Personal Viewpoint 


The DEH and Commercial 


by Stanford C. Draper 

I've spent most of my 30 years of 

federal service in the facilities engineering business-first as an engineer officer, then as a civil servant. 

In all that time, nothing has affected Directorsof Engineering and Housing (DEHs) so dramatically as the 

commercial activities program. 

Commercial activities (CA) areservices and products available from 

privatesources thatthegovernment 

could obtain by contract instead of 

using federal employees. 

Since 1979,40 DEHsin the United 

States have undergone CA package 

reviews to see whether real property 

maintenance activities (RPMA)carried out by their staffs could be 

obtained more economically by contract. As of the end of FY 87, CA 

reviews had resulted in 18in-house 

decisions and 22 contracts. 

More than half of all installation 

RPMA is now accomplished by contracts that cover functions such as 

custodial services, refuse collection, 

pest control, utilities operations, and 

building and grounds maintenance 

and repairs. 

The effectiveness of the commercial activities program is widely 

debated. 

On the one hand, most DEHs are 

looking for ways to improve cost 

effectiveness, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Contracting out 

offers onnortunities . . to concentrate 

the DEH's limited staff resources on 

increasingly complex management 

respons~hilities rather than day-today operations. 

On theother, manydoubt whether 

the contracts have really saved the 

government money. Those doubts 

arereinforced by analyses that have 

shown prices escalating tremendously at several installations compared with the bids that initially led 

to the contract decision. 

Kegardless of the pros or cons, the 

DEH is confronted with a disturhing reality whenever a commercial 

Perspective 


activities study is undertaken. 

Whether the result is an in-house 

win or a contract decision, these 

studies prove traumatic, moraledestroying, and disruptive to operations. 

I've asked myself many times, 

"How did welet this program impact 

us so negatively? How can it serve 

the installation better?" 

Then Iremember my firstencounter with commercial activities. No 

doubt, the problems start whenengineers fail to take the bull by the 

horns. 

I still remember the call I received 

from the comptroller hack in 1973 

when I was still in the active Army 

and the post facilities engineer. He 

informed me I was required to examine my operation todetermine how it 

could be made more efficient and 

less costly to operate. Furthermore, I 

was supposed to develop a specification that could be used to solicit a 

contract for the work. 

I told him he was "nuts". ..that I 

had neither the resources nor the 

inclination to do it. He quoted the 

regulation and eventually sent me a 

copy. I did nothing. 

Later, I learned he had responded 

to the regulatory requirement by 

stating there was no interest in contract accomplishment of the work. 

That answer was accepted all the 

way up to HQDA. 

My first lesson learned on commercial activities was, "Ignore it. 

Someone else will handle it." 

Unfortunately there was little, if 

any, guidance to the contrary from 

the engineer side of the house. I've 

come to believe that because of our 

abstinence during those early years, 

others gained more clout in running 

the program. 

Commercial activities programmanagers still tend to see DEHs as 

reluctantparticipants whoseinformation must be viewed with skepticism. We must become leaders 

rather than followers in these 

studies. 

This isn't easy. Aside from dealing with credibility problems. acommercial activities study amounts to 

a full time iob for several mananers. 

Rut the work must be done as an 

extra duty by an already overburdened DEH staffwithout disrupting 

customer service. 

I find it miraculous that any DEH 

can manage 50 percent of the base 

operations budget, effectively obligate those funds, and simultaneously prepare an adequate 

contract solicitation package. Only 

those who have personally experienced a study from start to finish 

and lived with its outcomecan truly 

appreciate the magnitude of the accomplishment. The problems encountered by installations are not fully 

understood at higher levels and are 

often handled naively. 

Still, I firmly believe we can make 

this program produce positive results for the DEH family. Exerting 

leadership is the key. 

Most study inadequacies resultbecause those who have taken charge 

misunderstand or underestimate the 

complexity of DEH activities. All 

DEHs who are slatedfor CA reviews 

should seek out the installation's 

CA program manager and contracting officer early to establish a 

rapport. If they can gettheir installation commanders to give them the 

lead action on the study, all the 

better. 

Thegoal must be responsive, costeffective customer support . . . regardless of whether the work is 

ultimately handled in-house or by 

contract. DEH managers should 

heed the fact that if the DEH goes 

contract, they will retain their operational responsibilities and also be 

required to administer the contract. 

DEH managers must ensure the 

contract solicitation is one thev are 

prepared to administer. The com- 

(Continued onpage 12) 
Engineer VOLUME17 	 PB 5-87-3 

FEATURES 

UNITED STATES ARMY 8 Raising the Roofbeams in Europe 

ENGINEER CENTER by COL ~nnielG. Barney 

AND FORT BELVOIR,VA 12 	 Lease and Rental Programs Provide More Housing for Army 

Families 

by Jo Simpson 

13 HOMES Modernizes Army Housing Operations 

COMMANDER/COMMANDANT by Suzanne G. Edge 

MC William Henry Reno 15 DEH Customer Relations-Success at Fort Stewart 

by LTC M~ehael E. Stovall 

Room Serviee-TRADOC's Transient Housing Certification MANAGING EDITOR 	 Program Betty R. Graham hy Bonnie Handzlik 

FEATURES EDITOR 

Penelope Schmitt 	 The New Integrated Facilities System 

by Jo Simpson 

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR In.irnllation Supyort-New ('hitllenge* Heckon Victoria L. McAllisfer 1, 1,TG t'[{ 11. )twr.q 111 

PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR Military Construction Programming-Success in Korea PFC Richard M. Sanborn by COL Carl 0.Magnell and LTC Robert E. Jalette 

DESIGNER Army Installation Engineering and Housing Jim Wilson by Joseph W. Whitaker 

The Facilities Technology ApplicationsTest Program-Tapping the 

By Order ofrhe Secrerarvofthe Army: 	 State of the Art 

by Dr.Donald ,J. Levrrenz and Bernard S. Wasserman 

CARL E. VUONO Troop Construction Programming-A Useful Resource for the DEH Cen~rai.Unlre(1 Stare, Army by LTC Charles X.Meyer and Louis Ilouglas Turmy Chiet oi Stair 

Computer Assisted Design and Drafting-the Payoff for 

Official: Maintenance and Repair 

by B. Ray Summerell 

R. L. DILWORTH Physical Fitness: Are We Providing Adequate Emphasis? Briyadier General. United Stares Arm" by CPT Thomas A. Wuchte The Adjutant General 

The Corps Overseas-Opportunities for Those Who Are Ready 

by BG C. E. Edgar I11 

About the cover The Constitution: A Commitment Endures 

This issue's cover shows the by Penelope Schmitt 

Army's standard architectural DEPARTMENTS design for a Battalion Headquarters with classrooms. 

Inside Front Cover: A Personal Viewpoint 

2 Clear the Way 27 E n g i n e e r P r o b l e m 

3 Bridge the Gap 40 Engineer Solution 

4 Engineer Update 41 Past in Review 

ENGINEER (ISSN M4619R90) is prepared quarterly by the U.S. 4rnphs. ofIicial unitrequests torect.ivrcopies,and unitvddru~schmgea 

Army Enpinrer School. Fort Belvoir. VA 220lill. This publication pres- sllould be sent to ENGINEEX. ATTN: ATZA-1'1)-P. Stop 2YID. Fort 

ents professional information. it does not necessarily reflect lhcofficial Beivoir. VA Z2060-5291. Tolepi~one: (7iI:l) 664-3082. AV 354~3082 

Army position, and it does not ehangr or supersede any information PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS are available hy contacting the 

pr~scnledin other official Army publications. Unless otherwise stated, Superintendent of 1)orumente. ATTN: Chief. Mail I.irt Branch. Slup 

whenever the masculine gender is used, hoth men and womrn are SSOM, Washington. D. C. 20402 Address chanpes fov personal rubincluded. scriptions should also be sent to the Supe"ntendent of 1)"cuments. 

CONTENT is not copyrighted. Material mtiy he rrpnnited if credit is 

~ivcnto ENGINEER and to the author. P0STMASTER:Second Clvssposta~eispaid at i)ortBelunir, VA, and 

OFFICIAI. DISTRIBUTION is targeled toall onrineernnd engineer- additional mailingoffices Sendaddresschangeto E.VGINEEX, ATZA~ 

mi.ltni ..mi+c 	 Tll-P, Stor, 291n. Fort Belvoir. VA 1206il-5291. .....- " 

CORRESPONDENCE. letters to the editor. mmusc"pta. photo1 
LEAR THE WAY 

by MG William Henry Reno, Commandant, U.S. Army Engineer School 

This issue of ENGINEER is devoted to one of the 

Corps' most important and challenging engineer 

assignments-The Director of Engineering and Housing. 

Many would say, and I agree, the DEH is the most 

important position on the installation staff. He has 

stewardship over all of the installation's facilities, 

utilities, natural resources, and family housing. He 

spends over half of the installation's base operations 

budget. If you read the"Dia1 the Commanding General" 

column of any post newspaper, you know a weekdoesn't 

go by without questions about repairs or maintenance 

or roads or pests. . . problems that need care from the 

facilities engineers. 

The DEH is the lifeblood of installation management 

andrepresents theenduringvaluesof excellent facilities 

and support that Army families carry from assignment 

to assignment. No one on the commander's top team 

moredirectly affects the living and working conditions 

of soldiersand their families. Thenumber and quality of 

buildings and the dependability of maintenance and repair 

equate directly to quality of life. 

Commanders and customers expect a DEH to be 

responsive and cost effective. Congress and taxpayers 

expect economy. How does the DEH win in an era of 

fierce competition for defense dollars? 

He must view his business from a resource management perspective. At a time when the Army prioritizes 

systems acquisition by families of systems, the DEH 

must push for complimentary families of facilities. Only 

systems supported with adequate facilities will realize 

their potential. 

The DEH must have a vision of theinstallation ten to 

twenty years out. He needs a strategy for getting 

there. ..a plan that is about the future, not about what 

he is doing tomorrow. 

When the commanding general and the corporate 

leadership of the installation put their feet up on the 

table and talk to the future, the DEHs and resource 

managers need to be there. Unfortunately, they are 

usually not. They find themselves in the position of a 

G-4, planninghow tosupport the attackafter thetroops 

have crossed the line of departure. 

Every DEH should check his commander's calendar, 

circle every meeting that deals with the future of the 

installation, and invite himself to attend. He has got to 

make himself part of the corporate infrastructure and 

convince his commander to strike a balance between 

BASOPS and mission. Otherwise, the commander and 

DEH will find themselves presiding together over a 

poorly configured and deteriorating installation. Such 

is the case in an era of declining resources, when 

priority tends to go to the mission at the expense of 

BASOPS. 

To fulfilltheir responsibility as stewards of resources, 

DEHs must strive to think and plan as if they were 

running their organization for a profit. 

They must exercise the three principles of-

* Sound Stewardship: Grades, skills and operational 

standards must be responsive to installation requirements-not inflated-but meeting requirements in 

the model of an efficient contractor. 

Corporate Strategy: A viable concept of operation 

and a vision of the future must govern facilities 

management. 

Team Effort: Quality circles and other innovative 

management techniques must be applied to achieve 

an efficient organization and build a proactive team 

spirit. 

A move towards contracting out is with us. As 

stewards of resources, theDEHs are challenged to seek 

a mix of contract and in-house operations that preserve 

a strong, responsive base of professional engineering 

expertise on the commander's staff. 

Whether work is done in house or by contract, 

winning in the commercial activities arena revolves 

around customer satisfaction. 

Many talented Corps of Engineers officers are now 

leaders in the DEH business. They must takeresponsibility for resource management and have the courageto 

streamline their organizations. It's the DEH's responsibility to put his installation in a winning posture. 

Our civilian team members are as important as the 

military-and as professional, as dedicated, as competent. We must retain this outstanding work force by 

retaining contracts in house. 

The DEH plays a key rolein setting and maintaining 

a high operating standard for quality of life-a standard that contributes directly to a strong Army'ssenseof 

esprit and pride. 
RIDGE THE G 


by CSM Matthew Lee, Jr., U.S. Army Engineer School 

"We are all born to heheroes.. .."The words belongto 

an American philosopher named William James. The 

attitude can belong to anyone who decides to own it. 

James also said, "We commonly lead lives inferior to 

ourselves." So which is it going to be for you-becoming 

what you were born to be, or continuing to be less than 

you are? 

A lot of you out there may think courage and heroic 

acts are too much a matter of circumstance-and thisis 

peacetime, or you sit at a desk, or you don't find heroes 

on ordinary work sites. 

The fact is, you do. The time for moral courage is 

always NOW. The time for physical courage could be a 

heartbeat away. Sometimes when we least expect the 

test, we get it. 

A moment like that passed me by a few years ago. I 

was in Korea, working with a dozen U.S. Army divers to 

train our Korean counterparts. The river's surface current was swift-by swift, I mean it yanked our guide 

rope downstream in spite of an 80-pound anchor; only 

our added body weighttook the ropedown to the 90-foot 

depth we aimed for. In turn, each American diver took 

his Korean trainee on the white-knuckle journey down 

into that churning, icy water. 

Afterwards, feeling our courage had been well tested, 

we relaxed on the boat, feet dangling in the water. We 

still wore weights around our chests, but we had shed 

our tanks and pulled our masksdown aroundour necks. 

A little laughter started up, a little horseplay-and 

suddenly a man was in the water. I watched the river 

snatch him 100yards downstream, and saw the Junior 

Demonstration Specialist, a guy named McNaught, fly 

into the river after him. Performing every rescue 

maneuver perfectly, he brought the man out alive. 

Ever since that valiant rescue I've been wonderingwhy McNaught? Why notany ofthe otherguys? Mostof 

all, why not ME? 

A lot of you are probably thinking right now that 

McNaught was just naturally special-born that way. 

You do your best, but you're no hero and no saint and 

have no special gift as a leader. 

Consider this: maybe McNaught was born with extraquick reflexes-but he wasn't horn a skilled and 

confident lifesaver. 

To he ready, he had to do what you. I-all of us-need 

todo if we are going to bethe heroes of our own lives. We 

have to concentrate, give the utmost in attention to 

detail, practice, constant hard work. 

This is moral courage-the will to decide again and 

again to give the best performance, to search for good 

judgment, and to exercise the self-discipline of right 

conduct. In fact, if there had been more self-discipline 

that day in Korea, McNaught's heroic leap might have 

been unnecessary. 

So yes, you can learn to become the hero of your own 

life. You can teach yourself devotion to duty. You can 

practicededication. It's in attention tothe split seconds 

that we make a glory of life. 

So perfect your demeanor on the parade groundhave the joy of knowing precision. Think hard for 

what's right when you counsel a soldier-the right 

words could stay with him for life. Be relentless in your 

devotion to safety precautions on the job-eyes, arms, 

legs, lives depend on your will to eliminate unneeded 

risks. 

Try doing yourjob today-every minuteofthat dayas if you were inside the skin of the most dedicated 

person you know. Do it again tomorrow, the next day, 

and the next-you could become that person, that hero 

you were horn to be. 
Engineer ,Update 

-School News-


Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization 

(DOES) 

New Director DOES welcomes COL George R. Kleb as its new director. 

COL Kleb is the former commander/director of the Water Resources 

Support Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

COL Kleb has served in a variety of command andstaff assignments. 

including a company command in Germany, two tours in Vietnam, 

command of the 84th Engineer Battalion during the clean up of 

Eniwetok Atoll alter the end of nuclear tests, and a variety of staff/instructor assignments at West Point and the Military District of 

Washington. 

USAR School Affiliation Program USAR School Affiliation Program 

provides a link between TRADOCserviceschools and 91 USARschools. 

Each service school is ass~gned four to six USAR schools based on a 

geographical relationship. They provide both genertc and branch unique assistance to their USAR school counterparts. This program is 

intended to provide TRADOC and FORSCOM with a high degree of 

assurance that the USAR school instruction is of excellent quality and 

conducted by competent instructors using the best and most current 

instructional material. 

The Engineer School is currently affiliated with the following USAR 

schools: 

1 1155th USAR School. Edison, NJ 

2 2059th USAR School, Bethlehem, PA 

3 2070th USAR School, Fort Belvoir. VA 

4 2071st USAR School, Owings Mills, MD 

5 2072nd USAR School, Philadelph~a, PA 

DOES conducts bi.annual assistance visits to the USAR schools and 

prepares trip reports of such visits, and evaluates and reports on 

annual training. The directorate refers training issues to the proper 

agency and monitors action to resolution, providing responsive support 

to the USAR school system in the area of engineer proponency. 

The major goal of the program is to establish the USAR schools as 

"satellite campuses" of the TRADOC proponent schools and thereby 

creatinga more coherent, singlesystem of traininggoalsandstandards 

for the Total Army. 

Lessons Learned Bulletin The LessonsLearnedBulletin is used 

to disseminate engineer and other pertinent lessons learned to the 

worldwide engineer community. Lessons learned are taken from several sources, including after-action reports (AARs) from major field 

training exercises, combat training centers, and from field units. It is 

published on a quarterly basis and distributed to all Active. National 

Guard, and Reserve Army Engineer units, company level and above. 

DEHs, Engineer Districts, major commands,and others upon request. A 

copy of the bulletin is given to all students of the EOAC, EOBC, and 

ANCOC. 

Field units can ensure that information in the bulletin containsvalid, 

pertinent lessons learned by providing feedback to DOES. Units are 

highly encouraged to submit AARs and any other information concerningtactics, training, doctrine, equipment. and materiel. Comments and 

recommendations lor improvement are also welcomed. All correspondence should be sent to: 

Commandant 

U.S. Army Engineer School 


ATTN: ATZA-ES 


Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5271 


Pointsof contact are CPT Simmerer and SFC Kovak, telephone (703) 

664.4172 or AV 354-4172. 

Department of Combined Arms (DCA) 

TSFO Training Aid Available The latest addit~on to the Engineer 

School's arsenal of train~ng a~ds is the Training Set, Fire Observation 

(TSFOI. 

TheTSFO, whtch conslsts of a computer and 11 projectors, proiectsa 

terrain scene on itsscreen. A target appears.Thestudent must locate 

the target and transmit its location in a correct artillery call for fire 

format. An artillery burst, replete wtth sound effects, appears on the 

screen and the student must adjust TSC burst onto the target. 

Requests to use of the TSFO can be made by contacting CPT J. 

