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  • July

    U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Kimberly M. Colloton, commanding general and division engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division, and Kuwait Army Maj. Gen. Adel Al Hafez, commander with the Kuwait Air Defense Forces, cut the ribbon at the new Patriot Fire Site, Site #7, Kuwait, July 5, 2021. The new Air Defense site will expand the Kuwait Ministry of Defense’s defense capabilities and enable assured protection to Kuwaiti citizens and allies.

    Middle East District, Kuwaitis Deliver the Program during COVID

    Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District’s (TAM) Kuwait Program Management Office and Members of the Kuwaiti military held a ribbon cutting ceremony July 5th to celebrate completion of a Kuwaiti PATRIOT missile defense battery.

  • June

    TAM Program Manager Pete DeMattei just prior to his presentations on the Western Basing Network during the June 8-9 Industry Day Event in Saudi Arabia.

    Developing lasting industry-government partnerships through collaboration, networking

    USACE Middle East District sponsored a two-day Industry Day event in Saudi Arabia on June 8 and 9.
  • Major Derek Sentinella, a project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District inspects new concrete over a road connection for four lines connecting to a 20 megawatt substation on Camp Arifjan in Kuwait

    Developing Valuable Skills in the Middle East with USACE

    Both operational and USACE sides of the Engineer Regiment are equally important, but two officers assigned to USACE’s Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) recently learned that a tour with the Corps can provide a whole lot of excitement and ultimately a whole new level of experience.
  • Transatlantic Middle East District Program Manager Kim Sanders with members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District Qatar Resident Office visiting the site of one of her projects in the State of Qatar.

    Program Manager goes the extra 7,000 miles

    Headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, with projects spread throughout the Middle East, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) is farther from its projects than any other district in the Corps. So TAM program manager Kim Sanders is used to overcoming the tyranny of distance. However, when she recently had the chance to close that distance she jumped on the opportunity.

  • May

    Transatlantic Middle East District Fire Protection Engineer Katie Render discussion the bridge design criteria with students at a recent STARBASE Academy Winchester presentation.

    TAM Talks Engineering at STARBASE Academy after a year away

    USACE Middle East District supported DoD's STARBASE Academy through two visits in May, TAM’s Katie Render, Fire Protection Engineer, shared her experiences as a civilian engineer, while Deputy Commander Maj. Eder Ramirez shared his military combat engineer side. Both perspectives were engaging to the students.

  • March

    The control tower at Imam Ali Air Base Iraq. The tower is being renovated for the Iraqi Air Force by the U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Management Systems Division at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC/HBA), Hanscom Air Force Base. The Air Force elected to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East and Memphis Districts on the project due to their experience in the region and civil engineering expertise.

    Virtual Collaboration Allows Critical Project to Stay on Track

    A current project in Iraq, to bring Imam Ali Air Base up to operational capability, involves extensive refurbishment and renovation to the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) building, includes new ATCT equipment, supporting airfield electrical power and communications infrastructure, backup power improvement, installation of new ILS/DME and TACAN systems; and a potential renovation of the existing airfield lighting system.  Accomplishing this involves extensive coordination among the Iraqi Air Force, the Aerospace Management Systems Division, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC/HBA) at Hanscom Air Force Base, TAM and Memphis Districts, all while respecting the COIVD restrictions in place.
  • Staff. Sgt. Buddy C. Reynold during his time in the Army, long before he was one of the guest speakers for this year's Black History Month Celebration.

    BHM speakers highlight value, importance of time

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) held a Black History Month celebration Feb. 26. The event was held virtually and featured two guest speakers: Staff Sgt. Buddy C. Reynolds, a 100-year-old World War II veteran and the Honorable Randall Johnson Jr., a District Judge in Richmond, Va.

  • February

    The headquarters building for the SHIELD 5 missile defense project in Qatar. The SHIELD 5 program built missile defense infrastructure project was managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on behalf of Qatar. Large scale projects such as this, which involve multiple sites and a long construction schedule require significant analysis from the District's cost engineering team to provide an accurate assessment of cost.

    It’s going to cost how much? The Inside Story of Cost Engineers

    Whether building a new deck on the back of one’s house or the entire infrastructure for a missile defense program, the most basic and complex question in construction is always, “How much is it going to cost?” That is the critical role of a cost engineer (CE) comes in. In construction organizations, project managers and design engineers get the glory but cost engineers play a critical role behind the scenes. This is especially true in an organization like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM).

  • January

    MSG Shantae Allen describes some key timeline events on the road to voting rights for other disenfranchised groups of Americans. This was part of the display developed by the Middle East District's Federal Women's Program Committee to mark Women's Equality Day in August.

    Spirit of volunteerism is alive and well at the Middle East District

    Organizational tasks not directly associated with TAM's mission statement, but vital to improving the overall work climate, rely entirely on team members’ passion and volunteer spirit to be accomplished. They build morale, increase diversity and cultural awareness, making the organization stronger.

  • November

    Members of the 310th Engineering Detachment work on construction a Joint Air Ground Station building in Qatar. The building is being built using troop labor from a design from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District's Center of Standardization for Nonpermanent Facilities (COS). The COS maintains a library of off the shelf designs that can be adapted for almost any purpose. Using COS designs can save significant time and money in the construction process.

