EP 1165-2-1
30 Jul 99
CHAPTER 4
MANAGEMENT OF THE CIVIL WORKS PROGRAM
4-1. General Concept. Decentralization through delegation of
authority is a basic tenet of the Corps organization and structure.
Managers at each level should have sufficient authority to discharge
their missions. The Chief of Engineers attempts to provide every
manager clearly defined policies, principles, and criteria.
Compliance with this guidance is checked with a minimum number of
essential personal contacts, such as Command Inspections, staff
visits, Inspector General (IG) inspections, various types of audits
and management reports. Authority is ordinarily delegated to the next
subordinate manager if: facts upon which to formulate a prudent
decision are available to the manager; adequate resources, including
personnel possessing the specialties and experience to make a
professionally acceptable decision are available to the manager, or
can be economically made available; no restriction on delegating or
discharging the authority has been imposed by law or regulation of
higher authority. (ER 10-1-2)
a. Corps Missions. The mission of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers is to provide quality, responsive engineering services to
the nation. The Corps provides water resources and other civil works
projects, facilities for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, support for
other U.S. Department of Defense agencies in times of both war and
peace, and support for other Federal agencies. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' Civil Works mission is to contribute to national welfare by
providing quality authorized water resources and emergency response
programs through partnerships. Civil Works programs are: navigation;
flood and storm damage reduction; environmental protection; regulation
of work by others in waters of the United States, including wetlands;
emergency operations; research and development; and support to other
Federal agencies. Additional outputs of Corps Civil Works projects
may include hydropower, water supply (municipal/industrial;
irrigation), and recreation.
b. Command Goals and Objectives. The Chief of Engineers
establishes a set of goals and objectives at the beginning of his tour
(as commander of the Corps) and they generally remain unchanged for
the duration of his tenure. However, the Chief can revise his goals
as may be appropriate based on significant events impacting on the
Corps missions. The goals are selected to mesh with the goals of the
Army and to meet the Corps' long-term management needs. These goals
and objectives are used to focus Corps-wide efforts on improving
performance. Major Subordinate Commands (MSC), District Commands
(DC), field operating activities (FOA), and laboratories, establish
programs supporting the command goals and objectives, tailoring their
supporting objectives to local situations and periodically assessing
progress to assure supporting objectives are met.
c. Civil Works Program Goals and Objectives. Prior to the
beginning of each fiscal year the Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Civil Works (ASA(CW)) establishes a set of broad goals for the Civil
Works Program. The Director of Civil Works establishes specific
objectives to accomplish each goal and identifies specific actions for
each objective and the office responsible to accomplish the action.
This process establishes the management and direction of the Civil
Works Program for each fiscal year and provides a framework of action
and accountability to meet Civil Works goals.
4-1
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