TAA employee honored as Army's top Engineering Journeyman

BAGRAM AIRFILED, AFGHANISTAN -- A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- Transatlantic Afghanistan District employee has been honored with one of the Army's top awards for engineers. Xuan Truong Ross, electrical engineer, USACE Transatlantic Afghanistan District (TAA), has been named the Army's Engineering Journeyman of the Year.

Ross, who is on her second deployment to Afghanistan, was recognized for her work on two high-visibility projects; the Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Afghan Northern Electric Interconnect (NEI) program.

"I was very honored when I was notified as a recipient of this prestigious award," Ross said. "This proves the value and importance the Army has put on supporting the civilian engineering and science programs."

Ross served as the electrical team lead on the recently completed MoD Headquarters. The $140 million facility serves as the Afghanistan's version of the pentagon. The NEI program, which Ross is helping to design, is a $490 million project that will bring stable and affordable electrical power across the northern region of Afghanistan.

"Xuan's efforts on the MoD headquarters significantly streamlined the building design and construction efforts, and saved considerable funding overages," said Ross's supervisor, Bill Workman, engineering division chief, USACE-TAA. "And her work on NEI will help power to remote regions of Afghanistan, enabling the people, soldiers and police to have an opportunity for a better quality of life."

Ross is also involved in the electrical design for facilities for the new Women's Participation Program (WPP). Under the WPP, 18 new facilities will be built for female members of Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police across the country. These facilities will allow more females to train in anticipation of serving shoulder-to-shoulder with their brothers-in-arms toward the safety and security of Afghanistan.

"It demonstrates that the Afghan government has recognized the need to recruit and train women for the Afghanistan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF)," said Ross. "The WPP will serve as the foundation that ensures long-term stability and increased capacity building. This will also continue to support the recruitment and retention, as well as promotion, of female soldiers and policewomen in the ANDSF."