Nichols, (703) 664-2986 or AV 354-6004. 
ate 


Department of Military Engineering (DME) 

EIT/PE Exams Scheduled Engineer-in-Training (EIT) and Professional 

EngineerIPE) examinations will beadministered by the Engineer School 

this fall and nextspring. Datesare 16 April 1988 for the EIT exam, and 

15 April 1988 for the PE exam. 

Officers attending the Advanced or Basic Course on these dates 

should consider sitting for the exams as part of their professional 

development. Applications to s~t lor the examinations must arrive in 

Richmond,Virginia, at least90days priortothe test dateloobtain the 

required forms, assistance. and a brochure containlnggeneral information on PE registration, write to: 

Commander 

U.S. Army Engineer School and Fort Belvoir 


ATTN:EIT/PE Coordinator 


ATZA-TE-RA 


Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 


Free study guides lor the examsare no longer produced or provided 

by the Engineer School; however, a list of commercially available texts 

is included in the brochure. 

Materials Quality Specialist Course Moves Duringthesecond quarter 

of FY 88, the MOS 51G (Materials Quality Specialist) AIT Course will 

move from Fort Belvoir to Fort Leonard Wood. Teaching responsibilities 

for the course will transfer from the Roads and Airfields Branch of the 

Department of Military Engineering, USAES, to the 136th Engineer 

Brigade. US. Army Training Center. Engineer. FLW. The last class to be 

conducted at Fort Belvoir will beclass 1-88, ending in December, 1987. 

Class 2-88 will not beconducted in order to facilitate the physical move 

of property and personnel to Fort Leonard Wood. Class 3-88, will be the 

first class taught at Fort Leonard Wood, beginning on 8 April, 1988. 

Reorganization of Technical Engineering Training Developers On 18 

May 1987, theTechnical Engineering Section, Army Topographic Ele. 

ment, DOTD, wastransferred tothe Roadsand Airfields Branch, Combat 

Construction Division. DME. This transfer consolidated training development assets and responsibility for four technical engineering MOSS 

in a teaching department as specified by School Model '83. The four 

MOSS include:51G, Mater~als Testing; 818, Construction Drafting; 828. 

Construction Surveying; and 51T, Technical Engineering Supervisor, 

the capper MOSforthe first three feeder MOSS Thisaction will result in 

better control and relevancy of all technical engineering subjects 

taught and developed by USAES and permlts the Army Topographic 

Elements to conceiitrate on purely topographic tasks and subject 

matter. 

12C20 BNCOC Moves to Fort Leonard Wood On 1 July 1987, the 

12C20 BNCOC moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.This wasthe first 

course to make the move from Fort Belvoir. 

Because of the decision to revise the critical task list for the MOS 

12C, plans to upgrade the 12C20 BNCOC to 12C30 BNCOC have been 

delayed. Present plans call for the development of this course to 

resumein FY 88, with implementation scheduled for 1 October 1988 at 

Fort Leonard Wood. To cover this training shortfall, a waiver was 

granted to allow the 12C soldiers to attend the 12830 BNCOC until the 

12C30 BNCOC comes on line. 

New POI for the 12830 BNCOC Effective 1June 1987, the new 12830 

BNCOC POI was implemented worldwide at ten NCO academies. The 

new POI is based on the 1985 Soldier Training Publication (STP). Major 

revisions included: increased course length from 5 to 6 weeks (attendees are MOS 128 only), calculators are required equipment, 6 tasks 

were revised, 6 tasks were added, and 9 tasks were deleted. 

The academies validated this course in the June through September 

time frame. Evaluation results were consolidated at the 12830 BNCOC 

In-process-review (IPR), held 15.18 September 1987, and appropriate 

revisions were made to the course. 

Engineer School Topographic Element Reorganizes The U.S. Army 

Topographic Element, lormerly a component of the DOTD under the 

Operational Control of the Defense Mapping School has been reorganized as the Division oflopography, DME. USAES.Thedivision's mission 

is to serve as the USAES primary expert and principal point of contact 

for all proponent responsibilities related to topographic engineering 

and to coordinate all activities and actions with respect to topographic 

operation, training, and doctrine. 

Responsibilites include development of doctrinal publications, field 

manuals (FMs); STPs; SQTs; correspondence courses; extension training products such as training extension courses, graphic training aids, 

and video tapes; and ARTEP products for unit training and evaluation. 

The new division will also teach the CMF 81 ANCOC and provide 

instructors to teach topographic subjects to students in USAES profes. 

sional development courses. Questions or issues with respect to Army 

topography or photolithography may be addressed to: 

Commandant 

U.S. Army Engineer School 


ATTN: ATZA-TE-TO 


Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5331 

I.. . . 

DEH Move Eflective 1 October 1987. the DEH Management Div~sion. 

DME, USAES. will be transferred to the U.S. Army Englneerlng and 

Houslng Support Agency (EHSC), formerly the US. Army Facilities 

Engineer Support Agency (USAFESA) The transler cameabout because 

of the anticipated move of the Engineer School and the desire to 

consolidate OEH traililng under the course proponent, the Assistant 

Chiel of Engineers' Office, This transler coincides with the reorganiza~ 

tion of USAFESA as the US. Army Engineer and Housing Support 

Crnter. This reorgan~zatioii will not cliange theschedules or location 01 

the OEH courses. 

Reserve Component Advisory Staff (RCAS) 

New ARNG Advisor The Army National Guard advisor to the Englneer Headquarters, 7th Infantry Division and Fort Ord. where he was a 

School is LTC Richard G. Dubuque. LTC Dubuque IS a member of the mobilization planner for the installation. LTC Dubuque can be reached 

Rhode Island National Guard who comes to the Engineer School from at (703) 664-4166 or 4434 (AV 354). 

Directorate of Combat Developments (DCD) 

Armored Vehicles for Combat Engineers USAES is developing 

requirements for six new armored engineer vehicles as part of the 

Armored Family ot VehlclesjAFV) program. The AFV is being developed 

to counter the future threat and to achieve s~gntlicant reductions in 

O&S costs 

Combat engineer systems currently being considered include a 

sqtiad carrier, an assault bridge. a mobility vehicle, an earthmover, an 

excavator, and a mine dispenser. These vehicles will allow combat 

engineers organic to, or in support of, heavy units to keep pace and 

survive with the maneuver forces, Initial fielding of the AFV is scheduled lor 1995 

Soviet Threat Posters RereleasedThe Engineer School'sThreat Office 

recently updated and republished FB poster U125, "Soviet Combat 

Engineer Equ~pment-Diviston and Below." and FB poster #123. 

"Soviet Combat Engineer Tactics, Grouplngs, and Tech-niques." 

FB Poster #124, "Soviet Combat Engineer Organlrations Below Division." will be out shortly. These training aids are available from AG 

Publications or from the Threat Office. (7031 664~3867/3835 (AV 

354-3867/3835) 

Another recent publication by the Threat Office is the Periodic 

Intelligence Report (PERINTREP). This has been sent to all engineer 

battaltons and contains the latestthreat engineer developments. Check 

with S.2s to review it. since it is a classified document. 

ESSAYONS-Your Ideas Put to Work In the last issue, DCD announced 

ESSAYONS, a new program to help get your ideas on how to improve 

equipment. organization, or tratning. Send your ideas to: 

Commander 

US Army Engineer School 

ATTN: ATZA~CDT (ESSAYONS) 

Fort Belvoir. VA 22060-5281 

We have received two proposals thus far. Thanks to MAJ Roger 

Somerville of the 177th Armored Brigade. Fort Irwin for his idea about 

simulatingthreat rollerson OPFOR tanks, and to CPT Mlchael Herman of 

6th Army Headquarters for his suggestion about an alr compressor 

assisted vehicle washing device. We will keep you updated regarding 

these and other ideas we receive. 

Defense Mapping School (DMS) 

DMS Courses Receive Accreditation The American Council on Education's Military Evaluations Program Division conducted an on~slte evaluation in July 01 DMS courses lor academ~c/college credit. Twelve 

DMS courses were awarded upper-diviston baccalaureate or graduate 

semester hour credits in mapping, charting, and geodesy disciplines. 

Academic credits for DMS courses range from vocational certiflcation 

credit to graduate credit. 

Accredited coursesafford distinct advantages10 DMS graduates who 

plan to continuethe~reducat~on either in the immediate future or later 

in their careers. Recommended credits per course will appear in the 

third supplement to the Guide to the Evaluation ofEducariona1 

Experiences in the Armed Services (1987), and in the 1988 

Guide. For more information, contact Dr. Linda Schultr-Shiner at 

1703) 664-2182, AV 354-2182, or your education center. 
-Career Notes-


Warrant Officers Branch 

AR 611-112 Revision A total revision of AR 611-112, Personnel 

Selection, Manual of Warrant Officer Occupational Specialties, has been approved. The revision includes a new Ihfe-cycle 

personnel management system (Total Warrant Officer System) and 

guidance pertaining to ulilizatlon of a commissioned warrant offlcer. 

Engineer warrant officer MOSS will change as indicated, although 

titles will remain the same: 

Old MOS 

Title 

New MOS 

310A Utilities Maintenance Operator/Technlcian 

210A 

621A Englneer Equ~pment Repalr Technician 

213A 

811A Photo Mapplng Technician 

215A 

821A Survey TechnicIan 

2158 

833A Reproduction Technlclan 

214C 

841A Terraln Analysls Systems Technlclan 

2510 

Effective dates for the MOS change will be July through September 

1988 

NCO and Enlisted Soldiers Branch 

62G and 62H Overstrength Realignment MILPERCEN has identilied 

grades E4, €5, and E6 In MOS 62G, Quarry Specialist, and 62H. 

Concrete and Asphalt Equipment Operator, as critically overstrength. 

Elfective 1 August 1987, these soldiers were restricted to reenlistment 

retraining option F-3 and were included In the Fast Track reclassifica. 

tlon program. The Fast Track program alfords soldiers serving in over. 

strength skills the opportunity to voluntar~ly reclassify and/or reenlist 

for a shortage skill. If a sullicient number of soldiers do not voluntarily 

migrate through reclassilication/reenlistment, the program provides 

that MILPERCEN may direct reclassif~cation ol soldiersin order to meet 

strength quotas. 

-Regimental 

Engineer Directory to be Published The Engineer Personnel Proponency 

Office 1s assembling a new Engineer Officer and Warrant Officer Directory, scheduledfor publicationthismonth. Distribution will be madeto 

all engineer organizationsof battalion size or larger. The purpose ofthe 

directory is to strengthen ties within the Corps. 

Long-Term TDYs and Soldier Reassignment Status Commanders of 

engineer soldiers from CONUS-based un~ts who participate in long-term 

(179 day] unaccompanied temporary duty (TDY) assignments should 

notify MILPERCEN so that those soldiers are not unlairly treated in 

follow-on assignments. For example, an NCO recently wasscheduled to 

attend a 3-month advanced course enroute to a short tour in Korea. 

Unknown to the assignment manager, this NCO was returning to his 

home station from a 179.day TDY tour in Central America two weeks 

before hisscheduledschool date. Acomment by a soldier IntheNCO's 

servicing MlLPO tipped off theschools manager to thesituation and the 

NCO's status was adjusted to compensate for h~s TDY service. 

NewsCPT Glenn Tisdale is temporarily assuming the duties of regimental 

adjutant pending a permanent replacement. For regmental 

inlormation or ass~stance, contact him at (703) 664.2287/3760 or AV 

354-2287/3760. 
Raising the Roofbeams in 


by COI, Daniel G. Barney 

I\Moreand better-these were bbthe Army's family housing 

goals in Europe for almost 

-1 1 years, and the Army worked diligently to improveits housing inventory. Significant progress was 

made. 

Rut in 1984, with over 70,000 

government.owned, leased, and privaterental units available, wecould 

still only approve concurrent travel 

for about one-third of the families 

who came to Europe that year. 

We finally realized that our nebulous "more and better" needed to be 

quantified. How many more homes 

did we need to provide? What quality standardsshould wemeet? When 

could we give our service members 

keys to their front doors? 

Since 1981, we've heen striving 

toward a clearer goal: Ry 1991 we 

wantto be able to providea home for 

every family within 60 days of tlie 

soldier's arrival in Europe. This 

means we must have enough housing availahle or under construction 

hy FY 90 to let us approve concurrent family travel for any sponsor 

assigned to an Army community in 

Europe. It's a big, complex joh, and 

the view from midstream is an exciting mix ofcreativesolutions to prohlems, lessons learned, and challenges still to be met. 

Our effort to find or build 

homes depends on the continuous, 

active participation and sup^ 

port of the Congress, the Department of Defense, the Department of 

the Army, the United States Army 

Europe (USAKEUR) and its suhordinate commands, all Army communities in Europe, the Corps of 

Engineers, the Naval Facilities 

turope 


Command, and the governments of 

Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Here's what the DEHs in 

Europe have done to coordinate all 

these players and build a successful 

housing program. 

Military iamilies-how many? 

First, they hat1 to determine tlie 

housing needs of the forty-three 

Army con~munities in Europe. A 

military cu~nnionitg is roughly equivnlent to an installation in the United States. hut in Eurcipe, soldiers 

and facilities are not concentrated 

un hig I~ases. Communities arc often 

niadc up of geographic all^ dispersed 

installations. Encli comnionity must 

provide family housing for all military pprrsnnnel assigned within its 

geoh~apliicbounda~ies-includingnonLrSAREUR Army units: Air Force, 

Navy, itnd ,Joint Command units; 

and the U.S. portion of NATO 

elements. 

1)etermining the numher of military who are or will be assigned 

within rnch community proved tohe 

a major undertaking. As a forward 

deployed force, IJSAREUR does not 

have all its troops assigned for duty 

at the same place the guidon is 

planted. f3ofore we could determine 

accorate troop population figures, 

snme units' deployments had to be 

traced down to the squad and section level. Army communities also 

had to determine how many nonIJSAREUH military pursonnel lived 

within thrir boundaries. 

Our community 1)EHs needed to 

know both their present military 

populations and the projected populations 5 years hence. To get accu~ 

rate statistics, the DEHs worked 

with stationing, operations, and resource management personnel. In 

many cases, the DEHs had to take 

charge and run the action. The refined community demographic projections they compiled are now valuable, accurate planningdocuments. 

All that work was just one step. 

The communities still had to iden. 

tify the number of families who 

would need housing in Europe. 

We quickly decided we couldn't 

base projections on Army average 

~narriagefactors.Wediscovered that 

marriage trends vary with different 

types of units. For example, the 

Army average indicates 54 percent 

of soldiers are married. But aviation 

units tend to run over 80 percent 

married, while armored units have 

only about 30 percent married personnel. The community that has a 

heavy concentration of armored 

units will have vastly different 

housingrcquirem~ntsthan the community with aviation units. 

Toget accuratecountson the number of service members who are eligible for BAQ at with dependent 

rates, I>EHs sought help from finance office computers. In many 

cases, they went on to confirm the 

accuracy of those runs at unit level. 

Marriage factors for units scheduled to move into a community were 

estimated by querying the losing 

community or installation in 

CONIJS. 

Another problem is that soldiers 

don't always bring their families 

overseas for a variety of reasons. 

Those who leave their families hehind hecausc they can't get adcquatehottsingarept,ople USAKEUR 

needs to provide homes for. Those 
American- huilthousingreflects 

tural styles. 

whose families stay in the States so 

the children won't have to change 

schools are not. In orderto countthe 

voluntarily separated, DEHs had 

to ask unaccompanied soldiers why 

their families stayed behind. 

To do this, they had toensureeach 

soldier went through the housing 

office upon arrival in country. At 

central processingfacilities this was 

fairly easy, hut in most communities, DEHs had to make an extra 

effort to get people to check in and 

out with the Family Housing Office, 

even if they didn't want housing. 

Refining the requirement-How 

many homes do we have? 

Despite the magnitude of the task, 

the communities did determine the 

effective family housing requirement for the next 5 years. Next, we 

set out to learn what housing assets 

we had to meet the need. DEHs 

could easily count governmentcontrolled units and units approved 

and funded for future construction 

or leasing. We also identified 

government-controlledunitsthat we 

expected to lose over the next 5 

years. 

The big problem was determining 

how many private rentals would be 

available. It is DOD policy that pridistinctive European architecvate rentals are the first housing 

source to be tapped after existing 

government-owned quarters. But the 

military fair share method, 

normally used to decide what percentage of the private rental market 

houses military families, proved unrealistic. Each USAREUR community with a housing shortage already 

exceeded its fair share of the market and still had a problem. 

With DA and DOD approval, 

USAREUR abandoned the fair 

share approach. DEHs were asked 

to decide how many private rentals 

in their area were realistically available for Army soldiers. 

We also needed to define a suitability standard for rental units. We 

developed a suitability standard for 

Europe to ensure that private rentalsofferphysical features and amenities similar to thosein governmentcontrolled units at a price soldiers 

can afford. 

The new standards are a big step 

forward, although tbereis still room 

for improvement. The USAREURis 

currently trying toreduce the acceptable commuting time between home 

and duty station from 1hour to 30 

minutes, and to make other minor 

changes. 

For the suitability criteria to work, 

each unit the housing office or soldier finds must be inspected for conformance with standards. Then a 

data base must be built to project the 

percentage of private rental assets 

in each community that are truly 

suitable. 

DOD developed a new method, the 

Segmented Housing Market Analysis, to determine the number of privaterental units that should becounted as availableboth now and in the 

future. Since the Army found these 

analyses ate up scarce manpower, 

most communities decided to contract the work. After 3 yearsof effort, 

projections of rentals that are acceptable to all are now being used. 

What kind ofroofs?-DEHsplan 

to meet the need 

When the complex detective work 

of determining requirements and 

assets was done, we could identify 

shortfalls. Those communities that 

could house all their families needed 

no additional govemment-controlled 

quarters. 

For communities with shortfalls, 

the real choices boiled down to two: 

build or lease. The DEHs soon found 

they had to innovate and engage in 

farranging, detailed coordination to 

raise roofs. 
The buildingprogram. To build 

from the ground up, communities 

needed real estate. Most communities did not have much, and found 

that getting more was either impossible or took time-years, not 

months. Even ifland was available, 

DEHs often found they couldn't 

build on it because of elaborate 

European zoning. That's right, military bases are zoned-and it's no 

light matter to change the zoning 

plan. 

