Missions Overview

The Corps story began more than 200 years ago when Congress established the Continental Army with a provision for a chief engineer on June 16, 1775. The Army established the Corps of Engineers as a separate, permanent branch on March 16, 1802, and gave the engineers responsibility for founding and operating the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Since then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has responded to changing defense requirements and played an integral part in the development of the country. Throughout the 19th century, the Corps built coastal fortifications, surveyed roads and canals, eliminated navigational hazards, explored and mapped the Western frontier, and constructed buildings and monuments in the Nation’s capital. While the mission and tasks have evolved with the needs and priorities of the Nation, the dedication and commitment of the workforce has remained constant.

Missions in the North Atlantic Division are executed through six district offices, located in Concord, MA; New York City; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Norfolk, VA; and Wiesbaden, Germany.

North Atlantic Division's Core Capabilities

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 Disaster Response Support
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Flood Fighting Response
  • Damage Surveys
  • Design and Construction of Disaster Recovery Projects
  • Post-Disaster Mitigation Planning
One of the missions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to provide assistance, within its authorities, when natural disasters or other emergencies occur. In instances when the nature of a disaster exceeds the capabilities of state and local interests, the Corps may provide help to save human life, prevent immediate human suffering or mitigate property damage.

 Ecosystem Restoration

With the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969, the Corps of Engineers integrated environmental concerns into our day-to-day business. In 1990, Congress authorized the Corps to undertake environmental restoration, for the benefit of fish and wildlife habitat improvements, as a new mission area. We pride ourselves on being good stewards of the environment.

In the planning of new projects, we address environmental issues from the outset of every study and carry these forward through design and construction and into project operation and maintenance. Similarly, environmental issues are addressed in the design and construction of military and support-for-others projects.

Through the Corps' ecosystem restoration program, our multi-disciplinary team provides a comprehensive approach for addressing the problems associated with disturbed and degraded ecological resources. The Corps team works with states, local governments, and other federal and regional entities to find solutions to water and related land resource problems. Together we examine the condition of existing ecosystems to determine ways to restore them through techniques such as wetland creation and restoration, streambank stabilization, and reclamation and treatment of abandoned mine lands producing acid mine drainage.

 Environmental Remediation
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Investigation/Analysis/Design
    • Hazardous and Toxic Waste
    • Radiological Wastes
    • Ordnance and Explosives
  • Value Engineering
  • Construction
As a charter member of the nation's environmental cleanup team, the Corps has led the way for managing the cleanup of contaminated sites and developing innovative environmental restoration methods. Our planning, engineering, construction, and contracting staff investigate, design, and manage such cleanup.

The Corps supports various federal, state, and local agencies in their cleanup effort by providing a combination of scientific and engineering experience, along with quality control and contract management.

A strong environmental restoration program to study, design, and remediate contamination is in effect at Army and Air Force installations and formerly used defense sites. We also support the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program, the Federal Aviation Administration's environmental compliance program, Federal Emergency Management Agency's underground storage tank program, and the Department of Energy's environmental compliance program.

 Facilities Renovation/Modernization
  • Demolition
  • Architectural and Building Systems Design
  • Interior Design/Space Planning
  • Asbestos/Lead Paint Removal
  • Planning, Environmental and Technical Assistance
  • Construction

Facilities must deal with complex facility planning and renovation issues. The Corps' multi-disciplinary facilities support teams are ready to assist you in overcoming these challenges and maximizing the efficiency of your facilities land and real property use.

 Interior Design
  • Building Related Design
  • Furniture Related Design
  • Interior Renovation
  • Turn-Key Services

The Corps provides a variety of Interior Design services. Our goal is to provide quality space that is consistent with the customers mission. We have the expertise to provide turn-key customer service.

We assist our customers from the planning phases of their project through furniture selection, installation and customer move-in.

We understand that each project is unique in its functional requirements and that it is that uniqueness that will steer the final selection of finishes and furnishings. We consider all aspects of function, cost, product performance and life cycle, flexibility, schedule and design.

 Military Installation Support
  • Master Planning
  • Privatization Studies
  • Planning, Environmental, and Technical Assistance
  • Engineering Design
  • Construction
  • Operations and Maintenance

Military installations must deal with increasingly rigorous requirements to comply with a wide range of laws and regulations in addition to sustaining base function. The Corps provides comprehensive services to support military installations in each of the areas listed above.

Our multi-disciplinary team has specialized experience in master planning to determine the effect of proposed facilities and their operations on the overall installation infrastructure and the surrounding communities.

Our hazardous materials specialists work closely with information systems designers to develop comprehensive management systems to help installations better manage hazardous materials.

We can also assist with the current Army directive to privatize many installation functions and can assist in analyzing privatization as an option for streamlining facilities management programs.

Almost every action occurring at an installation is subject to some degree of environmental regulation. The Corps is here to assist with these environmental compliance requirements.

From master planning to design, to construction, and operations and maintenance, the Corps is here to assist you with the products and services your installation needs.

 Real Estate Services

Through the execution of Military, Civil Works, and Support for Others programs, the Corps' North Atlantic Division provides real estate expertise from Maine to Virginia and in the District of Columbia.

We work hard to maintain a skilled staff of Real Estate Professionals and a business culture that places a premium on quality, timeliness, and customer service.

