U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

LTG Strock (3rd from left) and team of engineers inspect power plant.

“The expectations of the governments of Iraq and the United States and their citizens have placed great pressures on everyone associated with the reconstruction effort to act quickly and to effectively complete the mission,” he explained.

The foundation for democracy in Iraq is dependent on a functioning infrastructure that provides essential services to the people of Iraq. According to Dr. Harvey, most programs and projects funded by the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) will be completed and turned over to Iraqi authorities by the end of 2006. 

The Project and Contracting Office (PCO) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Gulf Region Division (GRD) program managers are now engaged in a joint enterprise with Iraqi officials in planning the completion of key reconstruction initiatives. With almost 70 percent of the $18.4 billion IRRF dollars expended for project completions, the U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq is meeting its obligations for sustainability, and transition of assets to Iraqi authorities.

U.S. senior advisors arrived in Iraq in April 2003 and were shocked by the state of disrepair of the infrastructure—not from the bombing damage during the war, but from

the nearly 30 years of neglect under Saddam Hussein’s rule. Power plants had not been maintained, roads and bridges were in poor condition, many schools were dilapidated, and potable water was scarce. Only six percent of the population was served by sewage treatment facilities. 

“Saddam Hussein had clearly placed a low priority on funding maintenance of infrastructure facilities, while demanding that these systems deliver needed services to at least a portion of the population,” said Dr. Harvey.

In May 2003, the United States and Great Britain established the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) as a temporary governing entity to provide effective administration to the Iraqi people during the transition to a new Iraq government. The CPA established the Iraq Program Management Office (PMO) to manage an additional $18.4 billion appropriation by the U.S. Congress (after a previous appropriation of $2.5 billion in April 2003) for the security, relief, and reconstruction of Iraq. 

Along with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other organizations, the PMO began the process of overseeing efforts to restore essential services, provide security, and enable economic growth and self-governance.

The CPA went to the U.S. Army for assistance in contracting and program management. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASAALT) established an approach that would draw considerably on the U.S. private sector and engage the Iraq workforce to the fullest extent possible. This huge project was staffed by blending military personnel, U.S. government civilians, and contractors. 

Of the $18.4 billion supplemental budget appropriated, a significant portion of those funds, $4.2 billion, was slated for purchase of non-construction items such as materials and equipment, as well as training and procurement for Iraq’s security forces.

Once a project has started, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division (GRD) quality assurance and quality control inspectors step in to work with contractors to ensure that each project meets specifications. 

PCO’s authorization will terminate in May 2007 while GRD is a permanent organization under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

“As the GRD/PCO and ASAALT complete the mission set forth by Congress, other U.S. agencies such as USAID and U.S. Department of State will continue to strengthen Iraq’s governance capabilities and its social institutions. Infrastructure, capacity development, strong institutions, security and equality are conditions that foster democracy and free markets,” said Dr. Harvey.