to individuals from all walks
of life . This commitment not only
enriches the talent pool but also
ensures a broad spectrum of perspective
in addressing complex challenges .
Engineers are not just problem solvers ,
they are an architect of a more
inclusive and diverse future . As
we celebrate Engineers Week , let us
recognize the imperative of inspiring
and supporting the next generation .
The initiatives in place are not just
about meeting workforce needs , they
are about cultivating a diverse and
dynamic engineering community that will
propel us into the future digital
engineering for a global
threats . This is the second point in
the ever evolving landscape of global
threats . The dod is not merely
adapting but pioneering with his focus
on digital engineering . This
transformative approach integrates
digital computing modeling and
analytics capabilities into an
interconnected model based environment .
It's a digital engineering workforce
plan makes clear the dod s commitment
to acquiring , developing and retaining
a highly skilled workforce capable of
navigating this paradigm shift .
Digital engineering is not merely a
technical evolution but it's a
fundamental change in how we conceive
and execute engineering projects . It
facilitates seamless communication of
systems requirements , enables virtual
testing across a broader spectrum .
It supports 3D manufacturing and
harnesses the power of digital twins
for predictive maintenance . The DU D
transition from traditional paper based
processes to a more interconnected
digital environment places as a
forefront of technological innovation .
The duty engineers leading this charge
are the architects of a more resilient
and responsive defense system .
The pivotal and forward thinking
component of the dod S engineering
strategy is a modular open systems
approach . MOSA a visionary concept
that embraces open standards and
modularity . This approach facilitates
a system structure that is both highly
cohesive and loosely coupled herting .
A paradigm shift away from proprietary
solutions . MOSA represents more than
just an adoption of new technologies .
It embodies a commitment to openness ,
modularity and interoperability .
Mosa represents a groundbreaking shift
in the way we design all up and evolve
defense systems . Gone are the days of
lacking legacy proprietary solutions
that limit our ability to integrate the
latest cutting edge technologies
without making extensive modifications .
Mosa opens the door to a new era of
competition allow us to leverage the
expertise of a diverse community of
industry partners and harness the power
of innovation across the private sector
as we embrace Mosa . We're not just
adopting a new approach to defense
systems . We are ushering in a new era
of collaboration , competition and
innovation . As we celebrate Engineers
Week , let us extend our appreciation
to the dedicated engineers within the
Department of Defense . The commitment
to embracing digital engineering and
implementing MOSA reflects our
dedication to staying ahead of global
threats and maintaining technological
superiority to do . These engineers are
not only the architects of our national
security but also the trailblazers of
innovation that benefits all of us .
Thank you for your dedication , your
creativity , your passion for
engineering excellence . Here's to the
Engineers of the Department of Defense .
Charting the course for a brighter and
more secure future . May your endeavors
continue to inspire generations to come ?
Happy Engineers Week . Thank you , Mr
mcmahon and MS Xu . Um for your
inviting remarks and recognition of
today's engineering professionals . Our
speakers are eager to share their
recent achievements , latest insights
and future aspirations in engineering
field . Before we introduce our first
speech , please take a moment to look
through our event handout . As we
invite our speakers to join us on
screen . You can access each handout in
the Microsoft team's chat .
Ladies and gentlemen , welcome back . I
am now pleased to introduce our first
featured speaker , Doctor Steve Walker ,
vice president and Chief Technology
Officer at Lockheed Martin . He is
responsible for the company's
technology strategy , global research
mission development and emerging
operations technology . Since assuming
the role in January 2020 . And under
his direction , the organization is
shaping the next era of operational
capability and innovation at Lockheed
Martin as the primary liaison to the
US and international Science and
technology community . Doctor Walker
manages strategic partnerships with
government industry and academia to
ensure the maturation and deployment of
cutting edge technologies . Before
joining Lockheed Martin . Doctor Walker
served as the Director of the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency or
DARPA where he was responsible for
driving development of emerging
technologies for use by the military .
Prior to serving as Darpa's director ,
he served in a variety of leadership
positions including Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force for Science
Technology and Engineering and has
provided his experience expertise to
the government for more than 30 years .
Please welcome Doctor Wa Doctor Stephen
Walker . Thank you . Tom for having me
and inviting me to this , this
important event . It's a privilege to
be back in the Pentagon as part of
Engineers Week , having been passionate
about engineering and support of our
troops since the very beginning of my
career , more than 35 years ago now ,
it's great . It's a great day when I
can take some time to recognize the
remarkable contributions of engineers
in the Department of Defense . There
are many of you quiet professionals
serving in support of our nation's
defense . Commonly that term quiet
professionals is applied to our special
forces and I admire what they have all
what they do and always have done . But
I'd argue that engineers have earned
that moniker too . Engineers don't
often make the headlines but their work
is so essential to the men and women in
uniform . Why ? Because our armed
forces operate in complex and dynamic
environments , facing ever evolving
threats , warfare has become faster and
more lethal for those involved . And
digital technologies like A I and
machine learning will accelerate it .
