ck, P.E., Mechanical Engineer | Lieutenant Colonel – SD Army National Guard
Those of us who wear “the uniform” have missions to accomplish. These missions are as diverse as the individuals who make up our armed forces. From The Adjutant General to a unit supply sergeant, each member has tasks that must be accomplished to ensure the force is ready to answer the call to defend the nation or respond to a domestic emergency. The facilities where we work have a great impact on our ability to accomplish these missions effectively.
From a tent in the Iraqi desert, to the Joint Force Headquarters in Rapid City, South Dakota, we have to work with what we’re given. While the boots-on-the-ground soldier rarely stops to think about these facilities – they are keenly aware when building shortcomings hinder their ability to do their job.
The facilities with the most diverse usage are the Readiness Centers. These facilities have to cater to the needs of a unit’s full-time staff as well as the part time soldier. They are an office building, school, service station, event center, vault and restaurant all rolled into one. Add security and force protection requirements, and the design challenges become more complex than any one those facilities alone.
This is where the importance of the design team’s experience is revealed. Their ability to leverage their knowledge of existing technologies and building systems against the purpose of the facility down to a room-by-room basis directly impacts the success of the facility and those who utilize it.
Soldiers are highly skilled in adapting to the conditions they’re given in order to complete their assigned mission. In the austere conditions of a forward deployment, soldiers can cook out of a trailer, mechanics can work in a maintenance tent and office space is provided by a SICPS (Standardized Integrated Command Post System). While the job gets done, these type of facilities don’t always afford for the most efficient means for mission accomplishment.
The most valuable asset to today’s citizen soldier is time. The typical “M-Day”, or part time soldier, has approximately 38 days a year to achieve and maintain their professional proficiency. When the myriad of additional requirements are added to the mix, it seems impossible at times to accomplish not only all that is required, but what is necessary to be trained and ready. A well-designed facility, with thought-out and thorough design, can maximize a soldier’s effectiveness. The ability to be more efficient means more time spent on task and better end results.
While service men and women can work in almost any environment, the right facilities make them, their unit, and the organization a better, more effective force.
Chuck Hauck, P.E. is a Registered Professional Mechanical Engineer and a Lieutenant Colonel in the South Dakota Army National Guard. He has more than 22 years of service to his country, including two deployments (Iraq & Afghanistan), and is currently assigned as the Brigade Fire Support Coordinator (BDE FSC) for the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB) in Sioux Falls, SD. Chuck has been with West Plains Engineering since 2000.