    COS savings benefit USACE mission partners

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Center of Standardization for Nonpermanent Facilities (COS) maintains a library of off the shelf designs, readily adaptable to almost any purpose, saving time and money.
  • Engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District and members of the Lebanese Armed Forces survey the port at Tripoli Naval Base during a visit in October 2020.

    USACE Assists in Lebanon’s Recovery

    After nearly a decade, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) is back in Lebanon to help provide engineering solutions to some of Lebanon’s toughest challenges.

  • October

    TAM Commander COL Philip Secrist presents a certificate to architect Angelivette Nieves-Viruet who completed the Leadership Development Program Tier I and graduated virtually from Puerto Rico.

    Leadership Development Program grows leaders at all levels  

    Nine team members from the USACE Middle East District recently completed a year-long Leadership Development Program and graduated Oct. 14.

  • July

    Middle East District Engineering Division Branch Chief Tom Stephenson shares his inspiration for establishing a scholarship for students interested in pursuing STEM careers during the presentation to the first recipient, Zachary Harner.

    Scholarship STEMS from love of engineering

    When it comes to supporting the future of science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers, the Middle East District’s Tom Stephenson puts his money where his mouth is by establishing a scholarship for students interested in STEM careers.

  • June

    Naval Support Activity Bahrain along with personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Navy Medicine held a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new medical and dental clinic on Naval Support Activity Bahrain. The new 56,000 square foot facility, will substantially increase medical capacities and capabilities for sailors and their families stationed in Bahrain. Construction was overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and completed in December of 2019.

    NSA Bahrain Cuts Ribbon on new USACE Built Medical Facility

    The Naval Medical Readiness and Training Unit (NMRTU) Bahrain held a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the successful completion of the USACE-built multi-faceted medical clinic on June 16. The ceremony was led by Navy Capt. Greg Smith, the commander of the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain.
  • Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the 54th Chief of Engineers, holds a virtual town hall meeting for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees to encourage them to deploy in support of USACE operations around the U.S. and the world.

    Chief of Engineers Highlights Deployment Opportunities

    The 54th Chief of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, addressed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilians in a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday to encourage them to consider deployment opportunities available within the Corps. The meeting was hosted by the Transatlantic Middle East District’s USACE Contingency Deployment Center (UCDC) and discussed the critical need for volunteers to meet USACE’s ever-expanding missions throughout the United States and the world and benefits, both tangible and intangible, for employees who step up to answer the call.

  • May

    JOC is a contract vehicle that provides an alternative method to fulfill requirements for sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects at the installation, post, camp or station level. TAM has used JOC task orders for work in Kuwait for more than 20 years. (Photo credit Erickson Barnes)

    Old contracting tool leads to new successes in Kuwait

    The Transatlantic Middle East District has a long successful history with Job Order Contracts in Kuwait and just recently, April 30, awarded another Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Job Order Contracting (JOC) Single Award Task Order Contract (SATOC) for the District’s Kuwait program.
  • 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron maintainers prepare a U-2 Dragon Lady pilot for a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve from Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, Mar. 15, 2019. Commonly referred to as the most difficult aircraft to fly in the world, the U-2 Dragon Lady has been host to less than fifteen-hundred pilots since the first flight in 1955. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gracie I. Lee)

    Middle East District Sets New Standards in Value Engineering

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District was recently recognized with a Value Engineering Achievement Award for their value engineering efforts as part of a 1.4 billion dollar program to build new facilities and infrastructure at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.

  • April

    Captain Colin Sexton, a program manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District coordinates U.S. Army Corps of Engineers COVID response information with other officers deployed to New York to assist with USACE response efforts.

    Middle East District Officers Support COVID-19 Response

    Two captains from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) recently returned from New York City where they had deployed to assist with USACE efforts to build alternate care facilities both in the city and throughout the region.
  • Mechanical Engineer Ryan Alaman rocks his reversible face cover, thanks to Emma Wanamaker, wife of CPT Grant Wanamaker, who made face covers for everyone in the Bahrain Resident Office.

    TAM team demonstrates BUILDING STRONG throughout COVID-19 pandemic

    USACE, including the Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) has continued their on-going mission while also assisting the nation and numerous federal agencies in this time of crisis, BUILDING STRONG through deeds, not words.
  • Sally Sydnor, a graduating senior at Handley High School in Winchester, Va., works on her U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Internship project from her home in Winchester. Sydnor has been collaborating remotely with mentors from USACE's Transatlantic Middle East District to complete the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Despite pandemic, high school intern works with USACE to complete project

    Although COVID-19 virus has led to the cancellation of many of the traditional high school rites of passage around the country, a passion for engineering and an assist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) helped high school senior Sally Sydnor maintain some sense of normalcy during a final year of high school that has been anything but. Sydnor was in the middle of an engineering internship with the district when schools closed for the year. With her senior year unexpectedly coming to an end, Sydnor decided to see if there was a way she could continue her engineering project.