Further engineers including many who
will never see the battlefield are
increasingly important in such an
environment and their roles and
required expertise continue to evolve .
But I'll say more about that later in
honor of Engineers Week . It's simply
appropriate to reflect on the breadth
and importance of what engineers do for
our country . Much of which also
provides tremendous benefit to
America's friends and allies around the
world . Whether it's defending our
shores , conducting peacekeeping
missions , responding to national
disasters or setting conditions , to
preserve the environment . Our nation
relies on the expertise of engineers to
ensure success . Many ,
many of these engineers work for the
Department of Defense and our US
defense industrial pace . I've worked
in both camps and I've seen a lot of
complex problems solved to the benefit
of our troops and our nation .
Engineers have always been our nation's
problem solvers . And that's critically
important because when our military is
facing a problem , lives are usually on
the line . So let's look at a
historical example . Engineers built
the fortifications around troops at
bunker hill helped overcome British
defenses at Saratoga and perhaps most
famously played an integral role in
ending the Revolutionary War at the
battle of Yorktown . The British forces
under Cornwallis spent the summer of
1781 raiding continental army supply
routes through Virginia and decided to
settle in Yorktown , Virginia to defend
against possible American
counterattacks , the continentals . And
the French numbering over 16,000 troops
secretly moved away from New York and
approached Cornwall as a stronghold
before the British could finish a
series of entrenchments around the town .
The 8000 British soldiers were treated
to their innermost defenses . On the
evening of October 14th , 2 allied
assault parties formed to attack two
strategically critical British routs ,
designated routs , routs . 10 and nine .
A French band uh began their attack on
red out nine while Lieutenant Colonel
Alexander Hamilton commanded the
Americans attacking red out . 10 , both
forces numbered about 400 men . Neither
force had loaded weapons . Instead ,
the troops fixed their bayonets and
followed the teams of sappers or
engineers to the bases of the red outs .
I think these were the first engineers
of the , of the army Corps of Engineers .
Actually , each rout was surrounded by
sharpened tree branches tangled
together like modern day barbed wire
which required the sappers to tear them
down . The sappers dropped bundles of
sticks and tied , tied with yarn into
the ditch surrounding the red red out
and placed ladders so that the soldiers
could climb the sides of the
fortification . The fighting within the
routs digressed into violent hand to
hand combat . The allied force captured
the routs and about 200 British
soldiers who survived the assault . The
next morning , the two rout locations
allowed the Americans and the French to
bombard the British incessantly , the
British commanders realized there were
no reinforcements coming and supplies
are running dangerously low . Finally ,
on October 17th , Cornwallis sent a
drummer boy and an officer to discuss
the terms of surrender . The rest as
they say is history and it's just an
early example of how engineers are
difference makers who can turn the tide
of battle in the favor of our troops
even under the most difficult and
dangerous of circumstances . So all of
us are shaped by the experiences we've
had and I am no different my career as
an engineer started at the Air Force
Research Laboratory in Dayton , Ohio .
I've had the privilege of serving as a
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science ,
Technology and Engineering for the Air
Force . And my final assignment in the
government was Director of DARPA in
September 2001 . I was working in the
Pentagon when our nation was attacked
by terrorists . You might imagine this
event had a profound impact on shaping
my rededication to serving as an
engineer and technologist in support of
our national defense . We'd been
attacked in a way that we hadn't
prepared for and we've been attacked by
a stateless enemy hiding amongst us .
After coordinating the attacks from the
other side of the world , our nation
and our allies responded with a co
ordinated campaign of our own one that
implemented new capabilities , new
platforms and new strategies . Our
platforms were more capable than ever
and our co ordination was broader than
ever . Now , 24 years into the 21st
century , we recognize that the world
is not static rivals and adversaries
observed our campaigns in Iraq ,
Afghanistan and around the world
including our homeland and they
continue developing their own
capabilities . Recent events in Ukraine
and Asia make clear that peer adversary
threats are increasing and recent
events in Israel and the Red Sea are a
wake up call that terrorism remains a
threat . The series of more recent
threats and circumstances demands a
reorientation of our defense posture
led , of course , by engineers , the
Department of Defense has invested a
lot of attention and energy recently in
J AC two joint all domain command and
control . And I personally believe that
attention is very warranted as a
deterrent against our peer .
Adversaries . This framework enables
our forces to operate in high threat
environments to observe orient , decide
and act faster than said . Adversarial .
Adversaries , this framework changes
the platform centric approach that the
large defense and aerospace firms and
the Department of Defense acquisition
System have used for many years . Our
defense industry continues to make the
most capable platforms in the world .
