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Pacific Ocean Division News

  • June

    Pacific Ocean Division's Change of Command June 13, 2024

    BG Goetz assumes command of USACE Pacific Ocean Division, bids aloha to BG Gibbs

    Brig. Gen. Joseph C. “Clete” Goetz II became the 35th commanding general and division engineer of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pacific Ocean Division (POD) in a June 13 ceremony at Ft. Shafter, Hawaii.
  • USACE celebrates start of Kenai coastal erosion project

    USACE celebrates start of Kenai coastal erosion project

    Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District participated in a ceremony to recognize the start of construction for the Kenai River Bluffs Erosion Project. Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, district commander, gathered alongside several stakeholders and political officials at the Kenai Senior Citizens Center and delivered remarks about the project’s significance. In attendance was Sen. Lisa Murkowski and representatives from the office of Sen. Dan Sullivan; Brian Gabriel, mayor of the City of Kenai; and Peter Micciche, mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

  • January

    Delegates from the Mekong River Commission and leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division receive a briefing at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Aug. 15, 2023.

    US Engineers, Scientists Continue Work with Mekong Partners on Water Security

    FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (January 18, 2024) — As climate change casts a growing shadow on water resources globally, the annual Sister Rivers Exchange, taking place Jan. 22 to 26 in Thailand and Vietnam, brings together leading experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from the Mekong region and the United States to collaborate on solutions to increasing
  • A man in a red shirt sitting at a computer.

    A Christmas Story – kind of…

    MAUI, Hawaii – When a fire burns hot enough to melt engine blocks and granite countertops, it is at least 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything it touches at that point is compromised. So, when it’s time to clean up a destroyed house or structure, everything must be removed since the debris can contain lead, asbestos and other toxic particles. That can be a challenging reality for wildfire survivors when they must decide what to do about their property.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues work on the critical public facility as part of the Hawaii Wildfires Recovery mission. Contractors will place 337 modular units to form ten large and 20 small classrooms. Besides the classrooms, the campus will include three restrooms, one administration building, one learning center, and one combination dining and food service center. As of Jan. 8, 2024, 300 units are on site and ready for placement. The modular school is a temporary replacement for the King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which served the students of Lahaina since 1913.

    USACE continues the Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Mission

    More than five months after the August 8 wildfires in Hawaii ravaged large portions of Maui including Lahaina, the former capital of the Hawaiian Empire, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues working on a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission to remove debris from affected areas.

  • December

    Deanna Pienaar

    Hawaiʻi Wildfires Response Mission USACE Employee Spotlight – Deanna Pienaar

    Meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District Operations Technical Maintenance Lead Engineer Deanna Pienaar who is deployed to Maui helping with the Hawaiʻi Wildfires federal response. In her home district Pienaar performs routine inspections at dam projects in the Trinity region, completes works projects in her assigned area, and scopes and executes repair and construction projects at the dams.
  • Lt. Col. Michael Pope, US Design and Construction Agent (DCA), and Lt. Col. Yun, Jeong Hyun, RoK DCA, sign transfer documentation in front of flags representing both countries.

    Korean military turns over final Pyeongtaek construction project to Army engineers in the U.S. military’s 16-year relocation effort

    With the stroke of two pens, the Republic of Korea and the United States finalized the last major construction project in Pyeongtaek for the relocation of American troops from Seoul to south of the Han River. A bilateral ceremony transferred the last facility in the program, a new chapel, from the ROK Design and Construction Agent (DCA) to their U.S. counterpart on Nov. 30, 2023, at Osan Air Base.

  • November

    An aerial view of Dutch Harbor Naval Air Station on July 21, 1943, reveals a runway and other key features of the remote area’s abundant military construction.

    Capturing a Storied Past: Historical Photo Analysis Guides Restoration Work at World War II Site in Alaska

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District, in collaboration with the USACE Army Geospatial Center, is using historical photographic analysis to help determine the locations of structures, features and abandoned military munitions on Amaknak and Unalaska Islands.
  • The northern lights dance in the night sky above the Moose Creek Dam Safety Modification Project in October at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project near North Pole, Alaska.

    Innovation leads to productive season for safety upgrade at Moose Creek Dam

    With the onset of winter, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District capped off a successful summer by doubling its progress from last year to build a cement barrier wall in the center of the dam. The safety improvement project is now about halfway complete as the team works to reinforce 4.7 miles of the 8-mile-long earthen structure.
  • Volunteers hailing from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Far East District joined forces to spread happiness among Korean children for the Chuseok holiday on Sept. 25 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The Far East District gathered gift items for each child residing at Sungyook Children’s Home in an effort to give back to the local community. (U.S. Army photo by Yohan An)

    Army Engineers bring joy to Korean Orphans for the third consecutive year

    USAG HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Far East District (FED) has once again brought smiles to the faces of the children at Sungyook Children’s Home, this time in celebration of the Chuseok holiday. This marks the third consecutive year of FED's community outreach efforts for the facility, following a successful donation drive on Children's Day last year.