National IGE Report: November-December 2024

Updates from the Field; Collaboration in Hawaii

While the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan is set for implementation in January 2025, SAME is already getting ahead of its goals and objectives, looking across the globe at opportunities to increase support of the Combatant Commands and deepen partnerships in international areas. As the Indo-Pacific continues to increase in strategic importance to national defense, SAME has been focused on leading collaboration and identifying how we can best offer support.

Through a focused series of engagements across in the lead up to the SAME Indo-Pacific Regional Summit in September 2025, SAME is reaffirming a long-standing commitment to being where it is needed, when it is needed.

From the Field. In August, the Warfighter Engineering COI provided a look at sapper-like operations in the Indo-Pacific during a webinar hosted as part of SAME’s Webinar Wednesdays. Featuring a pair of company grade officers (Capt. Benjamin Howard, USA, and Lt. Alex Hubbell, USN, along with moderator Col. Matt Beverly, USAF), the discussion highlighted recent operations in the area of responsibility and their impact on theater security. Touching on project delivery, supply line issues, design standards, regulatory challenges facing in-theater construction, and more, and how each of the military services are involved, the webinar gave attendees a front-row seat to action happening on the ground.

SAME intends to host more From the Field webinars in the future, as well as additional From the Field articles in TME (the first of which is published in this issue, page 44).

Collaborating in Hawaii. In September, the journey of learning accelerated with the 2024 Pacific Industry Forum, hosted by the Honolulu Post and co-chaired by Alyssa Agustin and Jeff Clark. This premier regional event hit a new record with 525 attendees coming from across industry, government, and academia for three days of learning and networking under the theme of Collaborate, Engage, Deliver.

Several area military leaders participated, including Rear Adm. Jeffrey Killian, CEC, USN, Commander, NAVFAC Pacific, who delivered the keynote address; Col. Kevin Osborne, USAF, Chief, Civil Engineer Division, HQ Pacific Air Forces; Col. Christopher Crary, USA, Deputy Commander, USACE Pacific Ocean Division; and Lt. Cdr. Jordan Bogden, USCG, Commanding Officer, Civil Engineering Unit Honolulu. Society leadership also attended, including Sharon Krock, F.SAME, SAME National President; and Mike Huffstetler, F.SAME, President-Elect; along with Joshua Biggers, Pacific RVP. The program featured briefings from INDOPACOM, USACE Pacific Ocean Division, Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Coast Guard, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Australian Defence Force, and the Japan Society of Defense Facility Engineers (the Japanese counterpart of SAME).

Through one-on-one meetings, agency presentations, and networking with allied and partner organizations, the forum served to address mutual challenges and issues through industry-government engagement.

In continuing the run up to the SAME Indo-Pacific Regional Summit in September 2025, the SAME Guam Industry Forum will be held Nov. 14-15 in Tumon, Guam, and the Arctic Industry Forum (SAME Anchorage Post), will be held Feb. 24-27, 2025. The Japan Post also hosted a very successful Japan Post Industry Forum in mid-October, attended by SAME leadership.

Article published in The Military Engineer, November-December 2024

Bringing Industry and Government Together

As the cornerstone of the Society’s founding in 1920, industry-government engagement remains mission-essential for the organization a century later. By leveraging our unique, inclusive platform that brings together members from across the entire infrastructure lifecycle, public and private, SAME is driving solutions for some of the toughest engineering challenges facing the A/E/C industry and our national security. Learn more about SAME’s IGE efforts.