From fighter aircraft like the F-35 to
utility helicopters like the Black hawk ,
which my son flies , the requirement to
provide these major weapon systems and
and the requirements to provide these
major weapon systems and have them be
the best in the world won't change
anytime soon . But what is changing is
the way we connect these platforms ,
using digital technologies like five G
and artificial intelligence . Also
changing is the way we produce our
capabilities using distributed cloud
computing and software defined networks
such capabilities will make our
militaries faster , more resilient and
more interoperable . As MSU said ,
again , compressing that all important ,
observe orient , decide and a loop as
well as the ability to accelerate
production through full utilization of
our computing capacity . The
result will be a higher degree of
deterrence and a more capable force
should deterrence fail . In addition ,
to increasingly aggressive peer com com
competition and threats . There are
other dynamics that we must consider as
we determine how to equip our forces
budget constraints and an acceleration
of commercially driven technology call
for new approaches to acquisition and
military operations . While the multi
year procurement system has worked well
for traditional defense and aerospace
platforms , digital technologies are
created and upgraded significantly
faster with no longer having the luxury
of a decade long development process
for new weapon systems years long ramp
up for doubling production of munitions
or technical refresh to address
limitations or new threats . Our CEO
Jim Tale at Lockheed uh challenged our
leadership team with the fact that in
the field of artificial intelligence
Open A I has publicly released four
separate upgraded versions of chat GP T .
In a matter of just a few months ,
there is no current defense acquisition
process to keep up with software
upgrades at this pace . So new
acquisition approaches are needed to
account for the subscription models
that many technology companies use as
they upgrade . We believe a two track
system may be needed for future
acquisition , one track for physical
assets and another for digital system
for physical assets would include
standards and open modular system
approach . Again . Uh The the technique ,
the uh architecture that MS Xu
mentioned for rapid upgrades on
aircraft ships and other weapon systems
and the digital track would enable them
to be upgraded on a pace consistent
with the rapid evolution of digital
technologies . These changes are
exciting but they also raise a question .
What type of engineering force do we
need to make this sort of change
possible ? We need people who not only
excel at the science of engineering ,
we need people capable of collaborating
across our entire enterprise and with
other defense and aerospace companies ,
with digital technology companies
outside the current defense industry ,
with academia and of course , with the
Department of Defense and our military
service experts . In short , we need
some of our nation's brightest minds to
help us advance this vision . Every
year I visit some of our nation's great
academic institutions to speak with the
next generation of engineers . We
invite them to partner with us to solve
some of the vexing scientific
challenges associated with these
technologies . When I speak with these
young engineering students , I share
lessons I believe can help them in
their careers , but perhaps even more
important . I share some stories about
the importance of the work we are doing
together with the Department of Defense .
I explain that this work is intended to
create capabilities that prevent
conflict by deterring potential
adversaries . I hope that you too will
spend some time engaging with
engineering students and our junior
engineers share with them the
fascinating nature of the scientific
achievements of our Department of
Defense and our defense industrial base
and even more important , explain the
sense of purpose that comes with being
a different kind of quiet professional
one that applies science to protect our
nation and our friends and allies
around the world . There can be no
stronger advocate for our calling as
engineers than you who are engaged in
this profession . I hope you're proud
of what you do for our nation . You
have every right to be and I wish you
every success as you continue to serve .
Thanks for all you do and thanks also
for your kind attention . Please
join me in thanking Doctor Steven
Walker for his presentation and
contributions to the engineering
community . As a reminder , we will
take questions from the audience at the
end of the presentation or you can
email any questions for Doctor Walker
to WHS dot Engineers week at mail dot
mill . Next , we will hear from Major
General Kimberly Colaton . Major
General Carleton is the deputy
Commanding general for Military and
International Operations headquarters
US Army Corps of Engineers here in
Washington DC . She is responsible for
policy programming and technical
support and the execution of more than
$22 billion of design , construction
and environmental programs for the US
Army , the US Air Force , other
Department of Defense and federal
agencies and collaborative efforts with
foreign allies . Major General Carleton
has previously served as the
transatlantic division , commanding
general for US , Army Corps of
Engineers , the South Pacific division ,
commanding general for us , army Corps
of Engineers , uh the commanding the
commander of the Afghanistan district
operation , Freedom Sentinel and the US
Army Corps of Engineers , uh the
Protection Division chief J 33 the Los
Angeles district commander of the US
Army Corps of Engineers , the core
engineer for the first corps , the
deputy commander , 5 55th
engineer brigade and as the Albuquerque
district commander of the US Army Corps
of Engineers . Now , let's welcome
Major General Carleton . Thank you ,
Tom . Thanks for getting all that out .
It was a lot . So go good afternoon .
Um Fellow engineers , uh service
members and distinguished leaders . It
really is an honor to , to be here
today . Uh Thank you to honorable Xu Mr
mcmahon and , and for you , Mr Sims for
welcoming the US Army Corps of
Engineers to be part of this important
event in observance of National
Engineers Week . It's my pleasure to
speak with you on behalf of our U A
commanding general and the army's 55th
chief of engineers , Lieutenant General
Scott Spellman . It's fitting that we
are celebrating National Engineers Week
here in the Pentagon , which was built
by the Army Corps in just 16 months .