Many UEHs sought help from 

local officials to get real estate 

and/or sitingapproval fortheir proposed housing prujects. They 

met with mixed success. Ry 

January 1987, we were sure of only 

17 locations in Europe where housing could be built. 

Where there was no land, we 

looked at another construction 

alternative-putting new homes 

under existing roofs. Most of the 

more than40,000government-owned 

unitsin Germany arestairwell apartment buildings with empty orineffic:iently oscd attics. We developed a 

plan tocnnvert theseatticsinto twohedroo~nupartmmts foryonng married couples. The first attic conversions are now being built in Mannheim. Germany. Almost 1,700 attic 

dwellings arc programmed through 

I'Y !10. 

In FY 84 Congress approved the 

first military housing construction 

ever fundrd hy the U.S. Government 

in Europe. (Previnus housing was 

funded hy the host nations in the 

19.70sand 1960s).The lau~stipulated 

thnt the housing must be manufacturcdin theIJnited States.'l'hechallenges wc encountered are only sugwrsted when you consider that-

* Host nations had to approve 

American-made units-which had 

tos;~tisfvdistinctiveIZuropeanarchitrctural design nnd construction. 

Specifications had to meet both 

host natinn and U.S. standards. 

and I1.S.manufacturers had to he 

nhle to meet the specifications. 

IJualitv assurance was required. 

Housing had tomcet fanlily needs, 

and satisfy commanders. 

engineers, DEHs. hostnatinnoffirials. Congress. and just about 

anyone else who had an interest. 

New solicitation, award, and 

c~rntrartingprocedures had to be 

drvcl<~gedand implemented. 

Military families have contributed to designs for many 

amenities that ensure pleasant living conditions. 

Wedid it all, 81nd saw tlic firs1 107 

units completed and turned over at 

Wildflerkrn, Germany, in January 

1987. Since then, another 49 units 

have bren turned over, and 977 units, 

n~ostlytown houses, are under construction. The European Division, 

Corps of Engineers, is presently preparing contracts for 558 more units. 

The Army in Europe feels that 

family members make a valuable 

rontribution in i:nsuring thnt housing is the best we can provide. The 

DEHs consult military families during specification development, proposal review, prototype inspection 

and approval, construction review, 

acceptnnce. and postconstructi~)n 

critique. 

Ideasing.'l'hr Army's other option 

is to lease private housing that is 
;1v:1ilal1le, or iliivp F:u~.opran investors iluild housing for the Army to 

Icase. 

Finding existingfacilities in quantity is difficult. Most European 

housing located where the Army 

needs it was leased long ago. 

Some cr>mn>unities with large 

housing deficits hnvc hegun tolezise 

single units rather than apartment 

huildings. This ro~nplicates mtlnagemrnt. niaintenance and repair. and 

utilities p~.ohlrms. Rut the soldiers 

live iimong European neighbors ::und 

are truly integrated into the hostnation community. To blcnd well 

culturally, education for commandcw. snldiers, and family members is 

important. 

An offshr,ot of this approach is 

being trsted in thrrr communities. 

In this tcst a soldier finds a unit on 

therconomy within price and safety 

guidelinrs, anrl agrees tolivein it for 

a \rh<rlr trlui.. 'l'h<, xovernmrnt rents 

it(holds thrconlrac:t), ensuresmaintenance is (lone, and provides utilities. The soldier gives up his KAIJ. 

LTSARI.:lJR hopes to answer srvera1 qurstir,ns. Are thrse units corn. 

garnhlc tr~ gi)vernment-controllrd 

units'! Is theapproach cost-effective? 

Arr! sponsors, families, and 1;indlords satisfied'? What otlirr prnhlems 

arise? How can they hc solved? 

It took li rnnnths to giiin DA approval and 13 months t~ get the nod 

from the Germzin government before 

the test could start. The program 

appears trr he;^ winner. Ifso, we will 

seek apprr~vnl and fundingtoexl~and 

it. 

Build-to-lease is another option. 

Under this program, private investors construct housing on private 

land to lease to the Army. But specifications must be developed, and 

solicitations and negotiations conducted. Entrepreneur interest must 

be elicited. Often local political 

approval of projects is required. 

Construction must be monitored. 

The building must be accepted and 

then managed. Each of these tasks 

is either done or monitored by the 

DEH. 

At theend of February 1987.14.3:14 

military farnilies in Europe lived in 

governmmt-leased housing. We now 

have :3,025 more units under contract, and hope to have a total of 

17.500huild~to-leaseunitsinEurope 

by the end of theyear. We are asking 

Congress for authnrity to negotiate 

additional leases. ,>

I here are many variatinns on the 

construction and leasing plans described here. Enrh IjCH mustchoose 

the comhinr~tion that will best eliminate his community's housing shortfall. SuccessCol I)EHsrememberthe 

art the possihle-avoiding plans 

thi~tcan't hc executed. 

'I'hc lq'amily Housing Acquistion 

I'lan 

Kach 1)EH has dc\,eloped the 

Family Housing Acquisition Plan 

(FHAP) that now forms the basis for 

till programming nnd planning for 

housing acrluisition in Eurnpe. The 

FliAPs attenlpt to meet 100 percent 

i)f the housing requirement. This 

excrptir~n11) 1)01) policy is a key 

rlrment in i~ssuring that every family will I>I. housed hy lIlI11. One 

liundrcd i~crcent programming has 

:I price. It requires more drtailcd 

plannin~, justification, and 

nli~nitoring. 

liut plans are nrrt Iion1ps. Plans 

just layout what I)F:Hs wilnt to do. 

'l'hr!y must rnsorc that projects are 

justified . . . requ~~sted. . . pro^ 

grarnmed . . . sold to USARRUK. 

DA. 1)01),and (:onxrrss.. .funded 

. . . drsigncd . . . executed . . . ncrlxptrd. . . :rnd managed. 

Rvrn when lhere is a roof forevery 

family, l)I~:tIs will still herhallmgrd 

to dislribute the homes so that the 

Army, commanders, soldi~rs, and 

family tnemhersare hestserved and 

satificd. 

COI, Dar~iclG. Unrncy is the pro^ 

jecf ~nanngpr /or hol~sing ncquisilion fur USARfi,':'UI<.Hc previously 

s~rrvdas ft~~ ci~iciof the Faciliti~s 

Enaine~~rirrg I)i~~isiorz. USAKEUR.
Lease and rental programs 


provide more housing for 


Army families 


by Jo Simpson 

(\	The Army needsflexibleop- for another 3,500 units to he built in ing. The other two projects are still A tions to help it meet hausing 1988 and 1989.These new units will trying to gct financial hacking. 

needs on all installations. help to fill thegapin several rapidly Build-t~i-rentprojects are basedon 

On [.ists whcre housing is scarce rxpanding military communities in the soldier's housing allowance. 

and the lori~l economy is healthy, t,he continental United States. "Since the projects are targeted for 

the Army's huild-to-leasc and build- Bidders for these lease or rental lower enlisted grades, the contractwrrnt housing programs are good projectsdesign h<)usingunitsaccord- tors have difficulty getting finan- 

\i;,ys to make homes available. innto 1)epartmentof Defense(1)OD) rialbackingtohuildaffordahleunits," 

l'hr program allows the Arnmy to requirements. 'The Corps of Engi- said John Kneuven, housing manarrange for a privtlte developer to neers reviews the designs, and agement specialist at the Office of 

finance, build, own, and maintain awards the bid to the design that the Chief of Engineers. "The Army 

I'i~rilitiesthe Army needs. In return, givcs the best house for the mnnev. isdoingeverythingpossibletomake 

the Army agrees to lease the units In Alaska, for example, thecontrac- the program w~~rk." 

from thc developer. tor has ol~served government-owned To make the projects more attraci2utlrorized underSectionsR01 and housing sprrifications for floor tive, Chngress recently changed the 

Xo21~ftlieMililaryC~~nstruction Act, space, hut has built in amenities nuoranteed rental period from 15 to

thest, I)rogramscan he tapped when such as attached garages, w;~ll-to- 25 years, and permitted the entire 

thr, Army shows Congress a saving wall carpeting, and hardwood trim. rent amount to escalate along with 

uf ,ipcrcent or more over military New homes can hr rracly within 2 tl~rsoldiers'housingallowance. New 

~.r,nsiructioi~. yrars. F;hmilirs at Fort Drum, New tax laws niny also help the pr~ijects 

\Vliile housing built with govern York. have begun moving into a attract financing. 

mrnt f'r~nds m~y be 5 years im the 1.~100-unithuild-to-leimsehousingpro- "Build to lease and rent are good 

making. Icasc and rent;~l projects jrrt, a,hich will he fully occupied solutions for the large housing defibuilt with private funtls can he de- next year. Familirs are also moving citsatplaceslikeFortPolkandFort 

signril i~nd cunstructrd ;is soon as into the first grimup of400 new huild- Drum," says Kneuven. "They comcrintr;~ctors ohtnin fin;~~hcing to-lease l~ouses at Fort Wainwright. plement government construction. 

I3uilrl to lt>;~st. ur Iwnt isn't f~~;~sil~li, Alaska. Thc: first group of :I00 units The Army couldn't afford to build 

<in rvrnutp pi>sts likc I'r~rt 11,win. at Fort Polk, Louisiana, was re theamountofhousingrequired,and 

i i . mil^ is I i p n rently ci~mpleted. neither would we want all lease or 

<Iv~mthousing ~hiarkc,t. or Iikv l,'ort 'Slic Ar~nyiscurrrntlyarlvertising rental housing. We need a mix of 

0 i r i . I I s t fr~r 1.000 more units at Forts Drum, programs." 

;n.c vvry Iiiph. lV;~in\vriglit. nlrd Bliss. and on 

Hut wl>rrc it dr~rsmake sense, the Onho. Hawaii. Jo Simpson, former Public Affairs 

procram ron Ire an imgrjrtant partof No huild-to-rent housing has yet Officer for the Facilities EngineerLhc~ niix of lmr~usiny i~ptions. Con- been built. Though four projects ing Support Agency, is now a marsress ;iuthoriz,d thc Army 4,000 have bet#n approved. une drew no ketingexecutiveforthe U.S.Departl(,:ls~units and 1 .XI10 rentt11 units in liids, and the contractor cancelled mentofJusticeFedera1PrisonInd~~-

1 W4. The Army 1i;lsasked Congrcss ;>nother after failing to get financ- , tries. 

P~rsonalV~ewpo~nt 	 (Continuedfrom ins~de front cover) 

mander will still look to his DEH To keep the work in house, the change. Only then can the DEH 

and expect responsive, timely entire DEH organization must com- hope to achieve a competitive most 

support. 	 mit to making changes in jobs and efficient organization. 

That means those who areclose to grade structure that will give it a 

and understand the work must be competitive edge. The DEH organi- Stanford C. Draper is Chief of the 

given time to prepare thoughtful zation that strives to protect its Utilities Division for the VII Corps 

performance work statements work force or preserve business as DEHin Stuttgart, Germany. He was 

and allied documents. Only the DEH usual loses to a contractor every the Chief of the Contract Support 

staff knows the installation, its time. The DEH must be honestright Branch at FESA from 1985 through 

peculiarities, and its needs well up front. To preserve an in-house 1987.He was theFacilitiesEngineer 

enouch to make sure the contract work force, more will have to bedone at Fort Ritchie, Maryland, from 

covers the bases. with less. And win or lose, jobs will I973 through 1983. 
-- 

HOMES 


modernizes 


Army housing 


operations 


by Suzanne G. Edge 

"I wish I had a magic 


wand...." As Army housing 

manaeers deal with frustrztted customers each day, the 

thnught of amagic wand does come 

to their aching heads.Though Army 

research and development hasn't 

invented a magic wand, the Fort 

Bragg housing staff recently tested 

an automated system that's better 

than aspirin-it makes many housing headaches go away. 

The Housing Operations Management System (HOMES) streamlines 

the Army's housing business and 

gives better service to soldiers. After 

successfultesting at Fort Bragg and 

Fort Drum, the U. S. Army Engineering and Housing Support Center 

decided to install HOMES programs 

at other Army installations worldwide. Judging from Fort Bragg's 

successful experience, soldiers and 

housing staff alike are going to he 

happy with HOMES. 

Cutting the irritation factor 

The housing offices at Fort Rragg 

stay busy. In 1986, they had more 

than 38,000 visits to the on-post 

housing office and 14,000 customer 

visits to the off-post housing referral 

office. That doesn't count any phone 

calls. 

Justhy replacing pencils with computer terminals, HOMES has made 

serving customers much easier. The 

sight of modern equipment tends to 

portray an efficient operation in soldiers' eyes, and gives them confidence that they will receive good 

service. 

Fortunately, HOMES gives more 

than a good first impression-it 

works. When soldiers apply forhousing, the housing clerk enters the 

information into the computer. 

Based on the information fed in, the 

system will calculate the waiting 

time for quarters and place soldiers 

on appropriate waiting lists. 

HOMES will also correctly position 

soldiers on waiting lists-such as 

soldiers who receive credit because 

of restricted overseas tours, those in 

key and essential positions, and so 

forth. The system affords a soldier 

- , 

can make the appropriate arrangements off post while awaitinpfamily 

quarters on post. 

Before HOMES. the Fort Braee 

housing office used an out-of-date 

computer punch-card system that 

left soldiers feeling like victims of a 

slow-motionrunaround.Thesystemcalled the Housing Management 

Informalion System (HIMS)- 

required keypunching new cards 

each time someone moved in or out 

of quarters. 

The system couldn't establish 

waiting-list priorities or positions 

for soldiers returning from unaccompanied tours (it only sequenced 
by an eligibility date). Customers 

wcrc suspicious, because housing 

offices had to manipulate their 

eligibility dates to establish their 

positions on the waiting list helow 

the freeze ztrne. 

After all thiseffort, thecards were 

submitted to the installation computer offict. once a week. The results 

were printouts of the waiting lists 

and quarters listings, which mere 

hnth nearly a week outdated when 

received. Now HOMES provides 

Army families and staff on-the-spot 

i~nswers nnd makes adjustments 

invisihly-reducing the irritation 

factor for customers and employees 

alike. 

HOMES has also cut the cubic 

yardage of paper at the housing 

office. There is no longer a requirement to maintain history cards on 

each dwelling unit, nor the lengthy 

application. Since punch cards are 

no 11,nger necessary and most of the 

record files are stored in the system, 

Fort Bragg has eliminated file hoxes 

and drawers full of paper-most of 

which were cumbersome to use and 

took up valuz~hle office space. 

Streamlined moves 

The HOMES system has streamlined chrck~in.inspection, andcheckout for families and personnel of the 

housing office. Before HOMES 

arrived, housing personnel kept appointment books for all inspection 

i~ppointments. Usually several 

people needed the books at the same 

time. Now inspectors and clerks can 

use their own computer terminals tn 

schedule appointments and check 

information. 

Housing inspectors can now hand 

soldiers their termination orders as 

soon as an inspection is completc, 

thanks to HOMES. The system will 

print the orders before the appoint^ 

ment: thc inspector carries the 

occupant's copy to himif all clearing 

reiluirements are met. This feature 

alone has saved soldiers many hours 

of leg work, since many times 

finance records have hren closed out 

during clcaring post, and reinstatement of basic allowance for quarters 

may not be posted in the finance 

recurds. 

IbIOMES also gives inspectors an 

information checklist for the dwellinp, which includes the number of 

baths, the square footage, paintand 

floordates, modification for the handicapped, and other vital statistics. At 

the inspection, the housing inspector has all thedata to determine 

the necessary maintenance. 

Better housing referral services 

HOMES has greatly enhanced 

referral services. Off-post rentals 

and sales used to be listed in notehooks by type and number of 

hedrooms. If several families had 

the same requirements, they got in 

line for the book. 

Today customers simply state 

their needs to the housing counselorsize, location, price range-and 

HOMESimmediately providesaprint. 

out of the available units meeting 

thecriteria. The soldier has alistinz v 

from which to begin seeking his 

home. The HOMES system also 

recordslandlord-tenant complaints, 

which the housing referral staff can 

use to determine whether problems 

are starting with a particular landlord or whether a soldier is initiating 

pmblems wherever he lives off post. 

Customer feedhack is vital to ensure soldiers can find affordable. 

adrqunte housing. Soldiers are 

given a feedback card to return to 

the referral office. For customers 

who forget to return their cards, 

HOMES prepares a reminder letter. 

This is kept track of bythe systemnot hy the clerk. 

Speedier housing analysis 

HOMES helps the hous~ng office 

to prepare more accurate hous~ny 

analysis and survey reports in a 

shorter time. Results are available 

almost instantly after the completion of the Segmented Housing 

Market Analysis and pertinent 

strength and stationing input data. 

The previous survey system was 

submitted to the Department of the 

Navy for results and took approximately 6 months to process. 

Civilized billeting 

HOMES has eliminated reservat~on hooks in the billeting office. 

Formerly. guests' names were on 

nnr list, and available rooms on 

another. Billeting personnel did not 

know which rooms guests would 

occupy until they walked through 

the door and registered. 

Now Billeting operates as an efficient hotel. The computer assigns 

rooms to everyone m,ith a reservation. Guests walk in and immediately receive a room number and 

key. The desk clerk can check the 

computer to see if a room has been 

cleaned for a guest arriving early. 

HOMES provides for group room 

blocking, statements of nonavailability, guest lists, automatic billeting, and all reports for financial 

purposes 

Close to magic 

No system can magically melt 

complex management challenges, 

but HOMES can give managers 

more time to devote to challenges 

and can eliminate time wasted on 

everyday manual tasks required to 

operate the business and generate 

reports. After training, hard work, 

and long hours, housing managers 

will find that HOMES is a wonderworking tool that improves customer 

service and trust. HOMES lets the 

Fort Rragg housing office serve 

customers more efficiently. Everyone has fewer headaches. Now we 

wonder how we managed without it. 

Suzanne G. Edge is chief of Family 

Housing Branch at the Fort Bragg, 

North Carolina, DEH. She has been. 

involved with HOMES since 1981, 

nnd has seen both the Assignment 

and Termination Module and the 

Housing Referral Modulr come to 

fruition. She has also enjoyed seeing 

the implementation of billeting and 

furnishings management modules. 
DEH customer relations- 


Success at Fort Stewart 

by LTC Michael E. Stovall 

What if every Director of 

Engineering and Housing 

had a customer relations 

sprrialist at his ear? ...A mid-level 

manager with direct access to the 

boss, devoted entirely to ensuring 

the organization served customers 

well? 

