Engineers, Corps of, is the branch of the United States Army that is responsible for military engineering as well as for many kinds of civil-engineering projects. Its head is a lieutenant general.
In peacetime, the corps plans and directs construction of navigation and flood control works for the federal government. These works include harbors, dams, and levees. The corps also is responsible for managing and restoring U.S. wetlands.
In wartime, fighting troops depend upon the Corps of Engineers for the building of military bridges, roads, airfields, military camps, and other installations. Army engineers draw and reproduce maps for the Army. Specialists known as combat engineers work closely with front-line troops. For example, they handle the assault boats, rafts, and bridging during river-crossing operations. They also place and clear mines and booby traps and demolish roads and bridges. Combat engineers often operate under enemy fire. They are prepared to fight as infantry troops if needed.
The corps as it is known today dates from 1802, when Congress authorized the President to organize the Corps of Engineers at West Point to “constitute a Military Academy.” Members of the corps helped build such famous civil-engineering works as the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Panama Canal. In the 1880’s, the Corps of Engineers built the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. The corps also supervised the $2 billion Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb in 1945.
The Corps of Engineers has been criticized by environmental groups, which charge that the corps plans many projects with little regard for the environment. Since the 1960’s, the groups have filed a number of lawsuits to delay or stop projects they consider harmful. As a result, the corps has modified many projects to minimize possible environmental damage. The corps must also prepare environmental impact statements before undertaking new projects that might have a significant impact on the environment.