But it's also interesting to share that
the US Academy Military Academy at West
Point was the nation's first
engineering school which was created
under the direction of our third
President Thomas Jefferson in 1802
because our country needed engineers
and Doctor Walker , it was interesting
to learn um and li to listen and uh to
you and to hear a little bit about uh
the connection to our first engineers
being military engineers . When it
comes to delivering engineering
solutions for the nation , we depend on
the strength of our partnerships in and
out of government . And that very much
includes our industry partners . The
future is important to all of us . And
as we build our nation's future , we
share common cause with our industry
partners to inspire and build up that
next generation of stem and technical
professionals . And in that spirit ,
I'd like to showcase some of the
innovative impactful work being done by
our own engineers and professionals
inside the Army Corps of Engineers .
I'll discuss our diverse workforce and
our multifaceted missions , how we are
thinking differently and ultimately how
we are helping build the future . So
first , I'm gonna show you a video that
helps tell the story of who we are and
what we do .
Yeah .
So you can see there are a lot of
exciting things being done inside our
army engineer community . So let's dive
in . I'm gonna begin with the corps
highest priority , which is our people .
The corps of engineers has more than
38,000 professionals working across the
nation and the globe that are engaged ,
engaged in the delivery of programs and
projects in more than 100 countries .
We are one of the largest employers of
stem disciplines in the federal
government . Today , we employ more
than 11,000 engineers , 495
architects , nearly 400 geologists ,
100 and 80 archaeologists and about 100
and 20 chemists . What's also important
note and many people are surprised to
learn . This is that our , that most of
our workforce are civilians with only
about 800 uniformed soldiers assigned
to the corps . Most of our engineering
expertise and leadership comes from
professionals . Proudly serving with us
in a civilian capacity . They are
biologists , civil mechanical and
electrical engineers . It and computer
scientists , lock and dam operators ,
natural resource specialists , park
rangers , dredge operators . And much
more our people come from and serve
within the communities throughout
America . And we strive to ensure our
workforce reflects our nation's
diversity to help with outreach ,
recruitment and building the next
generation of engineers . Us A's
partners with nearly 100 leading
colleges and universities . We are
consistently recognized as a top
supporter of historically Black
colleges and universities by us , Black
Engineer Magazine and have been for the
last 15 consecutive years . We also
partner with the American Indian
Science and Engineering Society to
provide native American students with
formal access to army stem careers and
educational opportunities . These and
other efforts help us reach , inspire
and recruit future engineers across all
communities throughout America
throughout USA and the army . Overall ,
we are working hard to attract the best
engineering talent , military and
civilians to ensure we can continue to
engineer solutions to the nation's
toughest challenges . The army offers
stem graduates paid internships ,
competitive benefits , international
assignments , incentives , student loan
repayment and continuous developmental
opportunities . Indeed , we need smart
motivated engineers , not only within
the U US army Corps of Engineers but
across the entire army . Beyond USA ,
the army's engineer regiment comprises
tens of thousands more engineer
soldiers serving in units across the
army with nearly three quarters of
those personnel in our reserve
components . These engineers provide
the army and the joint force with
combat general and geospatial
engineering support . They bring
specialty capabilities like prime power
production , firefighting , diving and
urban search and rescue . They also
help army and joint forces visualize
shape and overcome the effects of
terrain in support of multi domain
operations . They are front line
engineers and the embodiment of the
army's motto , be all you can be . So
that is who we are as army engineers ,
both as soldiers and civilians . Now
let's explore what the corps of
engineers does and why we continue to
be called on by our nation and our
international partners and allies to
deliver engineering solution for our
nation's toughest challenges . Overall .
The mission of U A is to deliver vital
engineering solutions in collaboration
with our partners to secure our nation ,
energize our economy and reduce risk
from disaster . We do this by safely
delivering quality projects on time and
within budget and that is what winning
means to us at the ground level . The
core has several mission areas which
amount to total workload of more than
$95 billion the most in our nearly
249 year history . I'll highlight some
of our mission areas and some of the
incredible work we're accomplishing
because ya's expertise has no doubt
touched you in some way across the
nation . We're applying our vast
engineering capabilities to water
resources , critical infrastructure
protection from natural disasters and
support to our war fighters . You can
see our expertise take shape through
the operation and maintenance of
hundreds of navigation , locks and dams .
In fact , many of these dams produce
hydropower making usa the largest
renewable energy producer in the US .
