Joint engineer culture clash: lessons learned from a Marine expeditionary force

Engineer: The Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers, July-Sept, 2006 by R. Daren Payne, Carol L. Anderson

The 46th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (under the administrative control of the 130th Engineer Brigade) recently served in one of the most unique command structures and diverse task organizations an engineer unit has encountered--joint and multicomponent--representing almost every facet of our nation's military. During this time, the Soldiers and leaders of the 46th learned many hard, valuable lessons and had many "outside the box" construction and combat engineering experiences. Such diverse units and organizational structures, with joint and multicomponent characteristics, are likely to be the rule rather than the exception in the future. This article shares some of the lessons learned and experiences from the unit's year in-theater.

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In October 2005, the 46th deployed to Multinational Force--West (MNF-W) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The MNF-W area of operations was under the command of a Marine expeditionary force (MEF), rather than an Army division or corps headquarters, so all Army units fell under a Marine Corps general officer. Since the 46th is combat heavy, the MEF further assigned the unit to the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR)--an Active Navy headquarters commanded and staffed by United States Navy Reserve and a few Active Navy officers. The regiment changed several times during its deployment and sometimes included naval mobile construction battalions (NMCBs) (commonly known as Seabees), Marine Corps engineer support battalions, and Army combat engineer battalions.

Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines engaged in the full spectrum of construction, combat engineering, and assured mobility missions--which included wood frame construction, route repair, bridge repair, route clearance, security escort patrols, direct support to maneuver units in kinetic operations, and most important of all, support to Iraqi military and security forces. There was clearly a lot of learning, synergy, and cultural sensitivity that took place to keep the engineer missions moving forward on a daily basis. The 46th learned a great deal during its deployment to share with fellow engineer units.

Language Barrier

When venturing to a new place, the first thing Soldiers need to learn is how to speak the local dialect--something a person traveling to a different area in the United States might also need to do. Similarly, fellow military professionals are often separated by a common language. Marines are part of the naval service and the naval traditions. Therefore, even in the middle of the desert, nautical references abound. This became apparent during the construction of an Iraqi security forces (ISF) base camp. The mission to build infrastructure for ISF troops was a joint operation with Alpha Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, attached to NMCB 22, a Reserve Component unit from the 30th NCR. Adapting to nautical dialect was a challenge. Shower and latrine trailers are "ablution units," a kitchen is a "galley," a "scullery" is a dish-washing facility, and living areas are "berthing spaces." Left and right are "port and starboard" and a wall is a "bulkhead." "Hooah" is "oorah" and "roger" becomes "aye-aye." Of course, this was reversed when Bravo Company--charged with erecting Southwest Asia (SWA) huts with climate control, central power grid, and force protection--was reinforced with a platoon from NMCB 40, an Active Navy unit from the 9th NCR. This time Sailors learned a "head" was a "latrine" and "cover" was "head gear." As a result, our Soldiers and Sailors not only learned new acronyms and nomenclatures but also how to immerse themselves in a different culture and succeed--a lesson that will help in many other situations where adapting to new things and new ideas is paramount to success.

Organizational Identity Crisis

As Army engineers, our organization identity is one of "fight-and-build" units, while all Marines take pride in the credo "every man a rifleman." The Navy sees things a bit differently. The NMCBs are organized as construction and construction management organizations. Both Active and Reserve Army Soldiers and Active and Reserve Marines within the NCR spend the majority of their training time honing combat skills (physical training, live-fire exercises, demolitions, and mine training), but less time on practicing core competencies (vertical and horizontal construction). Navy engineers, on the other hand, obtain "graduate level" skills (military occupational specialty for the Army). Among both the Active Navy and the Reserve Component of the naval engineer community, all personnel E-6 and above must have a professional license or certification. There are many licensed electricians, plumbers, master carpenters, and steel workers or welders. Every officer must earn a professional engineer certification and maintain a current license.

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This gap in knowledge, skills, and craftsmanship between Army and Navy engineers is too big to ignore. So don't ignore it; use it to your advantage! The major reason for this gap is that Navy units are construction organizations, as opposed to Army or Marine engineer units that are combat units. The NCRs and NMCBs are more organizationally akin to the United States Army Corps of Engineers[R] (USACE) than they are to the Army's deployable engineer battalions and brigades or groups. There are two positives to this. First, it offers a unique opportunity for both combat and combat heavy engineers to learn while working with a Seabee unit. Many of our young carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and combat engineers will find that Seabees are more than willing to share their knowledge. Army officers can also learn a great deal from their Navy counterparts. Nowhere outside of USACE can a young officer learn more about planning, programming, and construction management than working with NMCB or NCR staff. Secondly, Seabees operating in a combat zone have a unique opportunity to learn about weapons employment, small-unit tactics, immediate action and reaction drills, vehicle identification, and many other tasks that will help them stay alive on the battlefield. Thus, there are many opportunities to share knowledge and help bridge the gap in organizational identity between the services.