Real Estate Acquisition

  • Purchase, Condemnation, Exchange, Transfer or Donation
  • Temporary Interests
  • Relocation Assistance for Displaced Persons
  • Real Property Valuation
  • DoD Relocation Services for Employees

The Corps' real estate expertise performs an integral and vital role in civil and military projects. This is accomplished through acquisition of permanent interests in real property by purchase, condemnation, exchange, transfer or donation. Other services available include acquisition of temporary interests for environmental restoration, survey and exploration, military maneuvers, etc. We provide relocation assistance for persons displaced by these acquisitions.

In addition, we manage and dispose of property by granting use of Army owned property by lease, license, or permit; prepare Reports of Excess and coordinate with GSA; dispose of excess real property by sale or transfer where specifically authorized; support Base Realignment and Closure activities, privatization of housing/utilities and the DoD Shelter for the Homeless Program.

We administer an employee relocation services contract for use by all DoD components. This relocation program has helped thousands of DoD employees sell their homes at one location and purchase or rent in a new town.

A full range of real estate services are available to other Federal agencies and state and local governments (e.g. EPA Superfund, Bureau of Prisons, Department of Interior and Saudi Arabia Defense Ministry).

The Corps performs appraisals and value estimates for establishing rental rates for Federal employees quarters, property accounting, and economic analyses of facilities alternatives.

Real Property Leasing

  • Market Survey and Inspection
  • Appraisals
  • Leasing/Layout/Design and Alterations
  • Space Acquisition/Move Coordination
  • Acquisition of Telecommunications/Furniture Systems
  • Construction Management

The Corps acquires and manages an extensive portfolio of leased space for a variety of Army and other Department of Defense components. We maintain a skilled staff of real estate professionals trained to assist in the survey analysis, valuation, selection, negotiation, and management of leased space. Our leasing services include design and construction management of both initial and follow-on alterations to the space, maintenance, repair, and protection of the space, move, coordination, systems furniture layout and procurement and design of telecommunications and information technology systems.

 Research and Development
  • Mapping and Terrain Analysis
  • Infrastructure Design
  • Construction
  • Operations and Maintenance
  • Structural Engineering
  • Cold Regions and Ice Engineering
  • Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering
  • Environmental Quality
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • High Performance Computing and Information Technology

The Engineering Research and Development Center combines all Corps of Engineers research and development facilities into one organization to streamline operations and enhance customer service. ERDC applies the "One Door to the Corps" philosophy to the Corps' vast R&D capabilities to provide research not only for Corps civil works and military projects, but also for other federal agencies, state and municipal authorities, and U.S. industry through innovative work agreements.

RDC consists of eight unique laboratories: the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Topographic Engineering Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, Structures Laboratory, Geotechnical Laboratory, Environmental Laboratory, and Information Technology Laboratory.

These centers provide world-renowned scientists and engineers utilizing the latest in specialized equipment to address problems facing the military and the nation.

 Secure Environment Services
Through a multidisciplinary staff of cleared personnel, many of whom work in secure workspaces, the Corps provides its classified program customers with a myriad of support services--including project and program management, real estate leasing and acquisition, secure and nonsecure environment contracting, small purchasing, fiscal oversight, funds management and technical engineering services. Personnel are cleared up to the TS/SCI/SI levels. This staff has extensive experience in the planning, design and construction of security related-requirements such as SCIF space and terrorist prevention features, secure data and telecommunications systems. Services are provided on a reimbursable basis.
 Vertical Construction
  • Project Planning and Management
  • Site Surveys/Investigation
  • Environmental Compliance
  • Engineering Design
  • Value Engineering
  • Construction

In today's economic climate, it is imperative that new facilities to provide office space, housing, laboratories, and other uses, be constructed in the most timely and cost-effective manner.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the competence and experience to provide one-stop customer service for the development and implementation of the best solutions for these requirements.

We can assemble the multi-disciplinary technical teams required to provide full life-cycle project services to include planning, engineering, design, construction management, and facilities management.

Typical of our projects are multi-story office buildings, high technology laboratories, housing, child development and training facilities, all types of infrastructure projects, and maintenance and storage facilities for various types of vehicles and aircraft.

 Water Resources Development
  • Dredging of Harbors and Navigation Channels
  • Ecosystem Restoration
  • Flood Damage Prevention
  • Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Modeling
  • Planning, Environmental, and Technical Services
  • Recreation
  • Reservoir and Basin Systems Analysis
  • Shoreline and Coastal Protection
  • Water Supply

Within the Corps of Engineers--the nation's largest water resources agency--the North Atlantic Division is responsible for water resources development activities from Maine to Virginia and the District of Columbia. We have the expertise both to implement solutions to water resources problems in partnership with non-Federal sponsors and to provide a full range of technical services and planning guidance on water resources-related matters to states, local governments, and other Federal and non-Federal entities. We can assist with all the water resources actions listed above.

By the numbers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

  • Is the Nation’s number one federal provider of outdoor recreation.
  • Owns and operates more than 600 dams.
  • Operates and maintains 12,000 miles of commercial inland navigation channels.
  • Dredges more than 200 million cubic yards of dredge material annually.
  • Maintains 926 coastal, Great Lakes and inland harbors.
  • Restores, creates, enhances or preserves tens of thousands of acres of wetlands annually.
  • Provides a total water supply storage capacity of 329.2 million acre-feet in major Corps lakes.
  • Owns and operates 24 percent of the U.S. hydropower capacity.
  • Provides technical and construction support to more than 100 countries.
  • Executes a robust military construction mission workload valued at $2–3 billion annually.