We're not motel six , but we are
helping keep the lights on for millions
of citizens . The United States
receives 95% of our cargo by ship . So
this very loosely means our engineers ,
scientists and other experts likely had
a hand in helping provide your clothing
today . That's thanks to our
maintenance mission of keeping federal
navigation channels open , which helps
move millions of tons of cargo ,
including clothing and other goods into
out of and through us ports . So if you
love your shoes , feel free to thank
one of our USA experts . The Sioux
locks are an excellent example of how
we as civil engineers are always
forward looking and innovating as we
build for the future . The Sioux locks
are a vital artery for the movement of
commerce and raw materials through our
Great Lakes and are in G and and are in
dire need of repair . We're leading the
effort to build a new larger and more
modern lock using multidiscipline
project delivery team that is embracing
the use of 3D technology every step of
the way , including virtual reality and
3D printing . Another civil works
success story and an innovative example
of partnership is our forehead Fargo
Moorhead Metropolitan area flood risk
management project . This award winning
project provides flood risk management
for communities around Fargo and
Moorhead , North Dakota saving the
nation millions of dollars annually in
flood vetting and potential flood
damages . This is also our first in the
nation project to leverage a public
private partnership delivery model to
share the expertise and divide the
workload . Meanwhile , our other flood
damage reduction projects across the
nation such as levies have prevented
more than $1 trillion in river and
coastal flood damage . We're working to
keep your homes and communities safe
and your favorite clothes and shoes dry
on the military front . We're making
big strides to support the men and
women who serve our nation having
served for 32 years now myself , this
topic is near and dear to me . This
also is the portfolio within the Corps
of Engineers mission that I and my team
are responsible for and I'm proud of
how our engineers are continuously
innovating and making a difference
every day for national security and in
support of our service members ,
civilians and their families . Late
this year , our Kansas City district is
on track to complete the construction
of a state of the art hospital at Fort
Leonard Wood , Missouri to serve our
military members , their families and a
large community of military retirees in
the area . This new facility features a
modern central facility plant emergency
backup generators , a new helipad , a
five bay ambulance garage and
supporting facilities across the ocean .
In Korea . We're building sustainable
energy efficient housing and barracks
at Camp Humphreys for our service
members and families there . This
innovative vertical construction
affords housing for hundreds of
families on a much smaller square
footage of the installation and
provides walking and biking access to
many amenities . We have worked hard to
align our construction here with the US
green building Council's leadership and
energy and environmental design rating
principles with service member quality
of life . At the forefront of our minds
today , we are modernizing more than 50
barracks facilities across the army
while pursuing improved technologies to
help our installation management
command make these facilities better
for the soldier and the environment .
We are implementing more sustainable
building materials for military
construction including low carbon
concrete , recycled asphalt and mass
timber , mass timber uses special
processes and new technology to bind
wood project products together in
layers and our researchers in the
construction engineering research
laboratory and throughout all of our
engineering research and development
centers are working together and with
industry to spearhead this and many
other new construction innovations . It
is important to us to deliver quality
projects on time . And budget safely .
So now to talk a little bit about
safety , I'm gonna put on my safety
helmet . So in addition to ensuring we
have the right personal protective
equipment like this safety helmet , I
would like to share with you one of our
other initiatives , the US Army Corps
of Engineers , Safety Trainer 360 .
It's a virtual reality construction
site game created by our US Army Corps
of Engineers , Huntsville Center Safety
Safety Office . In conjunction with the
army game studio , our goal is to
deliver quality projects safely and
this new trading tool allows users to
navigate a computer simulated
construction site while looking for and
correcting potential hazard hazards .
How incredible is that much more
effective than a dull powerpoint
presentation for generations . Ua's
projects have powered the economy ,
protected our communities and served
our military men and women , but we're
not slowing down . Engineers are never
content with business as usual , we are
always forward looking and innovating
as we build for our future . Our
innovative approach to engineering
allows us to not only support the
economy , protect our communities and
be good stewards of America in tax
dollars . It also enables us to be good
stewards of the environment .
Sustainable sustainability and
engineering with nature are core
principles that guide how we conduct
our projects in Hawaii . We've been
successful in clearing up 11,000 acres
of unexploded ordinance on former
training lands clearing the way for
future development and construction .
Our Pittsburgh district recently
created a new fish habitat on the Ohio
River using a helicopter to place
bundles of repurposed trees in the
river . The trees will create a new
reef for freshwater species in the Ohio
River , providing cover and concealment
and places to hide from larger predator
fish . This creative approach using
natural and local materials helped to
minimize waste and mitigate
environmental impacts of other upcoming
engineering projects in the area . This
is just one way or one of many
examples of our sustainability and
stewardship for the environment . The
best minds in the corps of engineers
are always looking to employ innovative
and beneficial strategies to clean up
and restore the environment in areas
under our jurisdiction . You can check
out our quarterly magazine , the core
Environment to Learn More . Disaster
response is another area where we are
making a difference in communities .
Our people all throughout the year ,
deploy worldwide in support of the
interagency communities , partners and
allies . We're working with local state
and federal partners where we serve as
the lead agency to support FEMA in
responding with public work and
engineering support and to coordinate
long term infrastructure recovery .
Under the National Response framework .
Survivors depend on us to provide
access to and quick delivery of
critical services that are essential in
helping communities heal in the
aftermath of disasters . While also
keeping cultural sensitivities in mind
during our response to typhoon Maar
which devastated the island of Guam in
the summer of 2023 . We oversaw debris
removal and the installation of metal
metal roofs and life saving generators .
