Hot Info

Travel to and from the Deployment Center

Arriving at Washington Dulles International

All personnel required to process through the USACE Deployment Center (UDC) will arrive and depart via the Washington Dulles International Airport and/or ground transportation arranged by Carlson Wagonlit.

Please make your travel arrangements as soon as you are notified of your assignment. You do not need to wait for your travel orders. Contact the Middle East District - Carlson Wagonlit Travel agent at 540-665-3798. Your electronic ticket and travel orders will be released once you’ve completed all pre-deployment processing. After confirming your arrival time at Dulles Airport, coordinate your ground transportation from the airport to your hotel in Winchester, Va., by calling one of the following numbers:

Limo Services
AES Limo: (800) 832-6561
Executive Limo: (800) 622-6990
Winchester Limo: (877) 323-1008

· This information is provided for you convenience only. Please verify the method of payment, i.e., cash, credit card or check with the company when you arrange your transportation. If your flight arrangements change or delays occur, please notify the limo service. Taxi service to Winchester is available at the Dulles International Airport.

· Rental cars are not authorized for deploying personnel. Individual exceptions for personnel in the grades of GS-15/O-5/E-9 and above, are made on a case-by-case basis and will require prior coordination with the APPO/AMC staff. Please do not rent vehicles at Dulles as they will not be allowed on the Deployment Center grounds and you will be liable for the incurred charges.

Driving Directions

Arriving in Winchester

You will be required to pay for your transportation from Dulles International Airport to Winchester, as well as your hotel and meals while you are at the UDC. Expenses between $600 and $800 can be incurred and can be paid by cash, personal credit, or Government Travel Card.

Deployment Center Training

The day after arrival you will start your deployment training. At approximately 0730 hours you will be picked up at your hotel lobby by the Deployment Center driver who will transport you to the Deployment Center. The Deployment Center vehicle will be identified by a USACE Deployment Center sign on the door.

All deploying personnel must take the UDC vehicle to the Deployment Center. In certain cases and with proper prior coordination local personnel will be allowed to travel to the UDC using their private vehicles.

The UDC vehicle will also take deployees to and from lunch and back to the hotels in the evening. This routine will be followed until the UDC training is completed and you are ready to deploy.

On the day of your departure day you will be taken to Dulles International by the UDC Drivers along with the rest of the group.

Missed Training

Missing any of the mandatory training will disqualify you from deployment until the training is made up during the following week's cycle. It is the individual's responsibility to be in the designated place at the required time.

The UDC training schedule is designed for group training and is not tailored to meet individual requirements. Please ensure you take care of any personal needs prior to arrival at the UDC (wills, power of attorney, medical, etc…).

Making up training can delay your departure because of the tight training schedule, weekly training, and the inability to reschedule training on short notice. Once training is made up, the individual is taken off non-deployable status and the UDC reschedules the individual's flight.

Travel to Afghanistan and Iraq

All flights going to AEN, AES and Iraq will leave out of Washington Dulles. In rare occasions Military Air out of Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) will be used. UDC drivers will transport all deployees to the airport along with all of their gear.

Personnel deploying to Iraq will fly into Kuwait where they will be manifested on a flight to their final destination in Iraq.

Personnel deploying to the Afghanistan Engineer Districts fly into either Kandahar, Bagram or the ISAF side of the Kabul Airport. Flights landing on the commercial side of the Kabul Airport are not authorized. Travelers are limited to 65 pounds of baggage on these flights which includes any carry-on baggage. This weight restriction is non-negotiable. USACE personnel will stay overnight in Dubai and will incur a reimbursable cost of between $200 - $250 for a hotel so please plan accordingly.

The UDC will issue approximately 45 pounds of gear to each individual going to Afghanistan. Personnel will be afforded the opportunity to mail items to Afghanistan. This will be at no cost to you while you are at the UDC. Prior to departing your home station, limit your personal items and civilian clothes to only what you require for your five days at the UDC.