Inside the Castle

Since 2014, Congress and the Administration have passed a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) every two years. WRDA authorizes the Secretary of the Army, through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA(CW)), to conduct studies, construct projects, and research various activities and development that can lead to improvements of rivers and harbors of the United States.

Listen in on this episode to learn about WRDA with Mr. Gib Owen, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Mr. David Wethington, Chief, Future Directions Branch at USACE Headquarters; and Ms. Amy Frantz, Senior Policy Advisor at USACE Headquarters.

Additional information about the Water Resources Development Act can be found on our website at https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Water-Resources-Development-Act/.

In this episode we discuss the Section 202 Program with Brandon Moore, Huntington District, and Michael Moore, Louisville District.

Section 202 was incorporated into the Energy and Water Development Act of 1981 (P.L. 96-367). Section 202 authorized the Corps to design and construct necessary and advisable flood control measures to prevent future flood damages at several named communities, in the Tug and Levisa Forks and Upper Cumberland River Basins.

Listen in and learn about the Section 202 Program and specific projects currently being worked on under Section 202, like the Johnson County, KY Flood Risk Managment Project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the Federal government’s largest water resources development and management agency. The Planning Assistance to States allows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide states, local governments, other non-Federal entities, and eligible Native American Indian tribes assistance in the preparation of comprehensive plans for the development, utilization, and conversation of water and related land resources.

Listen in as Sharon Sartor, the National Program Manager for Planning Assistance to States, talks about the program and how the Corps can use this program to assistance local communities.

Planning plays a vital role in supporting the Corps of Engineers Civil Works water resources development mission. Listen in as Inside the Castle hosts a roundtable discussion with Mr. Eric Bush, Chief of Planning and Policy Division at USACE Headquarters, and his planning staff Joe Redican, Susan Layton, Jeremy LaDart and Karla Roberts to learn more about planning, the future of planning and how these senior leaders are ensuring USACE delivers the mission on time and within budget.

Mr. Michael Connor recently marked his one-year anniversary as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. In this episode, Inside the Castle sits down to talk with Mr. Connor about this milestone and much more.

Listen in to hear Mr. Connor's reflections from this past year and his plans for 2023.

In this episode, Inside the Castle talk with Nicole Comisky, Program Manager for Environmental Infrastructure at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, to learn more about the Corps environmental infrastructure authority.

Listen in to hear how this authority for water related infrastructure assists local communities.

Recovering from the Historic 2019 Missouri River Flood: Three Years Later

In this episode, Dr. Nadia Mohandessi sits down with Matt Krajewski, USACE Emergency Support Function #3 (ESF #3) Permanent Cadre member and former Omaha District Emergency Management Chief, to discuss the historic 2019 flooding along the Missouri River and tributaries, and how the Corps has worked over the past three years to help the local communities recover by repairing and rehabilitating hundreds of miles of damaged levee systems under Public Law 84-99.

Public Law 84-99, Emergency Response to Natural Disasters, is the Corps of Engineers’ basic authority to provide for emergency activities in support of State and Local governments prior to, during, and after a flood event. The Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) appropriation provides funding for PL 84-99 authorized activities. Under PL 84-99, the Corps can provide both emergency technical and direct assistance in response to flood and coastal storms, such as hurricanes and nor’easters.

In this episode, Inside the Castle sits down with Vincent Navarre, USACE Headquarters, to learn how the Corps budgets for civil works projects.

Listen in and learn more about the Corps' Civil Works Budget.

In this episode we sit down with Willem Helms, the Public Law 84-99 Program Manager at Corps Headquarters, to learn more about the Public Law 84-99 and the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies Appropriation.

Public Law 84-99 is the Corps of Engineers’ basic authority to provide technical and direct assistance for emergencies like floods, coastal storm, and hurricanes. Funding for the Public Law 84-99 comes from the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) appropriation.

Listen in and learn more about how the Corps of Engineers assists state and local governments prior to, during and after emergencies.

After 37 years of serving our Nation, Mr. Alvin Lee, Director of Civil Works, has decided to retire. Mr. Lee started his career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Fairbanks Resident Office in Fairbanks, Alaska followed by a stint at one of the research labs within the Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC). From there he served in various capacities at every level of the organization.

In this episode we say farewell to the Director of Civil Works, Mr. Alvin Lee. Listen to hear Mr. Lee's lessons learned, accomplishments and future direction.

Show notes:

0:25 Episode Introduction

1:33 Alvin Lee Career Background

3:31 Reflections from the past three years

10:15 USACE's current Budget

13:30 Revolutionize Performance Monitoring

18:34 Lessons Learned

26:03 Mr. Lee's proudest moment of his career

34:05 Final Thoughts