In our current response to the
wildfires in Hawaii , we are collecting
and removing debris , nearing
construction , completion of a
temporary elementary school campus for
the Ha Haa community as well as
constructing temporary pads where
interim housing units will be placed .
We also support our international
partners around the world by training
on crisis , communications and
bolstering their disaster response
efforts by planning and preparedness ,
increasing the use of cutting edge
technologies and strengthening regional
Coor coordinate among other
capabilities . Our regional civil
military engagements focus on
addressing critical water resources ,
disaster response , climate change and
environmental challenges . We support
the state department's mission to
promote security and prosperity abroad
by helping build schools , orphanages ,
medical clinics , community centers and
other beneficial structures for those
in developing countries in Africa . For
example , our experts from the US Army
Engineer Institute for re for for water
resources were recently in Madagascar
to engage with local officials and help
them address water insecurity . We also
work closely with South American
partners such as the Panama Authority
and Brazil to share new ideas on how to
support and maintain critical water
resources from navigation to water
storage . Our transatlantic division is
also providing engineering design and
construction services for partner
nations through security cooper
operation specifically through our
foreign military sales programs . We
were able to provide related facilities
and infrastructure design and
construction services , increasing the
capacity and enhancing security
throughout the entire Middle East as
well . Here in the US , we're working
hand in glove with other federal
agencies such as NASA , the Veterans
Administration and the Department of
Agriculture to help modernize their
facilities and infrastructure in
support of national priorities . As I
conclude , I want to emphasize how
partnership with local communities ,
states and other federal agencies and
allies make our work possible . The US
Army Corps of Engineers cannot succeed
alone and it's our partners who expand
our expertise and make our bold strides
into the future of engineering possible .
I also want to share how proud I am of
our talented and diverse workforce
within the Army Corps of Engineers . We
are a team of teams whose wide ranging
mission helps support our military
energize the economy and secure our
nation . Well , this week , we're
focused on engineers . The effort to
take a solution from an idea to design
to construction requires the expertise
of our entire enterprise to include
project managers , real estate
professionals , contracting officers ,
communication professionals ,
economists , biologists , our legal
team , and dozens upon dozens of
professionals who make the deep agile
and capable force that we've been for
the last 28 248 years
today . As we look into the future , we
are standing at the forefront of
innovation . Thanks to our thousands of
talented civilian and military
professionals across the US Army Corps
of Engineers . We are also proud to
serve with the broader US army engineer
regiment . Those 64,000 engineer
soldiers serving throughout the army
who stand ready to deploy and fight ,
build up or tear down and accomplish
any mission in support of the joint
force . The Corps of Engineers has a
lot to be proud of . But we know we are
just one part of a bigger larger
community of engineers and stem
professionals both in and out of the
government , helping build the future
of our nation and the world . As we
think about all the ways engineers are
looking ahead with innovation that help
build a safer , more secure and more
prosperous future . It really does
speak to the theme of this year's
National Engineer Week through their
hard work , creativity and passion .
America's engineers and stem
professionals truly embody the message .
Welcome to the future , so to every
student and young person exploring your
options and thinking about your future .
We hope you'll explore the world of
engineering . We welcome you to join us
in a profession on the leading edge
where you can find personal success and
a secure future for yourself and your
family where you can lead , learn and
innovate every day and where you can
make a difference for the nation and
the world . That's who we are . Welcome
to the engineer profession and welcome
to the future essays . Building strong ,
be all you can be .
Thank you , Major General Carleton . At
this time , we would like to address
any questions our audience members have
submitted by email for the speakers .
Uh If you have a question , you and you
would like to ask , please send it to
WHS dot Engineers Week at mail.mil .
Thank you for sending in your questions
for Doctor Walker and Major General
Carleton . We will now begin our
question and answer session . Let's see .
Our first question is , how would you
advise young professionals who are
deciding between developing specialized
technical skills or broader
administrative management skills ?
Doctor Walker ? Sure . Um That's a
great question when I , when I get out ,
as I said , and talk to university
students and , and others just starting
their engineering career , I usually
tell them uh it's really , really
important to become a technical expert
in something early early on . So I ,
you know , I try and make the , the
case that no matter if you wanna stay
technical , your whole whole career or
if you wanna become a leader , manager ,
um executive uh technical leaders
leader someday , it doesn't matter . I
think my advice is , you know , spend
that 1st 5 to 7 years really
understanding a technical discipline .
Um In my case , I went back for a phd .