Most service industries-be they 

utility or telephone companies-long 

ago learned the value of hiring 

professionals who listen to customers and work as their advocates. 

The DEH is like a city manager 

who provides housing and maintains a host of facilities from training areas to hospitals as well as the 

traditional array of services like 

roads, sewer, water, heat, electricity, 

and fire protection. No other organization on post more directly affects 

the living and working conditions of 

soldiers and their families. 

Yet most of us struggleconstantly 

against perceptions that the DEH is 

an unresponsive bureaucracy that 

simply doesn't care what soldiers 

and their families want or need. 

Decide to succeed 

In 1984, my predecessor, COL 

James I. Spencer, decided what was 

good for industry was good for Fort 

Stewart. He set out to hire acustomer 

relations specialist to take an objective look at customers' problems and 

how they were handled. 

It wasn'teasy. Customer relations 

is not a mission recognized by manpower survey teams or an occupational specialty that CPO job 

classifiers readily understand. To 

get the program started, the DEH 

created an overbire position out of 

existing resources. Efforts to win 

Army recognition for the mission 

and profession are continuing. 

At Fort Stewart, the benefits for 

both customers and the DEH have 

been overwhelming. In two short 

years, the DEH cut customer complaints on service orders from 7 percent toless than1%percent(industry 

uses a 3 percent complaint target). 

This is a businessimprovement that 

is clearly worth fighting for. In the 

Fort Stewart's I)I':H, MAJ Stovall, and Mrs. Jeanne Adams, Customer Relations Officer, make an on-site visit to examine a potential 

playground hazard. 
The Customer Relations Officer re-views architectural plans for 

family housing with the DEH. 

last year, at least 18 other DEHs 

worldwide have joined the struggle 

to make customer relations specialists part of their staff. 

Fort Stewartis home tomore than 

30,000 Army family members. Like 

dozens of Army installations, it had 

too little money and manpower to 

satisfy demands, a work force with 

limited timeoropportunities fortraining on the secrets of customeroriented service, and poor communication both internally, between 

DEH divisions, and externally, between staff and customers. 

Train everyone 

The first priority for the new Fort 

Stewart customer relations officer 

was to raise the customerconsciousness of the DEH workforce-to start 

change from within. She developed 

a 4-hour customer relations training 

program for the entire DEH work 

force-from the newest, lowest grade 

employee to the director himself. 

The director's willingness to support and participate in the training 

program guaranteed committed 

staff at every level. 

A big problem turned out to he 

that many employees never had a 

clear picture of their organization. 

They only knew what came across 

their desks or through their offices. 

This inadvertent tunnel vision frustrated employees and made it 

impossible for them to direct problems they couldn't solveto the proper 

person. The training program helped 

employees see how they fit into an 

organization of interrelated divisions that support soldiers and their 

families. 

Most important, the program explained how to achieve something 

we all strive for but often lose sight 

of under pressure-clear, courteous 

communication between staff and 

management.. .between personnel 

and customers. 

The DEH learned to speak the 

language of caring, thanks to total 

immersiontraining-the same training that works best for people learning to speak a foreign language. 

Fort Stewart's program emphasizes 

role playing. Employees put themselves in both the customers' shoes 

and those of DEH employees who 

handle their problems. 

They played the parts ofA tired soldier who returns from 

field duty to find there's no hot 

water in the barracks. Furious, he 

calls an overscheduled maintenance employee, who must take 

care of him.. .and all the other hot 

priorities already on her list. 

A young officer's wife who is trying 

to cook dinner for her husband's 

boss on the faulty burner she reported 2 weeks ago-in tears, she 

calls DEH for help. 

A DEHsupervisor who is caught in 

the midst of a conflict between the 

interests of employees, higher officials, and customers whose needs 

must be balanced in a single after. 

noon. 
Once they tried it, Fort Stewart 

employees were enthusiastic about 

steppinginto the other guy's shoeseven the managers, who were reluctant at first. 

The esprit de corps nurtured 

during training was reinforced with 

an awards program that recognizes 

customer relations and job achievements. A collage of color photos in 

the DEH lobby that now features 

DEH projects and people at work 

has paid surprising dividends in 

improved employee morale. 

Inform customers 

A confused, troubled customer is 

difficult to help. On the other hand, 

people who know where to go and 

how to lodge a complaint can usually be taken care of before they 

become totally frustrated. The 

second priority for Fort Stewart's 

customer relations officer was to 

educate customers on how to request 

service in both routine and emergency situations. 

The program teaches troops about 

troop- or unit-related services. They 

learn how to fill out work requests, 

how to identify problems and track 

the status of projects through the 

DEH. 

New family housing occupants 

learn how to place service orders 

andcope with emergencies until help 

arrives. Spouses are taught how to 

change light bulbs, check and replace fuses, perform simple repairs, 

or quickly smother a grease fire. 

Everyone benefits-the DEH, the 

family, and the soldier in the field. 

An unhappy customer needs a 

sympathetic ear . . . someone who 

has time to understand the problem 

and track down what went wrong. 

The work order section has its 

hands full handling service orders, 

job estimating, and scheduling. In 

the absence of a customer relations 

officer, the DEH and his deputy frequently find their personal energies 

devoted to coping with disgruntled 

customers at the expense of improving management. 

At Fort Stewart, any customer 

who has called in a routine or emergency request to the DEH and isn't 

satisfied with the results is referred 

directly to the customer relations 

representative, whose johis to getto 

the bottom of the problem. 

Use what you learn 

From a management perspective. 

perhaps the single most important 

payoff from a customer relations 

office is the ability to qualify and 

quantify complaints. Knowing you 

have "a 1ot"of complaintsisn't helpful. To solve problems, you have to 

identify the types of complaints and 

how numerous they are. 

Thecustomer relationsofficer developed a system for categorizing complaints for the DEH's two major 

areas of concern: family housing 

administration and barracks work. 

Complaints are coded into the following categories: 

Excessive response time. 

Excessive repair time. 

Poor communication between sections involved in the repair. 

Failure to notify customer to meet 

the repairman. 

Discourteous repairman. 

The customer relations officer uses 

complaint data to prepare statistical analysis for monthly DEH staff 

meetings. Where trends arise, the 

DEH reviews procedures and looks 

for ways to solve the problem. 

The commanding general reviews 

the complaint data during quarterly 

review and analysis meetings. The 

DEH now hasa cleartrack record on 

how problems are solved, and the 

commanding general can tell at a 

glance just how well DEH is-or 

isn't-managing its affairs. 

Don't neglect public relations 

The customer relations office 

should take every opportunity to 

make public relations work for the 

DEH and customers. The DEH at 

Fort Stewart actively participates in 

all groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting, 

and dedication ceremonies involving the directorate. This gives the 

DEH a chance to reinforce to the 

public themany servicesit provides, 

and the work force takes pride in 

seeing the engineer flag flanking 

the commanding general's in 

public. 

Thecustomer relations officer also 

works closely with all quality of life 

personnel and attends all mayor's 

meetings, town hall meetings, and 

various council and installation 

meetings that involve community 

activities. This official point of contact for inquiries, rcqucsts, or com~ 

plaints involving our community 

has led to a solid, congenial relationship between our organization 

and the various quality of life offices 

on the post. 

Besides publishing articles in the 

post and local newspapers about 

DEH activities, the Fort Stewart 

DEH also publishes a quarterly hulletin to keep customers informed 

about the latest policy changes or to 

publicize new services. 

One such service is the Dial-theEngineer line. This telephone service, modeled after the Dial-the-Boss 

line, gives customers the chance to 

call the DEH himself about any 

problem they thinkdeserves his attention. He reviews all taped calls each 

morning, and can direct necessary 

action to resolve a problem. The 

caller is contacted within 24 hours 

and given either a status report or 

completed action report on the 

problem. 

It should be noted that Fort Stewart's feat has not been an "overnight success story." It has taken 

the DEH 3 years to build this rapport with its customers. 

This program has been aptly called innovative, daring, even risky. 

But the results have more than outweighed any risks associated with 

change. The customer relations 

office channels communications between the DEH and his work force 

and alsobetween the DEH and installation customers. That is the real 

secret of the DEH's success in meeting its goals-committed employees 

and informed customers working 

together. 

In the fall of 1987, MG Michael F. 

Spigelmire, Commanding General, 

24th Infantry Division (Mechj, 

honored Fort Stewart Customer 

Relations Officer, Jeanne Adams, 

with the Commander's Award for 

the program's outstanding contributions to the morale of the soldiers 

and their families. 

Any DEHs interested in the program may contact Mrs. Adams, 24th 

Infantry Division (Mechj and Fort 

Stewart, ATTN:ASZP.DE, Fort 

Stewart, Georgia 31314-5000, 

telephone: (912)767-8356, AV 870. 

LTC Michael E. Slovall has been the 

Fort Stewart DEH since June 1986. 

He has also served as the Fort Stewart Operations Officer. 
ROOM SERVICETRADOCl's transient 

housing certification 

program 

by Bonnie Handalik 

In 1986 TRADOC's com- mmander challenged installations to improve Army 

rl~r.;thousing and TDY quartcrs to meet the standards of the 

hotel and motel industry. 

How well have we done? In 1986 I 

was part of an evaluation team that 

surveyed TRADOC installations to 

see how comfortable life is for 

traveling soldiers. 

We put our shoes in guest closets 

and our heads on guest pillows to 

find out first-hand how comfortable 

guest quarters really were. We 

assessed the quality of check.in, 

check-out services. the conveniences 

in common areas, and the comfort 

and attractiveness of rooms. We 

think our travel diary will help you 

to spot problem areas and suggest 

ways to furtherimprove your installation's transient facilities. 

Our first recommendation is that 

you test your accommodations by 

staying in them. We know from 

experience that you'll quickly learn 

what's comfortable and what needs 

to be fixed. 

Arrivals 

Like all travelers, our team was 

ready to breathe a sigh of relief 

when we reached our destinationnot to feel discouraged and lost. Yet 

some installations had no signs, 

and we had to stop several times to 

get directions. Make sure arriving 

guests feel welcome as soon as they 

reach the main gate: install clear 

directional signs to the guest 

reception area. 

We felt reassured when a prominent. attractive, well-lighted sign 

welcomed us at the billeting office. 

Landscaped, well-maintained grounds 

and huildings told us right away 

that we were on a well-run post. A 

protected loading zone at the 

h~lleting entrance eased guests' 

arrival. We appreciated automatic 

doors large enough to accommodate 

luggage. 

First impressions set the tone for 

- and look at your facility with fresh 

eyes. Can you find your way? Would 

you think "I'm happy to be here?" 

The team found that reception 

areas lift or dampen spirits. Forts 

Lee and Belvoir, in Virginia, greet 

guests with lobbies and reception 

desks that look like those in highquality hotels. Fort Lee offers a tour 

andinformation officein thelohhya real convenience! 

Butthere were alsodrab, uncomfortable lobbies where the team stood 

dismayed. At some posts customers 
enter cramped reception areas with 

homemade-looking counters. At one, 

the front desk was enclosed in forbidding wire mesh. If the reception 

area is dismal. fix it. Don't hesitate 

to get interior design assistance. 

On the inside 

Lounge areas. Pay attention to 

lounges, vending. areas, and central 

kitchens. Guests should be able to 

get a quick snack or drink, buy some 

toothpaste, wash their clothes, meet 

colleagues. or cook a meal when 

they are away from home-pleasantly and conveniently. 

Fort Gordon. Georgia, stood out. 

The clean, well-furnished common 

areas were decorated with large 

plants and pictures and equipped 

with game mschines, ice machines, 

microwaves, and well-stocked vending machines. The team quickly felt 

at home. 

On thr othc~ hand, we avoidetl 

I ;It.car; at S(:VPL.LII postli. 

(,;l~vsls can't rvlax in a ~lirty,illmaintainc(1 1~1ungc f'wnishrd with 

~iiism;~tr~hi~il ilr d;~rn;lgrd t'orniture. 

I'rnply v~,n<lingm;~chint,s u.crcPsl,e~ 

<.i;rlly I'~rost,.nting. Some posts had 

no r,ol~vrnit.ni.c machines at ;ill. 

(:licck ?our ~111.~1 (IIIHI.~I!I.S. ('i)uld

?ou ~.,~n~fo~~t;~l~l? take ilbrr,i,li in the, 

loung+-or \VOLIICI yuu I'C~I>I like you 

v in ;I rnn~do~vnur11 bus 

~t~,ti~~"'! 

Laundry rooms. We were frequently disappointed with laundry 

facilities. Most needed repainting. 

floor covering, and other repairs. 

Visit the guest laundry room, and 

stay long cnough to wash a load of 

clrtthes. There are usually too few 

washers and dryers, no detergent 

vending machines, and no tables for 

folding clothes. The team found 

most laundries uncomfurtahlc and 

distasteful. So do soldiers on the 

move with their families. 

'I'he team also found mnids wasliing the guests' sheets and towels all 

day in somelaundry rooms.?'his isa 

misuse of hoth the maid service and 

the laundrv room. Maids should 

clcan rooms: a laundry contract 

should take care of hotel linens. 

Hallways. Finally, make sure the 

hallways are attractive and well-lit. 

This lobby at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, greets guests as pleasantly as 

any commercial accommodation. 

Don't turn offlightsin thehallways 

to save enrrgy, as one installation 

[lid. It's unnervingat best, and may 

prove unsafe. 

Accommodations 

Hotel-style rooms. Guests need a 

pleasant room or suite where they 

can work. relax, and get a good 

night's sl~ep. They will overlook 

many other shortcomings if the 

rooms are comfortable. The team 

stayed in some moms that easily 

rivaled those in quality hotels. The 

hand of an interior designer was 

usually evident in an upgrade that 

made good use of hoth appropriated 

and nonappropriated funds. 

Other installations only went half^ 

way. Attractive furniture and amenities were wasted in rooms when 

mixed with mismatched or bargain 

hasementartwork, draperies,orcarpct. G.I. ribcord bedspreads. sagging mattresses, rusted mct;ll trash 

cans, lumpy pillows, and retired 

harracks fhrnishings stood out like 

sore thumbs. The guest quarters 

shouldn't Innk like they are furnished with Army surplus. 

Many inst;~llations claimed this 

was the best they could buy. Not 

true. The GSA schedule includes 

mnny fine items. 

Student accommodations. Most 

'I'RAIIOC! instilllations have rooms 

used primarily by long-term TDY 

students who need work areas and 

storage space. Well-designed modu~ 

lnr furniturt. is a must. 

At Fort Loonard Wootl, Missouri, 
-- a". 

The attractive interior design evident in this room at Fort Belvoir 

exemplifies what installations can do tomake their guests comfortable. 

a profetisionally designed custom 

unit-available from Federal Prison 

Industries-prr~vides work space for 

a personal computer and extra storage for hooks, field gear, and personal items. Other companies also 

offer modular furniture on the 

General Services Administration 

schrdule. 

Rooms should be functional and 

attractive, with good lighting and 

convenient electrical outlets, especially in the work area. Bathrooms 

needarosmeticshelforvanitycounter. 

Arrange thr furniture so guests can 

work or watch TV comfortably 

Amenities 

Small amrnities help make up for 

the inconvrnience of not heing at 

home. Most posts now offer complimentary toiletry items. We especially liked Fort Brnning's selectiontwo small plastic huttles of hrandname shampoo and mouthwash, a 

small sewing kit, a shoeshine cloth, 

a snack~size packet (sf Georgia peanuts, and a peppermint candy attached to a small card that reads 

"You're worth a mint to us." 

The team also appreciated Fort 

Benning and others that offered 

larger, thickerbath linensand brandname larger bars of soap. Guests 

alsoappreciate a small coffeemaker 

with a few complimentary packets 

of instant coffeeor tea. Acopy of the 

wdcome magazine from theinstallation's permanent change of station 

packpt was always helpful. 

On the other hand, a few installations gave the impression they 

thought their guests were scoundrels or worse. Their hospitality 

brochures included a list of room 

furnishings and warned guests to 

report missing items at check-in or 

he held accountable. These must go! 

The housekeepers should inventory 

items-including drinks or snacks 

sold in the room-at checkout, 

Telephone service 

Telephones were available or 

planned for all rooms. Somesystems 

included Autovon accrss-an important service, since most guests need 

to make business calls. Make Autovon available at the main desk if it's 

not in the rooms. 

It's a big job to offer traveling 

soldiers and their families the comforts of home, the convenience and 

appeal of a hotel, and the amenities 

of a study or office. The team was 

impressed with the progress 

TRADOC installations have made. 

We look forward to finding this 

year's visits a real pleasure. 

Bonnie Handzlik is the TRADOC 

housing management specialist for 

transient housing policy and 

programs. 
The New Integrated Facilities System 


a user-developed automated system for DEHs 

by Jo Simpson 

The new Integrated Facilities System Micro/Mini 

(TFS-M) will ~.solve ..~~ most of 

the nroblems thathavemadethe old 

IFS synonymous with frustration. 

The IFS is DEH's management 

tool and data base for such things as 

inventory, job cost accounting, and 

job status. 

The earlier design was a classic 

development with classic problems. 

Representatives from DEHs wrote 

the functions and requirements for 

the programmers; then the programmers went to work and the people 

who knew IIEH husiness went 

away. 

The result was a system that 

wasn't flexible, convenient, or capable of doing the job for the DEH. 

The Army has been redesigning 

IFS for several years. Originally, 

redesign was planned for mainframe computers at the Army's 

Regional Data Centers across the 

country. But the Army realized that 

IFS belongs on a minicomputer at 

the DEH since much of the data is 

only used at the installation. 

Installation DEHs should start 

receiving IFS-M in May 1988. Current plans call for IFS-M to be 

installed at 13to 16 sites amonthfor 

a total of 143 installations in 18 

months. 

There will be no more truckloads 

of printed reports; no more waiting 

several days to getinformation hack 

from the installation computer center; no more suffix codes that are 

difficult to remember. 

DEHs will have instant access to 

data and be able to reformat it. 

Records will be updated and reports 

provided as soon as new information is entered. IJsers will be able to 

query IFS-M quickly and conveniently. 

"We wanted IFS at the DEH and 

tailored to what the work order section and other functional areas do 

day in and day out," said Luther 

Oswalt, IFS-M project manager for 

the U.S. Army's Engineering and 

Housing Support Center (EHSC). 

