Posted on November 2, 2021
WINCHESTER, Va. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division displayed its innovative spirit during the 2021 USACE Innovation Summit, a virtual event with national visibility that showcased Army Corps of Engineers innovations both from research and design and applied practices as well as innovations in human capital and business practices.
The Summit’s theme, “Unleash the Power of Innovation,” highlighted the future benefits of taking a chance with innovative ideas.
Held October 25 through 29, the event featured keynote speakers, panel discussions, presentations, and virtual tours by Army Corps of Engineers team members, the Department of Defense, and current and future partners in industry and academia.
Daniel Lyons, Transatlantic Division Engineering and Construction Division lead architect and organizer of the Division’s participation in the Summit, explained why innovation is vital to the Division’s mission.
“Without continuous innovation,” Lyons said, “USACE would fall behind our competitors in keeping up with the constant changes in our current environment, our military needs, defense systems, technologies, construction methodologies, materials research and exploration.”
With oversight of well over five billion dollars in projects throughout the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, as well as dedicated support to the U.S. Special Operations Command, the Transatlantic Division combines dedicated and expeditionary district capabilities in order to deliver the mission in a constantly evolving environment where innovation is necessary for success. The Innovation Summit provides a platform to spark that innovation.
“We bring our best ideas to the Summit for discussion and take away great new ideas, approaches, and solutions for our current and future program needs,” Lyons said. “This annual event allows us to see more of the available technologies and processes for our current and future program needs as well as generating new connections and collaboration with our peers, industries, manufacturers, and contractors. The Innovation Summit revitalizes USACE! It is a necessary part to our continued success!”
Major General Kimberly M. Colloton, Transatlantic Division commanding general, has matched the operational momentum of the environment her Division supports, ensuring innovation is delivered at the speed of relevance.
“I do feel that it is important to have a bias for innovation. We should all try to innovate,” Colloton said following recent site visits to ongoing projects in Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “When I think about delivering the program at the speed of relevance, I think this means we need to be able to keep up with our competition, our adversaries and our mission partner’s needs.
“In order for our U.S. and foreign partners to leverage a capability or facility, we need to provide it in a timely manner,” Colloton continued. “If we do not deliver our services timely – if it is late to need – then it is no longer relevant. Innovation helps us get there faster and helps us build smarter, more efficiently, reducing risk while improving capability.”
Edward “Ted” Upson, P.E., Transatlantic Division Engineering and Construction Division chief, attended the event and echoed Colloton’s thoughts on innovation.
“The contractors we work with must innovate to stay competitive, and our mission partners expect us to provide state of the art service and expertise,” Upton explained. “If we don’t continually innovate, adapt, and improve, we risk losing our place as a global leader in construction and engineering.”
“Events like this are important because they encourage information sharing and collaboration between leaders and experts from a wide range of private and public organizations,” Upton said.
“Through the exchange of ideas and information at the Innovation Summit, we raise the level of understanding and expertise for not only the participants but for the entire global community of professionals.”
Learn more about the Army Corps of Engineers commitment to innovation at https://www.usaceinnovationsummit.org/
Hear Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, USACE Commanding General and 55th Chief of Engineers, deliver remarks from the opening session of this year’s USACE Innovation Summit at https://www.facebook.com/USACETransatlanticDivision/posts/4309024819145895