I don't think you have to go back for a
phd , but you need to , you need to
kind of become known for something
technically , I think early on and then
um you can diverge into two different
paths . Typically , you know , you can
stay very technical at Lockheed . We
have a fellows program that allows you
to go all the way up and become a
senior fellow , really a specialist in
a , a technical discipline . The other
path is really if you want to stay in
technology , but lead , you know , a
technical leader of some type . Um And
the neat thing I always enjoyed about
being in the government is you can
change your job every three or four
years , you know , and stay , stay in
one retirement plan , right ? Stay in
the government . Uh uh get a new job ,
uh build your um your background . And ,
you know , if you want to be that
technical leader , it's important to
have a diverse set of experiences in
different jobs . As you , as you go up ,
go up the chain . Sure , I , I will say
I , I concur with your um comment to ,
to the students about , I think having
a strong uh technical foundation is
really important and then you can just
build on that . It's a great basis um
for which to navigate , you know , the
uh the world and solving problems is ,
is what engineers do . And I think
having that as , as your , your
foundation um going on to other
opportunities , business enterprises ,
management . Um I think that , that
again , that engineering discipline
really sets you up for success in , in
so many , many different ways . It
teaches you to be curious to ask
questions um to ask the next question .
Um And not let something um sit , I
think it just challenges you uh and how
to think differently . Uh Let's see ,
the next question . Thinking about your
path to leadership . How significant
was your formal education ? And how did
it contribute to your development as an
engineer ? You wanna take that one
first ? OK . So
um formal education . So I think two ,
I've been um probably in the army
longer than I , than I was in school .
Um But I , I think that formal
education and your expertise is your
experiences uh work well together . And
I've been able to have the opportunity
uh to , you know , go from school right
into the army and then have an
opportunity to go back to school to get
a master's . So I started as an
architect um had expertise and was a
practicing army officer uh being able
to execute construction projects and
solve problems and then got another
opportunity to go back to school uh for
a master's degree in civil engineering .
And so I think it's really important to
have both the formal education and the
practical expertise and , and time
um trying things out , being able to
ask real questions in a real world
environment and see the impacts of
those . And then I would say um you
gotta be willing to uh challenge your
assumptions and be OK uh with failing
uh being able to test , try , try again
is , is really important and that's
what I think you get to do in on real
projects in a real world environment .
Certainly , for me getting a phd was
important . Um as a formal part of my
education , I think there's certain
jobs in government that it doesn't say
in the position description require it .
But director of DARPA is one where most
directors of DARPA have had a phd . But
that all that said , I think the
experiences I've had along the way have
been more important . Um And one of the ,
again , one of the things I tell
younger engineers is , you know ,
definitely do great quality work for ,
for the person for your boss in the
position you're in . But uh do do
something extra , do something
additional volunteer for that
additional duty , um uh uh
help somebody else out in a different
organization . Uh When you can , many
times the additional things I took on
led to my next job and uh because you
get to know people , you , you um you ,
uh you know , they know you and when a
position opens up , they call you . Uh
And so definitely those work
experiences have played a great uh part
of my uh career progression . Thanks .
Let's say the next question uh from an
engineering perspective where should
dod be focusing in order to respond to
its future challenges ? Yeah , I , I
sort of said it in my talk . Uh I am a
huge believer in all domain um
command and control . Or , or uh uh
distribute operations , whatever ,
whatever you wanna call it . I think
our adversaries have watched how we
fought uh going in alone and unafraid
anymore is not gonna cut it . Uh We've
seen a particular pure adversary uh
design its whole defense posture
to um to go after our big monolithic
systems . And so one of the , one of
the keys I think to our future is being
able to connect the dots , you know ,
to have those great platforms , but
then be able to have the coms resilient
coms network , the persistent ISR 24 7 ,
custody of all the targets we care
about . Um the uh the
fast uh decision making capability that
I think A I and machine learning will
bring to our battle management ,
command and control and then the
converged effects piece , you know ,
kinetic effects , but non kinetic
effects and all that working together
in a seamless way is going to be agile
adaptive and we're gonna be agile and
adaptive and surprising to the enemy .
So , and it will be , I hope serve as a
a deterrent uh to uh uh
conflict , you know , in the next five
years . So it's important I think for
the department to get this right . Uh I
think as a department as an industry ,
we've been struggling with it and we
need to , we need to kind of reset and
really focus on it . I like Doctor
Walker's answer . But if I could , I
guess if I could add um to that , um
which I thought was eloquently said , I
think being agile be res being
responsive , being able to , in an
environment of competition , I think we
have to , to challenge ourselves uh to ,
to be , um you know , we gotta be , be
relevant and we have to be um there
where we're needed and , and not late
to need . And so I think while not
losing um focus on the quality of what
we're delivering . And so I think it is
important to , to understand the the
speed with which we deliver things . I
think sometimes as mentioned , our
acquisition processes have to be able
to um get product services ,
infrastructure capabilities out faster
than maybe what normally would have
happened . But we still need the same
high quality um products that are gonna
be resilient and they're going to be
able to protect and are gonna be able
to use to what they're designed for .
So , um I think that what you said was
great and II I uh concur with , with
that . Thank you . Let's see the next
question . Um How should the
engineering community be preparing its
future engineers to be well suited to
meet these challenges ?