"Upward reporting should be a natural byproduct of their work. We 

wanted to include microcomputers 

so folks can bring data off the minicomputer and use it for purposes 

other than IFS." 

Probably the most important difference between IFS-M and its 

predecessor is the development 

process. 

"I truly believe IFS-M will be the 

best management system in the 

Army, because it is the only one 

being developed with full user participation," Oswalt said. 

The IFS-M design process began 

last summer with a requirements 

analysis and planning (RAP) team. 

Nine installation DEH employees 

received a week of training and 

spent 8 weeks establishing a basic 

plan for each major area of DEH 

work. 

They quickly found they couldn't 

lay all the ground work for IFS-M in 

one session. A separate RAP group 

for finance hegan in February, and 

one for contracting beganin March. 

"The RAP groups bring users from 

MACOMs andinstallations that are 

involved in daily work management 

functions to help with analysis and 

planning,'' said Jack Malone, chief 

of EHSC's IFS support branch at 

Fort Lee. 

"The RAP sessions start people 

thinking ahout what they do," said 

Terrie C. Whaley, Anniston Army 

Depot. "We discuss what seem to be 

differentthings for a whileand then 

find that we are talking about the 

same thing." 

"Even though IFS-M will be standardized, it also will be more flexible 

than IFS," said Sonja M. Patrikios, 

Ansbach Military Community, West 

Germany. "Installations should be 

able to use the system for their unique needs." 

When the RAP groups finish, 

prototype development model (PDM) 

teams take over. Each PDM team 

consists of three people from EHSC 

and one from the Information Systems Command's Systems Development Center at Fort Lee. 

They are assisted by people from 

installation DEHs who come at 

intervals to review the work and 

suggest improvements. 

The PDMs are small segments of 

business that can he developed in 

detail. "We divide the work so that 

each segment can be developed into 

a suhsystem in 6 months," said 

Malone. 

The PDM teams develop a model 

of how to do business and how data 

interrelates to support tasks. They 

also develop rules for doing business. The PDM team designs the 

subsystem and writes the program. 

"We spent a whole week designing 

the service order screen, "said Jean 

Lawson from White Sands Proving 

Grounds, New Mexico. "We worked 

on each field and tried to accommodate the needs of each type installation." 

Most existing DEH systems such 

as the Facilities Engineering Job 

Estimating system (FEJE) will be 

incorporated into IFS-M. The system will meet DEH supply management needs. The housing operations 

management system (HOMES) will 

remain a separate system, but it will 

interface with IFS-M. 

The Chief of Engineers is the 

proponent for IFS. The EHSC is 

managing the development and 

training, and the Information Systems Command's Systems Development Center (SDCL), Fort Lee, is 

doing the programing." 

Thanks to the DEHresource managers, work order receptionists, and 

others who aregivingus their expertise,I believeIFS-M will beexcellentmaybe not bells and whistles, but 

excellent." Oswalt said. 
Installation Support- 


The Army facilities business is like a real world 

kaleidoscope. Weno sooner get a firm fix on one problem 

than the pattern shifts and a new challenge emerges. 

There are both satisfactions and dissatisfactions in the 

facilities business . . .but little boredom! 

A few years ago, Army Directorates of Engineering 

and Housing and their supporting Corps of Engineers 

Districts undertook the monumental task of modernizing antiquated military facilities -~orldwide: Some in 

Germany were so old that they once sheltered Hessian 

troops training to fight the American Revolution .. .. Many in Korea were tin huts hastily erected to support 

the conflict.. . . And thousands of aging U.S. facilities 

were built to prepare soldiers for combat during World 

Wars I and 11. 

Thanks to engineer efforts, the Army nowhas a facilities strategy to provide adequate housing for soldiers 

and their families, to get equipment out of the mud, to 

eliminate deficient work areas, and to support AirLand 

Battle training, force structure, and equipment. 

We have made massive progress toward those goals. 

We might be tempted to congratulate ourselves and 

press on. 

But the Army is in the throes of a major change in the 

way installations are managed. That change demands 

more than ever that the DEH become a lean and efficient management machine to survive. Never losing 

sight of the unfinished business, we must frame a new 

vision of installation management that is equal to the 

challenges of a new decade. 

This is a time of reflection and scrutiny for the total 

Army, not just for those of us who work in the DEH 

business. It may then be premature to speculate on the 

future. But I want to outline the issues that are clearly 

before us and solicit your thoughts and discussion. 

Together, DEHs, district engineers, and those of us 

who are headquarters advocates for engineering and 

housing programs must combine our talents and seek 

new waysbo support our customers in an environment 

influenced by privatization, organizational change, fiscal constraint, deregulation and decentralization, and 

new technology. 

Privatization 

National policy is to rely on commercial contractors 

for goods and services whenever it is cost effective. Over 

50 percent of the Army's maintenance and repair work 

is now performed by contractors. The DEH staffs 

energy is shifting away from day-to-day in-house operations and is increasingly on planning, programming, 

and contract execution. 

Yet commanders will continue to turn to their DEHs 

for traditional facilities support and expect responsiveness, especially in emergencies. We need to take a cost 

effective, responsive, customer-oriented approach that 

embraces the competitive spirit. 

Organizational change 

Experiments in consolidated BASOPS-particularly 

RPMA and logistics support-are under way at several 

installations where commanders saw an opportunity to 

improve efficiency. 

This challenges many long-cherished notions of professionalresponsibility for both the DEH and the Directorate of Logistics. However, we recognize that some 

consolidationsarenecessary and beneficial to the Army. 

Clearly DEHs and the Corps need to be at the forefront 

of this major transition. We must help shape and test 

this change, not just react to it. 

Our efforts to revitalize the Army'sdeteriorated facilities have taught us valuable lessonsin engineering and 

housing management, in master planning, and in 

repair, maintenance, and construction contract execution. The complexity and political sensitivity of the business cannot be oversimplified. Engineering savvy and 

technical expertise are integral to sound facilities management judgment. RPMA support works best when an 

engineer reports directly to the installation commander. 

It is no accident that the Chief of Engineers in the 

Pentagon no longer reports through another senior 

staff member. 

Fiscal constraints 

Astute use of funds is essential to protect the Army's 

facilities investment. Commanders cannot afford an 

Army that is equipped with the latest tanks but relegated tomaintenanceshopsthat are falling down or are 

inefficient working places. 

When our operations and maintenance (OMA) dollars 

are diverted to other missions and training, the Army 

will have surrendered to the same philosophy thatled to 

the deplorable facilities conditions that were a blight on 

morale and readiness just a few years ago. 

Engineers have a responsibility to ensure commanders understand the consequences ofneglect. This makes 

it more important than ever for DEHs to know and 

understand their cost of doing business. They must be 

prepared to provide tough, cogent advice to their installation commanders. They must therefore be armed with 

analysis that makes the tough resource management 

choices clear. Customers and taxpayers will continue to 

demand quality within a reasonable time at a reasonable price, what I call the "three-legged stool" that we 

must provide. 

Planning 

The Army is shifting to a more unified planning/programming mode. Those unprepared to participate are 
New Challenges Beckon 


likely to find their installations underfunded to carry 

out their programs. Day-to-day pressures will not excuse 

installations from programmingforthe future-10 to 20 

years out. 

As stewards of over half of the average installation's 

base operations budget, DEHs will need new and more 

focused skills in financial management, work planning, 

contract management, and decision making. 

We must ensure that our recruitment, retention, and 

training programs develop leaders who are well prepared to plan and fight for excellent installations. The 

Army's call for the "warriorethic" has special meaning 

for the engineer! 

Deregulation and decentralization 

DOD is moving to cancel or revise regulations that 

unnecessarily limit commanders' freedom to do their 

jobs. More authority is going toinstallations. There will 

be more room for innovation hut fewer safety nets to 

prevent violations. 

DEHs, their commanders, and their customers must 

be able to clearly understand the constraints-legal, 

regulatory, and resource-placed on the DEH. Concise 

DEH policy is essential. Wemust also ensure that smart 

innovations and ideas are recognized and shared. 

The facilities engineering and housing management 

voice on the HQDA staff after the recent reorganization 

remains the Chief of Engineers and his Assistant Chief 

of Engineers (ACE). With the shifts, the newly created 

U.S. Army Engineering and Housing Support Center 

provides the Corps and DEHs a strong advocate and 

focal point for procedural interpretation, technical 

engineering support, and a sounding hoard for ideas on 

how to serve our customers better. 

I made a deliberate decision to give the DEH two 

"Washington advocates" in addition to myself. Between the Army staff and the secretariat, the ACEis our 

day-to-day Pentagon DEH voice. But at thenew Center, 

a Senior Executive Service civilian heads our DEH 

operational arm. 

New technology 

Advances in engineering and automation offer many 

promising methods for cutting costs. The DEH is inundated with a tremendous amount of advice on a staggering array of competing systems. We must tap industry expertise and the Corps laboratories' research and 

development capability so we can evaluate and transfer 

applicable new technologies to the field. We must avoid 

the "not invented here" syndrome andcapitalize onnew 

techniques, products, and ideasthat enhance support to 

the Army. 

Complex environmental issues 

DEHs have long been managers of the Army environmental program. But the days are gone when they 

can shoulder that responsibility alone. 

When air and water quality were the nation's environmental watchwords, the Army focused its effolts on 

pollution abatement for sewer, water, and heating 

plants-classic DEH functions. We relied mainly on 

engineering technology to meet the challenge. 

Today the emphasis is increasingly on hazardous 

waste management and minimization . . . issues that 

touch on people and how they do business. The solutions 

lie not solely in technology, but primarily in how the 

Army lives, trains, and operates. 

Recent legislation affects all aspects of the installation support mission, including procurement, supply. 

training, transportation, operations, and medical 

services. 

A more cohesive, coordinated environmental program that involves the entire installation support staff 

is critical to meet the challenges ahead. 

AirLand Battle 

While DEHs were modernizing facilities, the Army 

was devising a new warfighting doctrine. We must 

ensure that transition to war plans provides for the 

restoration and operation of critical utilities and facilities essential to win on the battlefield of the future. 

Engineer officers must be prepared to carry out these 

vital responsibilities. 

Onward 

Army facilities have seen vast improvements over the 

past 7years. We have benefited from strong administration support and substantial funding from Congress. 

DEHs have worked hard with their commanders to 

spend the money wisely and program long-term improvements. They have sought and found innovative measures to design and contract work far beyond their inhouse capabilities. 

Thanks to their industry and imagination, and the 

cooperation of district engineers, we have forged a 

proud Corps of Engineers' tradition as guardians of 

quality of life for soldiers and their families. 

New challenges beckon in the 1990s. But the lessons 

of the 1980s will stand us in good stead. We belong at the 

vanguardof installation support. Letus turn our eyes to 

the future and view it with open minds. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

E.R. Heiberg, III 


Commander 


U.S.Army Corps of Engineers 
Military construction 


Success in Korea 


by COL Carl 0.Magnell and 

LTC Robert E. Jalette 

/\ Soldiers who served in mKorea in the 19fi0s and 1970s 

remember it well . . . sh~\i,ring in temporary silver 

bullet quonset huts and making 

cold treks outdoors to the latrines 

and showers. 

Some Eighth Army soldiers still 

live with those discomforts. But 

manymoreenjoy new barracks, new 

maintenance facilities, new fitness 

centers, and new morale, welfare, 

and recreation (MWR) facilities. It's 

all part of a minor miracle-the 

facilities renaissance in Korea. 

How does a small MACOM realize 

$572 million of Army Military Construction (MCA) in 7 years, and program growth from $l.fi million in 

1980 to $130 million in 1987? 

The command has worked hard to 

clearly portray the difficulties that 

inadequate facilities pose for soldiers to those who underwrite the 

budgets for new construction and 

facilities renewal-from DA and 

DOD to Congress and the Executive 

Branch. 

EUSA earned strong support by 

carefully structuring its building 

program to meet high priority missions first. 

The command's internal 

planning process has also been 

rigorously disciplined so projects 

receive the same intense scrutiny 

from EUSAthat they get from DOD 

and Congress. 

The reward? Only excellent projects are forwarded for approval and 

ern barracks, dining halls and 

maintenance bays. 

Since 1983, EUSA has built 579 

new facilities, including169 barracks. 

11 dining halls. 

84 maintenance facilities. 

95 utilities facilities. 

84 operations/trainingfacilities. 

76 supply/storage buildings. 

78 MWR (MCA/NAF) facilities. 

EUSA programming structure 

EUSAis asmallMACOM with over 

100 camps scattered across the 

southern half of the Korean peninsula. It accounts for about 6 percent 

of the Army's real property maintenance budeet. 

All facilities engineering and housing support in the command is centralized in a major subordinate 

command under the Assistant Chief 

of Staff, Engineer.This organizationFacilities Engineer Activity, Korea 

(FEAK)- gives flexible, centralized 

resource control in a command 

where resource constraints and geographic dispersion create special 

problems. 

To compensate for short tours of 

duty and a lack of MCA expertise, 

special emphasis is placed on educating facility users and program 

managers. They are the ones who 

must be able to explain why their 

project is a prudent investment. 

This is accomplished through 

freauent-user Area Facility EngiEUSA's soldiers are seeing tempor- Aged "silver hullet" quonsct huts like this one are making way for 

ary quonset huts give way to mod- new barracks throughout Korea. 
neer meetings and formal major 

subordinate command (MSC) briefings conducted throughout Korea. 

We ask FEAK program managers 

and master planners to: 

Monitor the current status of each 

project. 

Produce complete project development brochures. 

Submit absolutely meticulous, 

complete DD Forms 1391. 

Justify projects thoroughly. 

Explain the consequences if a 

project isn't built. 

Perhaps the single most important EUSA structure is the MCA 

programming model developed in 

1982-1983. This simple model ensures that the most essential construction receives the highest 

priority. 

Internal discipline guarantees 

program success 

Here's how EUSA evaluates and 

disciplines its own planning to fulfill its master plans for a revitalized 

physical plant. EUSA-level review 

is a four-step process. 

High-quality military equipment is now housed in high-quality 

facilities, thanks to an aggressive construction program. 

The MCA Programming Model 

Group A Group B 

Project supports- Project supportsForce structure increases Facility replacement 

Force modernization Facility improvement 

Force realignment 

USFK/EUSA command 

and control requirements 

Priority order for constructing facilities 

1 Unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH)and dining 

2 Maintenance 

3 Utilities 

4 Training and administration 

5 Supply and storage 

6 Morale, welfare and recreation 

Programming rules: 

Group A projects have priority over Group 6. 

Priority order for constructing facilities is the same in both 

Group A and Group 6. 

Any type of facility can be considered to balance a construction program if available funds will also cover Group A projects and barracks construction. 

. 
Enccllent maintenance is easier to achieve when soldiers can work 

in spacious, well-lit, well-equipped buildings. 

Thefirststepis aninternal review 

by MCA project managers at FEAK. 

As project DD Forms 1391 are submitted, the responsible project manager reviews them for validity, content, and completeness. 

They ask these questions: Is 

administrative data complete? Is the 

project justified? Is animpact assessment and economic analysis provided? Are utilities, communications, and demolitions costs and 

data provided? 

Some common errors found during the review are: 

The requirements data or the unit 

cost for similar projects differ without explanation. 

The programmed amount (PA)for 

the project wasn't adjusted when 

the project was reprogrammedinto 

a different fiscal year. 

The economic analysis is 

incomplete. 

The second step is to consolidate 

the project managementreviews. At 

a project review board, each FEAK 

project manager presents his projections to the FEAK MCA branch for 

critique and review. 

Thus,six disinterested experts get 

involvedin the justification process, 

and the project managers quickly 

gain familiarity with all aspects of 

each project. This pays big dividends during future reviews. 

The third step is review by the 

Corps of Engineers Far East District. The district evaluates critical 

aspects of each project: project siting and existing ground conditions, 

costs, and justifications. 

The district ensures all topographic conditions have been adequately considered in developing 

project costs. It conducts a complete 

analysis and verification of project 

costs and reviews the data to ensure 

that the basis for developing design 

criteria is complete. 

The fourth and final step is a projectevaluation by the EUSAProject 

Review Board, a clone of the infamous DA and DOD MCA murder 

boards. If a project can't pass the 

scrutiny of the EUSA board, it certainly won't make it past the DA 

board. 

The EUSA format is almost identical to the DA board with each 

major subordinate command presenting a 30- to 90-second illustrated 

description of each proposed project. 

Those who present projects prepare to answer the toughest questions the board can throw. They also 

prepare to answer typical questions 

that DA, DOD, and Congress have 

asked about similar projects in the 

past. 

Here are some of the lessons 

learned that have helped shape 

EUSA's preparation process: 

Sellingaphasedproject. It often 

makes sense to phaselarge projects 

over 2 or 3 years. But this must be 

done carefully or the user risks the 

possibility that some phases won't 

be authorized. All project documentation must make it clear that each 

phaseis essential to the whole. 

Inadequate documentation cost 

EUSA an FYRA project that was an 

essential complement to an FY87 

project. DOD thought the two projects were duplicates, and cut the 

FYBR half. 

Making the costs clear. Cost 

estimating must be accurate. In the 

past we didn't worry. If the project 
amount was exceeded, more money 

was found. Now, overspending kills. 

Make sure all project costs are identified and included. Since communications and physical security costs 

often go undocumented, EUSA 

requires that the provost marshal 

and communications experts review 

all proposals. 

Economic analysis should be part 

of every project justification. Never 

say an economic analysis is unnecessary. Instead, describe the alternatives to your proposal and explain 

whv the alternatives are unacceDtable. 

Selling withphotos. Only good 

pictures are worth a thousand words. 

Those that don't clearly illustrate 

the problem cause confusion and 

jeapordize your cause. If the briefer 

says, "You can't really see it but the 

whole wall is cracked.. ."or "That's 

actually water stained. .." then he 

might as well throw the pictures 

away. Any photo that has to be 

explained doesn't do the project justice. 

Show new facilities like fitness 

centers and dining halls in full use. 

Empty facilities invite speculation 

over whether or not they were 

needed. 

Show pictures of substandard 

facilities that make a compelling 

argument. Rut avoid anything that 

looks staged or theatrical. Select 

photos and slides that depict the 

facts accurately. If it takes extra 

time and a professional photographer to get the right shots, do it. 

Briefing VIPs. Visits from 

congressional delegations can be a 

tremendous asset. View them as an 

opportunity, but make sure they get 

all the facts an outsiderneedstoquickly 

understand why your projects must 

be built. 

