Junior engineer officer boosts missile defense project team

By Mrs. Jennifer Aldridge (USACE)December 5, 2014

Junior engineer officer boosts defense project team
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Lt. Aaron Weatherly isn't a typical company-grade officer. He serves as an assistant project engineer on a $134 million presidentially mandated ballistic missile defense facility project managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Junior engineer officer boosts defense project team courtesy
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Lt. Aaron Weatherly joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District project team in Deveselu, Romania, to serve as an assistant project engineer on a $134 million presidentially mandated ballistic missile defense facility. It isn't a typi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, Germany -- Serving as an assistant project engineer on a $134 million presidentially mandated ballistic missile defense facility isn't a typical company-grade officer assignment, but after being accepted into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Technical Engineer Competency Development Program in July, 1st Lt. Aaron Weatherly joined Europe District's project team in Deveselu, Romania.

The 26-person office is staffed with seasoned engineers -- civil, mechanical, structural and electrical -- to execute construction of the land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense complex. The U.S. facility, designed to boost regional stability and strengthen NATO's collective security, is being constructed on a fast-paced schedule and expected to be fully operational by the end of 2015.

In Romania, Weatherly is honing his technical engineering and project management skills.

"This is definitely the most challenging and rewarding project I have worked on," he said. "It is something our European partners are asking for -- to show our commitment in the region. I feel like I'm part of something big."

As a new USACE member, Weatherly is learning the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a major military construction effort, said Shaun Frost, the Romania MDA Resident Office engineer.

"He's conducting timely reviews of contractor submittals and requests for information, communicating with the contractor to resolve issues, inspecting construction quality for adherence to the awarded contract and ensuring job-site safety -- the site surpassed 1 million man hours without a safety incident this week," Frost said.

Europe District recently sent a team of project engineers from Romania to Kansas City, Missouri to expeditiously review contractor submittals. Weatherly stepped in to represent the Corps on-site while they were away.

"He took on the role of project engineer -- stepped up for two weeks while the project and resident engineers were out -- and filled the gap," Frost said.

Working on this complex project, with a multitude of stakeholders -- the Missile Defense Agency, U.S. European Command, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, U.S. Embassy Bucharest and construction contractor, KBR -- has assisted Weatherly in improving his communication skills, he said.

"Figuring out who I need to talk to to solve problems is definitely a skill I have developed. No one solves anything on their own; being able to work as a team and get the right people involved is critical," he added.

Weatherly's most notable contribution to this massive team effort has been his prompt review of contractor submittals and requests for information. His work helps maintain the demanding project schedule, said Jose Gonzalez, Europe District's Contract Administration Team lead.

"When submittals and RFIs are answered, the contractor can continue to build or procure," he said. "Time is not negotiable here, so we are crunching things like submittals. In the contract, we have 30 days to answer submittals and 14 days for RFIs, but we are working them in less time."

On average, Europe District is responding to submittals in 10 days and RFIs in four to five days, Gonzalez said.

"Aaron's energy has helped a lot because this is a 24-hour type of project; the contractor is working 24/7," he said. "I have seen Aaron on-site early in the mornings and late at night. He has youth on his side, and with little guidance, he gets the job done."

Similar to a deployed environment, the entire project team lives in containerized housing units adjacent to the project site. It is a close community, Weatherly said.

"The benefit is, anytime there is a problem, we can quickly and easily communicate to get things done," he said.

Weatherly will spend up to 24 months with Europe District in the Technical Engineer Competency Development Program. Upon completion of his assignment, he will attend the Engineer Captains Career Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

This is a career-broadening assignment -- it's highly technical, complex work, Frost said.

"Aaron can use this as a springboard to company commander and, in the future, staff officer," he said.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Weatherly went through Army ROTC at the University of Dayton. Since receiving his commission in 2010, he has deployed twice to Afghanistan -- as a platoon leader with the 9th Engineer Battalion and as a task force engineer with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.

Weatherly anticipates staying in the military through company command and would welcome the opportunity to eventually come back to USACE.

"As a junior officer, I couldn't have asked for a better assignment. Not only is this a unique project, simply from a construction standpoint, but it also ties into our nation's larger strategic picture and has allowed me to see how USACE operates," he said.

Editor's Note: 1st Lt. Aaron Weatherly is Europe District's nomination for the 2014 Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. The award, in its 28th year, promotes and sustains effective junior officer leadership in the Army.

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