Well , I think in specifically to what
I talked about , I think uh I think uh
you know , much of the tech , much of
the advanced technology and , and maybe
much is too strong a word , some of the
advanced technology that we need for
our future is not being led by the
Department of Defense or defense
industry . Right . It's , you know , A
I and machine , like the , the top six
commercial companies in the U SI think
I looked , invest together about $90
billion a year in their internal
research and development . You know ,
we don't have that kind of uh dollars
on the defense industrial side ,
certainly . But so there's a lot of
money going in to add machine learning
in the commercial world . We gotta take
advantage of that . We gotta bring it
into companies like Lockheed Martin
into the Department of Defense and we
have to apply it , we understand the ,
the , the military use cases . And so
Lockheed Martin in particular is
spending a lot of time partnering with
Microsoft Intel , Google , NVIDIA .
We've announced all those partnerships .
And so , so we're , we're trying to
trying to build , build that bridge
into the Department of Defense frankly ,
uh bring that leading edge , bleeding
edge technology in and apply it for
military use . So I think engineers of
the future , we're gonna have to talk a
lot of different languages . It's I'm
an aerospace engineer by background ,
but I've had to get pretty smart at A I
machine learning . I've had to try and
understand five G and the advanced
communications . Uh If you're gonna
build like AJ EC2 network , you've got
to kind of at least understand at some
level , all these different
technologies that have to come together
and work together . And so uh I think ,
I think it'd be hard to stay in your ,
your silo , your civil engineering silo
or your electrical engineering silo ,
you gotta get out , branch out ,
understand other disciplines and how
they come together . Yeah , I , I uh to
add , I would say that um for
engineers today , I think embracing the
technologies that are out there , as
you said , um challenging yourself to
break out of your , your silo be on
multidiscipline uh teams
and um applying things again and being
willing to fail , but being willing to
apply these new technologies um even if
you're uncomfortable because I think
that's how we learn and that's how
we're gonna , I think develop the best ,
you know , in uh for , for whatever
we're delivering . And so again , I
think it's just continue to think
differently to be curious and to
definitely embrace what's being done in
industry . Sometimes in the government ,
it's hard uh for us to uh on board or
adapt or change to , to new um
technologies fast . But kind of what
you said is something that's been the
focus of our chief of engineers uh for
the last four years , but we're
investing in more research and
development . It's been an effort to
ensure that we are operational , our R
and D effort . And I gave a couple
examples about using sustainable
materials . Um Congress and our uh
senior leaders have been challenged us
to find ways to build sustainably and
we're doing that a lot more rapidly and
in stride , uh as we go now , so
testing and developing um and again ,
being willing to pilot things uh for
the first time um and learn from those
uh pilots . I think we have one more
question . Uh Lets see what engineering
developments are you most excited to
see in the next five years . So
I , I think honorable Xu mentioned it
but the um Digital Twins and um you
know , taking 3d models and having
Digital Twins of our infrastructure and
being able to do predictive maintenance
from that , I think leveraging
technology to help our
um our , our team of engineers out
there in the field , maintaining the
infrastructure that we have , which um
specifically for the army is an
incredible amount of facilities out
there to be able to use the
technologies that we're putting into
the buildings we're doing today to help
us be more efficient and more
predictive and where we need to do
maintenance at what time to be able to
maintain those facilities much better .
So I really see the benefit of what
we're doing now is gonna help us um
deal with the challenges ahead , take
our limited resources and be apply them
at the right place . And the right time ,
I very much agree with that to digital
engineering . Digital Twins , digital
Transformation is all uh is a big focus
of Lockheed Martin right now . It's
gonna be how we do business moving
forward . And , uh , we're excited
because it , it should help us exchange
information with the government and the
government exchange information with
that much easier and much faster . Um ,
and I guess the other thing I'd say is
already alluded to it , but , uh , you
know , I think , and machine learning
is gonna be really important to help
humans make decisions faster . So I
don't see it , machines taking over the
world , I see uh you know , machines
helping humans understand the world and
then be able to make that decision
quickly . And we're gonna have to have
that for the future battlefield . I
mean , misuse said it hypersonics A I
all the rest of it is just gonna um uh
take that response time down even ,
even shorter than it is today . And so
that is one of the things we're focused
on at Lockheed uh pretty heavily
amongst all the other things . So I'll ,
I'll leave it there . Thank you . Uh
Thank you again , our featured speakers ,
uh Doctor Stephen Walker and Major
General Kimberly Culliton for sharing
your perspectives on how engineers make
a difference in the dod sector and
worldwide . Today , we see engineers
creating a bigger , better and brighter
future for generations to come . In
recognition of our keynote speakers
today , Washington headquarters ,
services , facilities , services
directorate and the Under Secretary of
Defense for Research and Engineering
are presenting them with a plaque as a
token of our appreciation for their
dedication to the field of engineering
and their support for our National
defense .
Thank you very much .
Thank you . Uh We would like to thank
uh everyone for joining us today as we
celebrate Engineers Week , we thank all
our engine engineers for your support ,
hard work uh in the dod s mission and
the entire engineering profession . We
hope all of you joining us today ,
enjoyed our celebration of engineering
and welcome what the future may hold .