Remember that literally thousands of issues besides military 

construction compete for their 

attention. They don't have long to 

form an impression and make up 

their minds. Time and clarity are of 

the essence. 

They must leave confident that 

you know what you're doing and 

with no doubts that your project is a 

sound investment. Any hint of conflicting facts or opinions from those 

they meet spells doom. 

A recent visit by members of the 

House Appropriations Committee Surveys and Investigations team is a case in point. 

Before they arrived, they requested information on numerous 

topics. FEAK prepared a thorough 

briefing covering all aspects of the 

Real Properties Maintenance Activities program. We made sure every 

question was addressed. Team members complimented the quality and 

comprehensiveness of the presentation and the accompanying documentation. We are convinced that 

our efforts will pay dividends as 

they comment on the EUSA program. 

Strioing for perfection. 

Finally, projects cannot be "over 

reviewed." Detailedreviews by comEngineer Problem 

Name the component and ~dent~fy the set 

k-?E--

3 

manders, staff, and technical 

experts alike are essential. 

Project Review Boards are the 

culmination of user involvement in 

our MCA programming process. 

They allow the commanders from 

the major subordinate commands to 

see the work effort and detail necessary to document and gain approval 

for theirprojects. Exhaustivereview 

is a cornerstone of our MCA programming cycle. 

The EUSA MCA program is a 

success because we identify our 

needs and exnlain them clearlv. But 

these needs are only translated into 

tangible facilities through the dedicated efforts of hundreds of professionals in EUSA. FED and OCE. 

EUSA's greatest satisfaction is 

the knowledge that we, as engineers, 

responded to the 21D's PFC ivarrior 

Challenge: "What have you donefor 

him todav?" The echo. "Plentv. ". 

thanks,"r&ounds from h;ndreds of 

solid walls. 

COL Carl 0.Magnell is the Assistant Chief of Staff, Engineer, USFK 

/EUSA. His prior DEH experience 

ir~cludes2 years as commander of 

Facilities Engineer Activities, 

Korea. 

LTC Robert E. Jallette is Director of 

Plans, Programs, and Project Management for FEAK. His prior programming experience includes one 

year in the program division of the 

directorate of civil works HQ, 

USACE. 

by CPT Steven W.Chandler 

2 5 

1 

27 
Army Installation Engineering and Housing 


The harsh Valley Forge dn winter of 1777 tested our 

soldiers' resourcefulness 

and willingness to sacrifice. While 

the winds howled and the snows 

flcw, General Washington's men 

built huts, covered windows with 

oiled paper, cut fire wood, and laid 

out streets in their temporary garrison. Camp sanitation was almost 

unknown and huts were crowded 

beyond belief. Those soldiers' ingenuity in the face of hardship more 

than 200 years ago marked the infancy of the Army's struggle to provide 

facilities for its troops. 

In garrisons establishcd after the 

Revolution, and all through the 19th 

century, operation and maintenance 

of these garrisons was as varied as 

the men who performed the tasks. 

Until World War 11, facility maintenance was regarded primarily as a 

housekeeping function--not as an 

Army missiofl. At each installation, 

the utility oflicer managed repairs 

and utilities (R & U) for the post 

quartermaster. 

Maintenance and repair suffcred 

after World War I--"the war to end 

all warsN--largely because the nation 

questioned the need for a standing 

Army in the new era of peace, and 

the Army was plagued with financial and personnel shortages. 

When the United States entered 

World War 11, tanks, bombers, and 

aircraft carricrs had transformed 

combat. Clearly, the military 

needed rcliable, modern facilities 

and utility services capable of supporting the advanced technologies 

of the 20th century. The Army 

sought a more structured, responsive approach to facilities maintenance and repair. 

In Decembcr 1941, the responsibility for installation R & U transferred from the Ouartermaster 

General to the Chicf of Engineers, 

and a stovepipe cngineer structure 

came into being. 

Thc post utilities engineer--the 

title was made plural to denote increased responsibilities--reported to 

the Corps of Engineers' area engineer, then to the Corps' district 

and division enginecrs, who in turn 

reported to the Chief of Engineers. 

The chain of command was streamlined 4 months later when the area 

and district engineers were removed 

from the chain of command. The 

senior engineer officer concerned 

with R & U became the post engineer. He reported directly to the 

division engineer who provided him 

with staff supervision and resources. 

The post engineer served on the 

post commandcr's staff and worked 

for the first time in direct support 

of the commander. That relationship has continlied to this day--a]- 

though there have been shifts in 

how the Army assigned staff responsibility for management policy, 

resources, and supply support. 

Within a few months functional 

responsibility was passed to the service command--an arm of "services 

and supply" in Washington D.C. 

The Chicf of Engineers retained 

staff supervision and funding control until the 1950s when his influence over facilities repair and 

maintenance began to erode. In 

1958, the ChiePs responsibility was 

virtually eliminated when the Army 

Command Management System was 

created and R & U funding ceased 

to be separately identified at 

HODA. 

During the ycars of the Vietnam 

conflict, funds for real property 

maintenancc and rcpair dried up, 

and the Army's aging facilities and 

utilities in the United States and 

abroad rapidly deteriorated. Dismay 

over the Army's growing backlog of 

maintenance and repair led DOD 

to establish a maintenance council. 

A series of studies were ordered to 

improve control of real property 

management with an cye to work 

management and productivity. 

In 1968, the Army publishcd thc 

results of thc Sceman Study, 

"Military Engineering in Support of 

the U.S. Army 1967-75." The study 

recommended that DA staff responsibility for real property maintenance (RPMA) be given back to 

the Chief of Engineers and that personnel assignments be upgraded. 

The controversial conclusions led 

the Army Chief of Staff to call for a 

more comprehensive analysis of 

RPMA. 

The result was the 1968 Lincoln 

Study of "Total Management of 

Real Property Maintenance Activities." Its conclusions marked a 

turning point in professionalizing 

RPMA management. 

The study said the RPMA mission 

was too fragmented and not adequately rcpresented at HQDA. 

Technical supervision of the post engineer was inadequate and the post 

engineer himself was relegated to a 

too subordinate position on the installation staff. The study also coucluded that the post engineer was illprepared for his job because he was 

given neither the experience, education, nor military training necessary 

to meet his responsibilities. Engineer officers had come to vicw 

facilities engineering as a dcad cnd. 

With regard to programming and 

budget channels, the Lincoln Study 

concluded. that the existing system, 

which incorporates RPMA as an integral part of the Army Command 

Management System, served the 

Army best. This conclusion was fundamental--governing all othcr considerations in thc study. 

Important organizational changes 

ensued in the 10-year period following the rcport. The Chicf of Engineers bccame RPMA Program 

Director. A Directorate of Facilities 

Engineering was established in the 

Office of the Chief of Engineers. 

There was a quantum leap in the 

technical support providcd to post 

engineers by their district enginecrs. 

Thc post enginccr position was 

raised to the dircctorate level at 

most installations. 

Family housing first became an cngincer concern in 1963 when functional responsibility was transferred 

from the Deputy Chief of Staff, 
Logistics (DCSLOG) to the Office 

of the Chief of Engineers. Installations followed the HQDA move by 

assigning family housing to the post 

engineer, who by then was called 

the facilities engineer. 

In 1968, family housing supenision 

seesawed back under the DCSLOG, 

and most installations transferred 

the housing office to the logistics 

manager. It shifted again in 1974 

back to the Office of the Chief of 

Engineers, whcre it remains. The 

field followed more slowly this time, 

but by the early 1980s the facilities 

engineers had changed their names 

to Directorates of Engineering and 

Housing to denote thcir new housing responsibilities. 

Thus, the DEH as we know it 

today was born. 

In 1977, the Chief of Engineers 

decided it was time to assess how 

far RPMA management had come 

since the Lincoln Study. He ordered 

a study of the entire RPMA system 

in two phases. 

The first, which was conducted inhouse, was limited to recommendations that could be accomplished 

within the existing organizational 

and command structure. The 

second, which was done by contract, 

was designed to give an unconstrained assessment of an optimum 

RPMA organization 

The first phase concluded that 

RPMA under the Army Command 

Management structure should be 

more intensively managed at 

HQDA and the major commands. 

The report again focused the 

Army's attention on the growing 

complexity and importance of 

RPM A. 

The second phase, prepared by 

Lester B. Knight & Associates, Inc., 

suggested that DEHs be consolidated with Corps of Engineers 

field organizations to provide 

RPMA services to installations on a 

reimbursible basis, using a revolving 

fund. The MACOMs and installations would continue to identify requirements, set priorities and 

program and budget appropriate 

funds. The Corps' divisions and districts would provide management 

planning, engineering, technical, 

and contract support. 

The Vice Chief of Staff of the 

Army gave concept approval for a 

development plan for the Chief of 

Engineers to assume RPMA responsibility CONUS-wide. A test consolidation was approved in the National Capital Area. The U.S. Army 

Engineer Activity, Capital Area, 

was formed as a Corps field operating agency in 1980 to operate 

RPMA support for eight installations in the Washington, D. C. area. 

During the 1980s, HQDA and 

Congress recognized that the 

Army's hug backlog of maintenance and repair on antiquated 

facilities had gone without major 

renovation since World War 11. 

Thanks in large part to the 

vociferous concern of soldiers and 

their Commanders, Congress 

provided funds for a renaissance in 

facilities modernization and construction aimed at getting soldiers 

and equipment out of the mud. 

The volunteer Army--with its emphasis on encouraging good soldiers 

and their families to choose Army 

life as a career--has also increased 

emphasis on improved barracks, 

family housing, and morale, recreation and welfare facilities to improve quality of life. 

With the boom in new construetion and major renovation, installation DEHs turned increasingly to 

their supporting Corps districts for 

design and contracting support. In 

1985, the Chief of Engineers issued 

the Green Ribbon report which 

evaluated the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers' support to installations 

and recommended improvements in 

scveral areas. 

These included the cost of doing 

business; responsivcness and efficiency; USACE installation support priorities and policies; DEH 

education, training, and career 

development; procurement support 

and commercial activities; and the 

scope and nature of USACE support. Implementation is ongoing. 

The commercial activities program- 

-the federal government's effort to 

contract services that the private 

sector provides more economically-- 

has also been a major force in the 

DEH business during the 1980s. By 

1985, contracts accounted for 85 

percent of all custodial services, 69 

percent of all refuse collection, 69 

percent of all utilities operation and 

maintenance, 67 percent of all building maintenance and repair, 42 percent of all grounds maintenance and 

repair, and 38 percent of all pest 

control. Over all, contract cxpcnditures account for about 60 perccnt 

of total RPMA. 

Today there are two standard 

DEH organizations: one for 

predominantly in-house maintenance and repair operations, and 

one for installations where RPMA 

services are handled primarily by . . contract. 

Facilities and housing management have bccome big business 

since World War 11--employing 

thousands of people and accounting 

for billions of defense dollars. 

Today, no other organization affects 

the living and working conditions of 

an installation more dramatically 

than the DEH. 

DEHs must continue to draw on 

the lessons of the past as installation management mission evolves 

to meet the challenges of a new 

decade. 

Mr. Joseplt W Wl~ilakeris rhe Cltief 

of the Cortslnrclior~ Pro,ya~itr~tintg 

Brartclt irr tl~e ofice of llte Assislar~l 

Cltief of Err@rteers. He is also 

fonner cltief of llte RPMA Martagerttwr Bra~tch. He holds a BS irt industrial er~gir~ee~irtgfr.or~t tlte Georgia 

btslihrte of Tecltrtology, and MBA 

artd MPA degrees. He is a registered 

professional ertgirteer irt Vir@rtia. 
The Facilities Technology 

Applications Test ProgramTapping the state of the art 

bv 1)r. Ilonald J. 1,everenz and Rern 

The Army ownsover 190,000 

buildings and facilities 

worldwide. Over 42 percent 

are more than 35 years old. Quality 

facilities require an extensive maintenance and repair program. Yet 

even the $1.9 billion spent in 1986 

still left a backlog ofover $1.2 billion. 

New engineering technologies offer 

excellent ways to stretch the budget. 

Buthow does the Army know which 

are winners, and how does the DEH 

find out about them? 

The Corps of ICngineers started 

thp 1;arilities Terhnology Applications Test II*"SAT) Program in 

I984 to take trchnology out of the 

lab and show the cost s;~vingsthat 

can he arhieved. 

A comtnitterof enpinerrs from the 

U. S. Army Engineering and 

Housing Support Center and the 

Army MACOMssclects technologies 

that haueshown promisein industry 

or the Curl~slahs' rcscarch and 

rlevrl~q~mrnt programs. 

Can~lid;~tcsarerh(~sen fl-omfhur 

areas: 

Huilding maintenancr and 

repair. 

linergy conservation. 

Pavemrnt and railro;\d mainttlnxnco nnd repair. 

Envir~>nmrntal improvements. 

Tht C:orps' ri,s(!arch and devrlopment lahs manage the demon^ 

strations based on their arras of 

expertise: 

The Construction Engineering 

Research Laboratory (CERL). 

8 The Waterways Experiment 

Station (WES). 

'She Cold Regions Resrarch 

Engineering 1.aboratory 

(CKKEL). 

Installations with maintenance 

;tnd repair problems that are good 

randidat(~sfor the technology are 

chr,sen ;IS test sites. The labs share 

thr tvst results and lessons learned 

with other intrrrsted IIISHs. 

ard S. Wasserman 

Many installations are already 

enjoying benefits and savings. More 

than 90 demonstrations of 52 technologies arecompleted or under way. 

A sampling of FTAT projects 

follows. 

Building maintenance and 

repair 

Cracks and sp;~llsin concrete 

water towers and buildings at yort 

Rragy were repaired with a lntexmodified concrete and epoxy 

rosin. This trchniquesaved 850,000 

compared to the standard practice 

~lfremovingand replacing damaged 

concrete. 

A ceramic anode developed by 

CERI, is a major breakthrough in 

the Army's battle against corrosion. 

Cathodic protection systems using 

the anode have heen installed on 

water tanks at Fort Ord and on 

underpround piping systemsat Fort 

Monroe. Thc anode, which prevents 

rust, extends the life of steel structures and lowers life cycle maintenance costs. 

'l'he Naval Civil Engineering 

Research 1.ab and CERI, developed 

paint test inspection kits. The 

kits were distributed to more than 

100 Army installations. They help 

determine whether a paint meets 

specifications. It is a screening 

device foridentifying whether paint 

samples are suspect and should he 

tested by a qualified lab. 

Aerial surveys were used to 

inspect roofs at Forts Wainwright, 

Greely. Richardson, and Detrick. 

Infrared scanners, mounted on a 

helicopter, quickly identify wet insulation. All roof membranes at large 

installations can be surveyed in a 

few hours. Walking each roof can 

take weeks. 

Energy conservation 

An energy retrofit package for 

barracks, dining facilities, and motor 

pool repair shops is being dcmonstrated at Fort Carson. The package 

includes a number of conservation 

options such as smaller windows, 

exterior insulation, mechanical 

systemsrrtrofit, insulated partitions 

between office and shop areas, and 

heat recovery systems. 

CERL developed retrofit packages 

for four standard types of Army 

buildings-two for harracks, one for 

a dining facility, and one foramotor 

pool repair shop. Preliminary data 

from Fort Carson indicates the retrofits will result in significant 

savings. 

Pulse combustion and 

condensinghot cuater boilers are 

heing denlunstrated at Fort Knox 

and Fort Campbell. These highefficiency heatingsystetns are being 

considerpd for small office buildings, 

barracks, or support facilities-not 

for central heatingsystems. Annual 

efficiencies For the new systems are 

in the 80- to 90~percentrange 

compared to50 to 60 percent for the 

old existing gas heating systems. 

The Fort Stewart post exchange 

demonstrated use of s diurnal ice 

storage system to offset the high 

cost of operating conventional air 

conditioningduringdaytime hours. 

The system uses off-peak electricity 

during the night to make ice that is 

used to cool the air during the day. 

This reduces both the demand 

charge for electricity and the size of 

the chiller the building requires. 

Efforts to reduce corrosion and 

heatlossiuundergroundheatdistribution systems are under way at 

Fort Jackson. Over 20,000 feet of 

prefabricated steel conduit and 9,OOO 

feet of shallow trpnch distribution 

system have been installed. 

Improved design and maintenance 

pmccdures should save energy and 

cxtend the lifv of these systems. 
High-tech can mean low cost: here, a modified asphalt 

distributor stabilizes airstrip surfaces, doubling operability 

for 20 cents a square yard. 

Pavement and rail repair 

A new machine that rehrats 

asphalt on the spot to repair 

potholes was demonstrated at seven 

installations-including several in 

Korea. The demonstrations showed 

proper techniques for preparing 

potholes before applying the heated 

asphalt. Conventionill pothole 

patching costs approximately $:300 

perton-compared to $60 per ton for 

recycled asphalt. 

Dust clouds on unsurfaced roads 

and pavements pose both safety 

hazards andmaintenanceproblems. 

At Fort Chaffee,a modifiedasphalt 

distributor was used to spread 

30.000 gallons of magnesium 

chloride solution on an assault 

runway. It cost 20 cents a square 

yard, and airstrip operations 

improved 100 percent. The 30-to 40-

minute intervals between takeoffs 

and landings were reduced to 15 

minutes. At Fort Bliss, dustproofing 

on tank trails reduced the need for 

blading operations by 26 percent. 

When water enters soils that 

support railroad tracks, operational and maintenance problems 

should significantly reduce mainte. 

nance requirements for 20 years. 

Environmental quality 

Foul odors, unclean conditions, 

andgroundwatercontamination are 

often problems at remote training 

sites. At Fort Jackson, problems 

were solved by installing ten 

composting latrines at two 

training ranges. A series of air 

channels, baffles, and low-wattage 

fans enhance the aerobic breakdown. No water or chemicals are 

needed. 

At Fort Stewart, five vault 

latrines were retrofitted with 

bubhle aerators that consist of a 

blower unit and a perforated pipe. 

The air helps grow organisms that 

break down the waste. TRADOC 

now requires that these technologies be considered at future 

remote sites. 

At Fort Carson, revegetation 

techniques, using native plant 

species, successfully restored an 80-

acreswath of severely damagedland. 

The installation developed a tbreeresult. At Red River Army Depot, a step approach for maintaining 

hot-mix as~haltlaver was nlaced militarv trainine - sites that consists

over compacted subgrade. The ofasphaltconcretelayerstrengthened * Revegetating severely damafird 

the total track structure, which areas 

Ikveloping criteria for selectively 

resting damaged areas. 

Cond~lctingan awareness 

campaign for trainees. 

For moreinformation on the FTAT 

program, contact USACERL, Dr. 

Robert Dinnat, P.O. Box 4005, 

Champaign, IL, 61820-1305, phone: 

(217) 352-6511; or Jeffrey Walaszek, 

phone: (217) 373-7216. 

Donald J Leverenz is a genrral 

engineer in the Military Programs 

Sertion of the Directorate of Research and Development, U.S. Army 

Corps of Gngine~rs.Dr. Leoerenz is 

the program manager for thr 

Facilities Technology Applications 

Test Program. He holds BS and MS 

degrees in.electrical cngineeringand 

a PhD in nuclear engi~teerinpfrom 

the Uniuersity of Illinois UrbanaChampaigr~. 

Bernard S. Wasserman is a mechanical enginrer in the Utilities 

Branch of theFa.cilifiesEngineering 

I)ioision, Office of the Assistant 

Chief of Engineers. He is chairman 

of the steeringcommitt~efor energy 

technologies for FTA T. Mr. 

Wasscrman holds a BS in mcch~ 

anical engineering from Nerc York 

Unioersify. 
Troop Construction Programming- 


A useful resource for the DEH 


by LTC Charles R. Meyer and Louis Douglas Turney 

/\ For the past 4 years, the bb 18th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in Karlsruhe, 

(;,.nnany, has proved to be the 

perfect partner for the local 

IXrectorate of Engineering and 

Housing(DEH)-providingtroopconstruction to improve living and 

working conditions for soldiers and 

their families. 

Together, the Karlsruhe DEH and 

the 18th Brigade have completed 

more than $6million worth of repair, 

maintenance, and minor construction projects at half the cost of 

comparable civilian contractors. 

Troop construction labor costs 

are about 25 to50 percentlowerthan 

the cost of equivalent work performed by civilian engineering contractors. Design costs are about 50 

percent lower than fees charged by 

civilian architect and engineering 

design firms. 

These cost advantages are 

coupled with an aggressive inspection and warranty program, administered by the brigade. 

All these programs assure 

project accountability, which is often 

costly and difficult to ensure with 

civilian contractors. 

Thus, the brigade gives the 

USAREUR DEH a flexible design 

and construction agency that substantially supplements existing 

assets at a very reasonable cost. 

The disadvantages can be concisely summarized. They arethetime 

Troop construction labor can build new facilities-and cut costs in 

half. 
and money costs ofsupply and troop 

logistics support. 

The DEH is responsible for supply 

support and must order project 

materials well in advance of project 

start dates (3 months for small projects, 6 months for large projects). 

All materials must be ready when 

the troops are available, and supplies must he securely stored for the 

duration of the project. 

If troops are not permanently stationed at the installation. adequate 

billets and mess facilities must be 

provided. Otherwise,temporaryduty 

costs can wipe out the project 

savings. 

Here's a sampling of what the 

18th has accomplished: 

The 697th Civilian Services 

Group (CSG) completely renovated (interior/exterior) a 

112.000-square-foot administration and hilleting building at 

Rhineland Kaserne for $1.5 

million. 

'l'hc 29:ld Engineer Katta I '!on repaved all asphalt streets and 

parking areas at the Karlsruhe 

shopping center for $150,000. 

The 79th and 29:ld ICngineer 

Battalions repaired the drainage 

system, and rrsurfaced and rebuilt hardstand areas at the air 

field for $180,000. 

The 697th CSG repaired all 

perin~t.ter and motor pool fencr 

lines iZX,i)00 linear feet) in two 

kascrncs for $400,000. 

If these projects had been done by 

a civilian engineer contractor, the 

work would have cost nearly $4 million. The 18th did the work fnr $2.3 

million. 

The 18th has also undertaken a 

number of smaller projects to improve quality of life for soldiers and 

their families stationedin Karlsruhe, 

including-

* Neu. dugouts for the ballfields.

.Sidewalk network for a family 

housing area. 

13MX hicycle track for a youth 

activities center. 

Community thrift shop. 

Assets of the 18th Engineer 

Brigade 

The 18thEngineer Brigadeis 4,300 

strong-comprised of four engineer 

battalions, one topographic 

battalion, and a civilian services 

group (CSG).The brigade maintains 

combat readiness and manages and 

executes the Headquarters 

USAREURand the7thArmy Troop 

Construction Program. 

TheCSGunitsconsist of numerous 

highly skilled European civilian 

craftsmen (masons. electricians, 

carpenters, plumbers)nhoarepermatrently assigned to the brigade.They 

do exceptional quality interior and 

exterior huilding and renovation 

work. as well as minor construction. 

The military engineer units 

cnnsist of soldiers whose work is a 

comhination of MOS training and 

craftsmanship. Minor repair and construction projects that help them 

hone readiness skills areideal. These 

projects involve repaving asphalt 

services, insti~llingconcretefoundations. or erecting prefabricated 

structures. 

Both groups do quality work, hilt 

thr T)EH should keep in mind the 

experience factor when choiising 

tror~pci,nstructionprojects. Thc CSG 

crnftsmm are trained and experienced, u~llilemany of the soldiers 

ilre being trained to proficit~cyin 

their MOS. TIIF soldiers also rotate 

every 2 to 3 years while the CSG 

work force remains fairly constant. 

The DEH's commitment to 

working with th~brigade is vital. 

Karlsrulir established an operations 

office that inan;rgrs and coordinates 

troop r~~nstruction.The office, which 

is staff'cd with an engineer officer 

and t,hrre NCOs. servesa manpower 

mission authorized hy Army 

Reguliltion 5-3. 

The office initiates all work order 

requests(detailed scopr ofwork,site 

plan, currentworking cowlestimate. 

and project pnint of contact). The 

staff orders the bill of materials and 

supplirs, and makcs tr(~opbilleting 

arranflements. 

Staffers also work with the brigade, 

inspecting all projects on a daily 

basis and ensuring warranty work 

is performed. 

Any USAREUR DEH can tap the 

resources of the 18th Brigade. 

Projects should he submitted for 

consideration at least a year before 

the desired completion date. 

The Headquarters USAREUR 

Construction Review Committee 

(CRC) prioritizes and approves the 

18th construction schedule. New 

project proposals arc generally 

soliciterl each year in February, 

prioritized in Marrh. and approved 

in April. The committee holds a 

midyear review in November. 

Although the IJSAKEUR CRC only 

meets twicr a year. thr 18th 

considers additional projects as 

assets hcci)me available. 

18th Engineer Brigade truly illustrates how the BaseOperating Information System (RASOPS) mission 

can beeffectively supplemented with 

an aggressive troop (,otistructi~~n 

program. 

LTC Charles R. Meyer has serued 

as Karlsruhe DEH, and with VII 

Corpsin Stuttgart, Germany; he has 

also serued with the 7th Infantry 

Division and as Engineer Staff 

Officer to the Combat Deuelopments Command at Fort Ord, California. He is a graduate of USMA 

and holds an MS in mechanical 

engineering from the Uniuersity of 

California. 

Louis Douglas Turney has served 

as Deputy DEH in Karlsruhe and 

Goeppingen. Germany, and as Chief, 

Utilities, Energy and Enuironment, 

Aschaffenburg, Germany. He has a 

BSfrom the University ofArkansas 

and an MS in Civil Engineering 

from the Uniuersity of Oklahoma. 
Computer assisted 


design 


and drafting 


The payoff for maintenance and repair 


by B. Ray Summerell 

Imagine trying to work a 

jigsaw puzzle without the 

picture. That's what maintrn~rnce and repair management has been like for Army 

facilities engineers. We have 

tons of maps, as-builts, building footprints, and historical data 

files, but no way to sort, update, or 

cross-reference them. These information tidbits are scattered throughout the DEH like so many puzzle 

pieces-impossible to assemble and 

use. 

So managers work hit or miss, 

relying on memory and the relatively few maps and files they manage to piece together. Yet they know 

how much more effective they would 

be if they could study the whole 

picture. 

Now Computer Assisted Design 

and Drafting (CADD) can provide 

that picture. Although CADDis best 

known for its applications in design, 

drafting, and engineering, TRADOC 

believes the biggest payoff will be 

for DEH real property maintenance 

and facilities management. 

CADD's Automated Mapping/Facilities Management (AM/FM) data 

bases can consolidate an installation's engineering records and put 

them at the DEH's fingertips, where 

they can be used to help diagnose 

problems, determine the scope of 

work, and get the right people and 

equipment to the right place at the 

right time. 

The AM/FM data bases will store 

base maps, as-builts, building foot. 

prints, street and utility grids, site 

plans, and other engineering technical data in ways that make reams 

of tabular data readily available to 

facilities engineers. Each graphics 

data base is linked with an interactive attribute file where corresponding historical data and other 

technical information is stored. A 

CADD work station lets engineers 

view the maps and corresponding 

tabular data simultaneously. 

Citj~and state governments, public utilities, telecommunications companies, and large industrial complexes are all looking at CADD as a 

way to simplify daily operations. 

The Army must do likewise. The 

AM/FM data bases satisfy the 

DEH's needs. There is no need to 

undertake expensive research and 

development to create a unique system for the Army. 

Think of AM/FM as a set of map 

overlays that include, for example, 

information on every building, 

street, parking lot, generator, manhole, cable, power pole, length of 

pipe, and fire hydrant on post-plus 

all the vital background and statistics a facilities engineer needs to 

make sound maintenance and repair 

decisions. 

At the push of a button, engineers 

can study utilitiesforan entire housing area or just one building. They 

can look at the whole utility system 

or zero in on one section of pipe. 

CADD-based maps can be overlaid so they show the relationships 

between systems. For example, if 

the water line in a housing area is 

leaking, it is easy to call up the utility system map on the computer 

screen, place the cursor over the 

troublesome section of pipe and ask 
A IjEH CADD "hit" will 

soon be auailable from the 

U.S. Army Construction Research Laboratory (CERL) to 

help interested DEHs assess 

theirorganiration.~'uniqueaatomuted graphics software and 

hard~uarerequirements. The 

CERI, is also working closely 

with the Chief of Engineers' 

Office, USACE, I.'I.ISA, and 

.WACOMenginerrs on anautomutedgraphics/CAnI) implementationplan andpilot test 

to "fine tune" requirements, 

select and acquire an appropriate system, coordinate 

IFS-Mdata/systemintepmtion, 

andefficiently manage thesystem once in place. 

The CERL'sprincipalinuestigator and point of contact 

for CADD/AM/FMi.s Michael 

T. McCulley, who can be 

reached at 1-800-USA-CERL 

(extension 728) or FTS 957-

7728. 

The DEHs may also want to 

consider joining the AM/FM 

International Professional 

Society-a user's group composedofcitygouernments, utilities, and DOD agencies who 

arepursuingCADD. For information, write: 775E. Orchard 

Road, Suite 820, Englewood, 

Colorado 80111. 

the computer to display the corresponding tabular data. 

Within seconds, thecomputer provides a cl~~seupschematicofthe pipe 

with all the information necessary 

to decide what type of materials to 

send to the job site and whether a 

patch job or a major repair is required. The information might 

includePipe size. 

Flow. 

Age. 

Depth. 

Type of pipe. 

Date and type of last repair. 

Date of next scheduled rnaintenance. 

Date of last pressure test. 

Computer overlays of adjacent 

utilities make it easy to see whether 

workers are likely to cut a neighboring phone or electric line, which 

would accidentally disrupt service 

and make a bad situation worse. If 

AM/FM shows that phone cable is 

buried adjacent to the water pipe, 

the work order section can notify the 

repair crew that they should plan to 

leave the backhoe behind and dig 

the line by hand. 

AM/FM can provide a sketch of 

the area and the pertinent details. 

The repair crew annotates the 

sketch with its changes, and the 

work order section can use it to 

update the data base. 

There are three obstacles to expeditious implementation of CADD 

for installation DEHs: 

The start-up costs are highalthough TRADOC believes a 

payback of 3 years is not beyond 

the realm of possibility-and the 

Army currently has no funds programmed to support CADD buys 

for installations Armywide. 

As with all automated systems, 

the break-in period is painful. The 

DEH's responsiveness suffers in 

the short run, while the staff is 

trained and operating procedures 

are revised to take advantage of 

the new system. 

There are no Army standards 

regarding staff impacts or the 

cost/benefit analysis for implementing AM/FM. This can 

complicate commercial activities 

studies, which tend to look at the 

DEH as it has been-making it 

difficult to introduce new systems 

and make thenecessary staffadjustments. 

Despitetheseobstacles, TRADOC 

is committed to CADD as the resource management tool that will 

revolutionize the maintenance and 

repair business in the years ahead. 

Currently the command is centrally 

funding and managing a program 

to introduce CADD at six installations. 

ArchitecUengineer firms are updating engineering records and preparing AM/FM data bases for Forts 

Benning, Benjamin Harrison, Jackson, Monroe, Sill, and Leonard 

Wood. 

The basic cost for an AM/FM 

data base is $600,000 or moredepending on the installation 

size, development density, training 

costs and the need for assistance in 

developing applications. 

The payback period-based solely 

on maintaining master plans and 

graphics records in accordance with 

existing regulations-is 8 to 10 

years. 

This doesn't take improved DEH 

operations into account. TRADOC 

estimates that cost avoidance for 

maintenance activities will easily 

top $400,00Oper year for labor, vehicles, equipment, and materials. If 

so, payback within 3 years is 

possible. 

But the most important CADD 

benefit is intangible-the opportunity to be more responsive to customers. Facilities management decisions must be made quickly and 

efficiently in peacetime. During a 

mobilization effort, speed and quality areeven moreessential. AM/FM 

data bases have a vital role to play 

in the facilities engineer's readiness 

for either challenge. 

B. Ray Summerell currently manages the CADD and AM/FM programs for the Deputy Chief of Staff, 

Engineering, at TRADOC, Fort Monroe, Virginia. He is also the proponent for long-range planning and 

related facilities management work 

throughout TRADOC. He has been 

involved with Army engineers' use 

of CADD and AM/FM for more 

than 10 years. 
Physical 


by CPT Thomas A. Wuchte 

Fitness:


The blood is pounding in your 

head . . . your lungs are seared with 

each breath . ..the crunch, crunching of your running shoes against 

the cinder track quickens as your 

burning eyes lock on the finish line. 

Crossing the line, you gasp with 

relief because you know that you 

have passed, even if barely, another 

Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). 

But is "barely passing" the goal of 

the Army's physical fitness 

program? 

All too often, soldiers associate 

fitness with passing the biannual 

test. Passing the APFT meets the 

minimum level of fitness to serve in 

the Army. The goal of the Army is 

for commanders and supervisors to 

ensure that the highest levels of fitness are achieved, both for themselves and for their subordinates. 

Attaining a high degree of fitness 

requires an adequate program and 

individual commitment. 

Before assessing the Army's physical conditioning program, we have 

to define fitness. Several factors are 

involved in assessing fitness; however, for simplicity, only muscular 

strength and aerobic ability will be 

considered here. Aerobic fitness is 

measuredby VO, maxcapacity. VOz 

maxis thelimit of the muscles' ability to absorb oxygen from the bloodstream. Muscular strength is 

best described as the maximal force 

which can be generated in a single 

concentrated effort, often judged by 

one's ability to exercise using one's 

own body weight. 

If you attain relativestrength development and corresponding cardiovascular fitness, you will feel better, 

worklonger, and ultimately hemore 

productive. Studies haveshown that 

fitness-oriented workers are more 

enthusiastic about work. An aerobic 

program also decreases the number 

of breaks workers take andincreases 

their work rate. Couldn't everyone 

benefit from increased levels of individual fitness? 

The current combination of situps, push-ups, and the Zmile run 

serves as the Army's basis for measuring physical fitness. Push-ups 

evaluate the strength of the chest, 

shoulders, and triceps, while sit-ups 

measure abdominal and hip-flexor 

muscles. Although neither provide a 

direct measurement of the single 

concentrated effort associated with 

muscular strength, they serve as 

excellent motivators and indicators 

for training. 

A recent study concluded that 

there is a high correlation between 

2-mile-run times and the ability to 

attain VO, max. Unfortunately, few 

soldiers run 2 miles in a time likely 

to acb~eve V02 max. Since cardiovascular enduranceis the mostsignificant factor of total fitness, one must 

question whether poor performance 

is a result of poor fitness, poor motivation, or both. 

The answer is both. Although no 

study conclusively states what an 

average person can achieve for a 2-

mile-run time, a 14-minute time is 

consistent with excellent aerobicconditioning. Therefore, any soldier under 

age 30, who runs three times a week 

at his training heart rate, should be 

strivingfor this goal. Similar fitness 

levels can be achieved by reaching 

training heart rate through swimming, biking, or other high-level 

cardiovascular exercises. Certainly, 

14 minutes is not a time every soldier can achieve, but 17 minutes 18 

seconds (the minimum timefor a30- 

year-old male) does not challenge 

him to meet his VO, max potential. 

Unfortunately, understanding of 

the importanceof fitness varies, and 

the principles of fitness are not universally applied by all leaders. Education to standardize this understanding is taking place. For 

instance, the first 2 weeks of the 

Engineer Officer Advanced Course 

(EA0C)includeseveral days of classroom and practical exercises on fitness. This state-of-the-art training 

encompasses nutrition, diet, weight 

control, flexibility, muscular development, and cardiovascular 

improvement. The validity of effective exercise could not be presented 

better. 

The EOAC instructors teach the 

aerobic concept of fitness through 

achieving the training heart rate. 

Achieving a training heart rate (70 

percent of the maximum heart rate) 

for 20 minutes three to four times per 

week wiil improve an individual's 

aerobic fitness. This is where many 

fitness programs fall apart: they do 

not achieve the training heart rate 

for more than a few individuals. 

Moreover, most people are incapable of working to this level because 

they do not know how to achieve it. 

The standard 3-to 5-mile formation 

run, three times a week, rarely exceeds 8 minutes per mile. Only the 

most out-of-shape person will 

benefit from it. Alternatives such as 

circuit training, small compatibleability group runs, and fartlek 

(short-burst, pace-varied running) 

training are much better suited to 

achieving a training heart rate for a 

variety of individuals. 

To furtherdisseminatenewly developed fitness methods, the Master 

Fitness Trainer Course was developed. Here the Army has created a 

program to train at least one qualified officer or noncommissionedofficer toimplement the concept of total 

fitness at the battalion level. Once 

master fitness trainers are incorporated into unit physical training 
Are we providing 

adequate emphasis? 

programs, improvements in fitness 

levels are usually seen in short periods of time. 

When officers attend the EOAC, 

their APFT scores figure into their 

overall academic average and the 

Academic Efficiency Report. As expected, motivation to do well on the 

test is correspondingly high. The 

APFT's weight on both officer efficiency reports (OERs) and enlisted 

efficiency reports (EERs) promotes 

a pass/fail attitude with no relative 

benefit for superior performance. Linking APFT scores more closely with 

career advancement (in bracketed 

increments such as are associated 

with E-5 and E-6 Board scores) will 

increase soldiers' motivation to perform to their potential both in training and on the test. 

Another positive step would be to 

make some tests unannounced and 

have them administered by a disinterested party. It is a rare commander who will observe a soldier 

fail, and then not give him a few 

weeks to improve. The EOAC offers 

a perfect example. Animpartial diagnostic test is administered in the 

first week toindicate where students 

may require improvement. In a recent cycle, 15 of 58 officers failed 

this test. There was no reason why 

this should have been only a diagnostic test, especially for the 10 active duty officers who failed. Soldiersshould befit all the time. Unannounced tests would promote 365-

day-a-year, not biannual, fitness. 

Since the APFT provides an accurate and adequate system to check 

fitness levels, linkingit more closely 

to career advancement will make it 

a critical event. Adding unannounced tests stresses year-round 

fitness-the standard of readiness 

an army needs. If the Army wants 

maximum fitness, it must differentiate between those who strive to 

achieve the maximum and those 

who are satisfied with the minimum. The final product will bea better conditioned Army. 

CPT Thomas A. Wuchte graduated 

from the United States Military 

Academy in 1982, where he competed in indoor and outdoor track, 

and cross country. During his senior 

year, he captained the cross country 

team. Following his graduation, he 

served in the West Point Athletic 

Department for 6 months recruiting 

cadet athletes. He has been assigned to the 293d Engineer Battalion in Baumholder, Germany, and is 

currently assigned as the training 

officer with the 7th Engineer Brigade in Kornwkstheim, Germany. 

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(703)664-3082. Av 354 
The Corps Overseas-Opportunities 


for Those Who Are Ready 


WANTED: Adventurous engineer officers for 

exciting, career-enhancing assignments overseas. 

by BG C. E. Edgar, 111 

The Corps of Engineers' international program of military construction and nation-building becomes 

increasingly important with each 

passing year. Through the work of 

its European, Pacific Ocean, and 

South Atlantic Divisions, the Corps' 

international activities stretch all 

the way around the world. We need 

capable, adventurous, and languagetrained engineer officers willing to 

try their hands at "real world" 

engineering-sometimes in harsh 

climates and under adverse living 

conditions. 

The Corps has been doing development studiesonsome of themajor 

rivers of the world: the Niger, the 

Orinoco, and the Yangtze. We've 

built small airfields in Honduras 

and $16 billion worth of military 

and port facilities in Saudi Arabia. 

In my job as South Atlantic Division Engineer, I have responsibility for the Corps' international programs in Central America and the 

Caribbean Basin,Africa, the Middle 

East, and areas as far away as 

Burma. 

From Puerto Rico to Oman, here 

are a few of the exciting projects of 

which you could be a part. 

In Oman, Middle East/Africa 

Projects Office (MEAPO) has a 

Language training necessary. 

$311-million military construction 

program to build air bases for the 

Omanis at Seeb, Muscat, Masirah, 

and Thumrait. These bases, which 

are being built for the defense of 

Oman, would be usable by U.S. forces with the permission of the Sultan. They are an important part of 

the U.S. defense strategy in the 

Middle East and a top-priority project of the U.S. Central Command. 

The MEAPO is coordinating the 

design and construction of air base 

improvements at five sitesin Egypt. 

Muchof this work supports thesales 

of F-16 aircraft. We have requests 

forsupport from the Egyptian Navy 

and other government agencies, and 

look forward to an increasing workload over the next five years. 

The MEAPO also has an international mission in support of the Voice 

of America, designing and/or building five new transmission towers in 

Morocco, Botswana, Thailand, 

Puerto Rico, and Sri Lanka. 

In Africa, the Defense Department's Military Civic Action program is gaining momentum as the 

Corps provides technical assistance, 

supplies, equipment, and materials 

to emerging African nations. Projects ranging from an airfield upgrade in Niger to a hospital materA 1.330-foot intake and diversion tunnel, Cerrillos Dam, Portugues and Bucana Project, Puerto Rico. 

nity wing in Senegal will help build 

these nations' infrastructures. They 

are designed to provide maximum 

participation by host-country military forces to improve their military engineering capabilities. 

In our own hemisphere, South 

Atlantic Division has some of the 

most exciting work now going on 

anywhere in the Corps. Our Jacksonville District has for many years 

managed civil works design and 

construction in the Commonwealth 

of Puerto Rico. The district is currently working on the Portugues 

and Bucana River project, a challenging flood control and water 

supply project. Near Ponce, on the 

island's southern coast, the project 

involves constructing two dams, 7.6 

miles of channel improvements, and 

a 1.1-mile-long diversion channel 

from the Portugues to the Bucana 

River. 

The project presents many engineering and construction cballenges. The Cerrillos Dam, on the 

Cerrillos River, is being built as an 

earth and rock-fill structure containing some four million cubic 

yards of fill. Preliminary to construction, the Corps is blasting a 

1,350-foot-long intake and diversion 

tunnel through limestone and volcanic rock. 

The other dam in the project, the 

Portugues Dam, is a challenge of a 

completely different type. It is a 

double-curvature, thin-arch concrete dam, the first of its type in 

Corps history. It will he only 40 feet 

wideatthe base, ascompared with a 

typical earth or rock fill-dam, which 

would be from 100 to 1,000 feet in 

width. 

Also, in Puerto Rico we are meeting a less traditional challenge. The 

Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer 

Authority (PRASA), under courtimposed deadlines to comply with 

the Clean Water Act, has asked the 

Corps to help them design, con-
struct, operate, and maintain five 

new regional sewage plants. This 

project, just getting under way, is 

especially in need of aggressive and 

knowledgeable youngengineers, preferably with a working knowledge 

of Spanish. 

We also have challenging work 

6,lsewherr in ('t.ntr;tl Amprica und6.r 

rhr directinn ,,f the MgBhile Distrirt. 

supporting friendly governments 

throughout the region. As the strategic importance of Central America grows, this part of the world 

promises many new opportunities. 

The projects outlined here all 

present unique opportunites for engineers to gain broadeningand careerenhancine field exoerience. 

The only requirements are that 

you he willing to undertake the difficulties, and that you prepare yourself, particularly with language 

training. Engineers working in 

Puerto Rico on the PRASA work, for 

example, are required to work extensively withthe Puerto Rican architectengineer community, officials of 

PRASA, and a Puerto Rican technical and labor force. Fluency in 

Spanish is essential. 

Language training is available 

from many sources, both inside and 

outside the Defense Department. 

One important training resource is 

the Defense Language Institute in 

Monterey, California. As its name 

implies, this DOD school provides 

formal language training in a variety of languages, from Spanish to 

Indonesian to Arabic. Other sources 

are also available, including private 

language institutes such as Rerlitz. 

Once language-qualified, you will 

have greater opportunities for the 

types of assignments I've been discussing here-leadership assignments on the cutting edge of Army 

engineering, as the Corps' overseas 

missions continue to thrive and 

grow. 

MG C. E. Edgar, III is Commander 

and Division Engineer of the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers' South 

Atlantic Division. Prior to his current assignment, General Edgar was 

Acting Directorof Civil Works in the 

Corps of Engineers'headquarters in 

sthe heat job I've tladin the Army,"s iays MAJ Sean 

aof his a: ssignmenkt as Mobi le Distric :t's Area Engi- 7. "-7 - neer ror DL ualvaclor. 

Wachutka soug1 ~tout the assignment becat we, he says, "I 

was bore :d with m y desk jo bin St. Lt ouis." So ,armed with a . .. .. masters flegree in c~vil engineering,some n~gh school Spanish, and a facility for languages, he actively pursued the 

assignment to oversee the Corps' $16 million in foreign 

military sales work in El Salvador, as well asthe construction of bridge piers to replace three key bridges destmverl 

by insurgents. 

"I wanted to try something different," he says, ". 


haven't had any regrets." 


Oneof the most attractive things about the job, according 

to Wachutka, is its independence and opportunities for 

leadership. "Here, I'm the only U.S. Army engineer incountry.. And wl hen the ambassrtdor, the 5 MILGRLOUP 

leader, aIr the Ail Force n eeds an Iengineer''s advice,, they 

call on n le. In a j,ob like tl >is, there !'s no on6 ? looking over . . . . . your snouluer, secona-guesslng - your aecislo ns.

"Thing :s here ar .e 'real ti] me,' too," he says. "We're xuorking on t hings th ese peop le really need, and need now. -. . 'They're not just 'nice to have' items." 

And assignments such as this on6 1 to even more 

challenging missions. 

Most recently held by LTC Stanley Phernambucc 1. the 

Jacksonville District's deputy district engin eer for Puerto 

Rico is an exciting job as the number one e ngineer i In the 

Commonwealth. The position demands indf ?pendente and 

leadership ability 

Phernambucq p r had an 4overseas assignmqent in 

Brazil, and this el ! along w ith a kno. wledge 01 f Por- LZ-. - .... tuguese and Spanrsrl gava IUI~La real leg up. 

"In tllis job :you hav e every thing-c !onstruction, 

diplomat:y-work ing with military r~ndcivili:anpersortnel," 

Phernanrbucq sa: ys. "We'r .e buildir ~g up he1 re, and a1s the .. .. . -. . ..... chiet corps englneer on the islana, I'm afl-11 ma&-

ing on-tl ie-spot decisions much of tl he time." 

"The jc >bis tough sometimes," he says, "pr yina .. .. I it,." 

Leadership assignments such as these offer those with 

the right qualifications-advanced education and language 

training-the opportunity to try 'something different,' while 

giving ci weer-en1lancing 6 :e. In ret~ urn, the (Corps 

gains fie Id-traine,dofficers odly natic ,ns gain e txpert 

engineer' support. 

different culture. But nothing heats -.. 

Washington, D.C. A graduate of Collegeandthe U.S. Naval WarColVMI, where he received a BS in civil lege. He is a registered professional 

engineering: he also holds an MS in engineer in Kentucky and Alabama. 

civil engineering from Iowa State 

University of Science and Technology. He is a graduate of the U.S. 

Army Command and General Staff 
The Constitution: A commitment endures . . . 


by Pcnclopc Schmitt 

Here in Washington, D.C., the public celebration of 

the Constitution's bicentennial was like a 4th of July on 

the mall--thousands of bright balloons floated upward; a 

child's voice sang "This Is My Country;" high school 

bands thumped and blared; we half-listened to speeches 

that werc decidedly lcss memorable than the documcnt 

they honored. 

Finally, we gathered our thousands of voices in the 

pledge of allegiance. Right up to that thundering recitation, I had the dctached eyes of a public affairs professional observing a made-for-TV phenomenon. It would 

have been nice, I thought, if the sky had made a bluer 

contrast to the balloons. 

But then came the pledge--and the union of hopes and 

loyalties swelling in the sound of it made me feel a 

strong sense of the Constitution's presence with all of 

us. That fragile tissue connects us to our whole past-- 

and to each othcr--in a structure that protects the basis 

of our lives, that gives us room for hope and change, 

and calls us to take responsibility to defend one 

anothcr's freedoms. 

By now, the festive balloons have all burst. The 

speeches are forgotten. The bands are practicing lor a 

halftime show at the next football game. All over 

America, we pursue our trivial happinesses and our 

great dreams in security. 

Most of us don't think of the Constitution often, and 

we will probably let the immediacy of the summer's observance fade soon. But the Constitution endures, and 

so does the work of those who dedicate their lives to 

preserving it and keeping it alive. 

By day and by night, security officers at the National 

Archives protect the document. Supreme Court justices 

defend the integrity of its meaning. Teachers rehearse 

its content. Grade schoolers stand firm on it in a small 

way when they retort to an insult: "it's a free country!" 

Scholars and attorneys study and interpret it to meet 

the time and to serve living Americans. Victims of injustice turn to it for refuge. Congress, the federal courts 

and the President of the United States consult it as 

their guide for governing the nation. Seekers after perfection work to amend it. 

And those of us who serve in the Armed Forces stand 

ready for the orders that may call us to defend the nation built on this document. 

We don't always think about the Constitution--yet 

hundreds of thousands of us pledge our labors and our 

lives lo support it every day. The hoopla is over--but the 

Constitution stays with us while we, the people, work to 

keep it whole. 

"1-3 - - s3 Headless Panel Pin 

1. Bank Seat Beam 

(Heavy) 

4. Curb Assembly 7 . Landlng Roller 

Pedestal (Guillot~ne) 

2. Junct~onPanel 5. End Taper Panel 8. Push Bar Adapter 

1-5 are components of the Bridge Set, MGB 

6-8 are components of the Bridge Erection Set. MGB 
Past in Review 


The Corps and Town Building 


by Dr. James W. Dunn 

In December 1941 Congress handed the Corps of Engineers responsibility for all military construction, 

including troop housing. The Corps 

was already doing this job overseas, 

and Congress was impressed by the 

Corps' work on Army Air Corps 

construction in the States since the 

fall of 1940. 

Until then, however, sheltering 

troops had been the Quartermaster 

General's job. So what qualified the 

Corps for its new and massive task 

on the eve of World War II? The 

Army Air Corps work, the overseas 

mission-and something else. 

In the depression years from 

1933 to 1940, the Corps built, maintained, and administered towns for 

civilian workers at isolated dam construction sites in Montana, Maine, 

and New Mexico. 

On Octoher 14, 1933, President 

Roosevelt authorized the Fort Peck 

Dam as aPublic Works Administration project, assigning construction 

to the Corps of Engineers. The dam 

would be built on the upper Missouri 

River about 20 miles southeast of 

Glasgow, Montana. Its site was 

near old Fort Peck, active during the 

Sioux Indian campaigns of the 

1870s. A camp with employee housing had to be built-the Town of 

Fort Peck. 

The Fort Peck district office 

opened in Glasgow on October 25, 

and work on the town began. The 

Corps built furnished quarters for 

8,000employees. Family houses with 

one, two, and three bedrooms included a dining room, living room, kitchen, and bath. Single employee 

quarters included both dormitories 

and barracks. Supervisors lived in 

dormitories; laborers lived in barracks built in an "H" configuration 

with 24 beds in each wing and a 

mess hall in the center. 

A Corps of Engineers commissioned officer served as Fort Peck's 

town manager. The town buildings 

included a 40-bed hospital and a 

building for the small police force 

and volunteer fire department. A 

school served both elementary and 

high school students, and a husiness building housed harber and 

beauty shops, a drugstore, and 

department stores. The Corps also 

built a theater and a hotel. 

The first homes were ready in September 1934, and on October 2 the 

Town of Fort Peck and the district 

office opened for husiness. 

On May 17,1935, the Corps established the Eastport Maine District 

to superviseconstruction of the Passamaquoddy hydroelectric project. 

Eastport, a village of about 3,200 

people, had limited housing. When 

the first district employees arrived, 

rents doubled. The district had to 

scatter its offices over twenty localities. Building a living area for 

workers hecame the first order of 

husiness. 

Quoddy Village was built on 

Moose Island, about3 miles north of 

Eastport. Single, duplex, and apartment buildings provided housing for 

married employees. Single personnel lived in dormitories and harracks. Each dormitory had 87 single 

rooms and a mess hall. The twelve 

barracks were served by three mess 

halls. 

The Corps built alaboratory, a 30- 

bed hospital, and a building for the 

police and fire departments. The 

town produced a newspaper, and 

organized Scout Troops, a garden 

club, and a junior theater guild. 

Construction began in August; the 

first employees moved in by late 

December. 1935. 

A third project, the Conchas Dam 

on the South Canadian River in 

northeast New Mexico, was authorized under the Emergency Relief 

Appropriations Act of 1935. The 

site, about 35 miles northwest of 

Tucumcari in a remote area, needed 

offices and employee housing. 

The buildings at the Conchas Dam 

Construction Camp were built of 

adobe brick in the low, flat-roofed 

pueblo style. Married employees had 

one- and two-bedroom apartments 

and three-bedroom houses with a 

living room, dining room, kitchen, 

and bath. Single employees lived in 

barracks, with laborers in 20-bed 

wings and supervisors in single 

rooms. The mess halls were in 

separate buildings. 

The town manager, a Corps commissioned officer, had offices in the 

town hall. The Corps built a business building, a hotel, and a 24-bed 

hospital. In the first year only an 

elementary school was available, 

but by 1937 the New Mexico State 

Board of Education had also established a high school. The Conchas 

Dam Recreation Association boasted a 9-holegolf course, tennis courts, 

and riding and drama clubs. Employees occupied the first quarters 

in May 1936, and in October the 

Conchas District and the town 

opened for husiness. 

Two towns survived only briefly. 

The first to go was Quoddy Village. 

The Passamaquoddy project proved 

too expensive for Roosevelt's administration, and the Eastport District 

closed on October 31, 1936. The 

National Youth Administration took 

over the Quoddy Village buildings. 

The Corps completed the Conchas 

Dam in the summer of 1939, and in 

February 1940, the National Park 

Service took over the Conchas Dam 

Construction Camp. 

The Town of Fort Peck is still in 

business. In June 1987, on the 50th 

anniversary of the dam closure, the 

Fort Peck community numbered 

ahout 300 residents. Of course the 

Corps no longer administers the 

town, but the hotel is open, and the 

theaterislistedin theNational Register of Historic Buildings. 

Suggested Reading: Aubrey Parkman, Army Engineers in New England: Michael Welsh, A Mission in 

the Desert; Omaha District, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, The Federal Engineer, Dam Sites to Missile 

Sites. 

Dr. James W. Dunn is an Historian 

with the OfficeofHistory, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers. 
-- F400MSSV75 !3NIM 

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