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  • May

    Severl energy panels setup for a military exercise

    ERDC, LEMA Power the Fight During FLEX 2026

    As unmanned surface vessels carved through the waters off Key West, Florida, and autonomous aerial systems scanned the horizon for illicit trafficking targets, a quieter but equally critical mission was unfolding behind the scenes at U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet’s Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) 2026 exercise. Inside a network of command trailers operating advanced unmanned systems, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) and industry partner LEMA were proving that the future of expeditionary operations depends not only on autonomous platforms and artificial intelligence, but also on resilient, unmanned energy systems capable of providing uninterrupted power in austere environments.
  • Soldiers walking in the woods.

    ERDC, U.S. Forest Service make historic agreement to accelerate forest capabilities

    Thanks to a historic agreement between the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Forest Service, a foundational dataset has been created to bolster the nation’s forests.

  • March

    ERDC-GSL’s Port Damage Repair team, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center, recently transitioned three ERDC-developed PDR kits into a tri-service training environment. (U.S. Army Photo by Austin Hopkins, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center)

    ERDC Advances Joint Port Damage Recovery Capabilities Through Tri-Service Training

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is strengthening expeditionary logistics capabilities through the development and deployment of innovative Port Damage Recovery (PDR) kits, designed to rapidly restore damaged maritime infrastructure in contested environments.
  • The team that ensured proper delivery, placement, and installation of the nanogrid at Fort Bliss, Texas. From left: SFC Aileen Keemer, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss; Patricia Cutler, wildlife biologist at U.S. Army Garrison White Sands; Carlos Molina, energy manager at Fort Bliss Directorate of Public Works; Benito Perez, research engineer at the Engineer Research Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

    ERDC Hydrogen Energy Node Installed at Fort Bliss Innovations Lab

    The 1st Armored Division (1 AD) Innovations Lab, located on Fort Bliss, Texas, is now at the forefront of Army energy modernization following the installation and operational validation of a cutting-edge hydrogen nanogrid, also known as an energy node, developed with industry collaboration at the U.S. Army Engineer Research Development Center (ERDC)’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).
  • Dr. Sally Shoop, research engineer at ERDC's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, receives the 2026 Can-Am Civil Engineering Amity Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

    Dr. Sally Shoop awarded American Society of Civil Engineers Can-Am Amity Award

    Dr. Sally Shoop, research engineer with ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, has been awarded the 2026 Can-Am Civil Engineering Amity Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

  • February

    Leveraging AI is turning complex data into actionable intelligence and a force multiplier for the nation’s Armed Forces.

    Artificial Intelligence R&D: A Force Multiplier for our military and nation

    From ensuring the resilience of America’s critical infrastructure to giving Warfighters a decisive edge on the battlefield, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence across the full spectrum of its civil and military missions.
  • Dr. Robyn Barbato, a senior research microbiologist and leader of CRREL’s soil microbiology team, coring permafrost samples in the USACE Permafrost Tunnel in Fox, Alaska.

    CRREL researchers discover new species frozen in Alaskan permafrost

    Research microbiologists at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) recently discovered 26 new species of microorganisms.
  • Representatives from ERDC’s Environmental Lab traveled to USAG Bavaria-Garmisch in Germany to conduct water assessments focusing on improving water quality and resilience.

    ERDC researchers conduct water assessment at USAG Bavaria-Garmisch in Germany

    Ensuring safe, reliable drinking water is critical to protecting Soldier health and maintaining mission readiness at U.S. military facilities worldwide. To support that objective, three researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) recently traveled to a U.S. military base in Germany to evaluate water quality, resilience and treatment needs.

  • January

    CRREL’s Dr. Theodore Letcher demonstrates the Mud Threat Score software tool.

    New software helps military planners predict mud season

    A new software tool called the “Mud Threat Score” now provides military planners with real-time frozen ground and thaw predictions at 30-meter resolution, anytime, anywhere in the world. Developed by ERDC laboratories and their Hanover, New Hampshire-based industry partner Creare, the new tool combines existing weather forecasting data residing within the geospatial decision support tool GeoWATCH with newly developed frozen and thawing soil algorithm to highlight locations that are experiencing or will experience muddy conditions due to the spring thaw.

  • December

    U.S. Army Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade emplace a Patriot radar system under night conditions, July 19, 2025. The Janus Program, the Army’s next-generation nuclear power program, aims to deliver secure, resilient, and reliable energy to support national defense installations and critical missions.

    ERDC explores Nuclear Energy Systems to power future mission

    A strong, resilient energy supply is critical for military installations, and researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are evaluating domestically produced nuclear energy systems to provide critical research in support of the Army’s Janus Program.
  • The energy node, with photovoltaic (PV) panels fully deployed, at the ERDC Forward Operating Base Laboratory in Champaign, Illinois.

    ERDC advances Army readiness through resilient, off-grid power

    A small, self-contained electric power system unit called an “energy node” has been installed at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) to facilitate further research towards fulfilling the U.S. Army’s requirement for reliable and resilient energy to power the mission.
  • A barge floating in the river.

    Autonomous barge kits improve logistical capabilities for joint forces

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has partnered with the U.S. Transportation Command to develop Scalable Autonomous Modular Propulsion kits for coastal and riverine Operational Logistics, or SAMPOL.
  • Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves cuts the ribbon officially opening the new I-ATLAS building at the Stennis Airport, Kiln, Mississippi, December 5, 2025. I-ATLAS held a ribbon-cutting and Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony to celebrate the standing up of the new joint endeavor. (U.S. Army photo by Keesha Robinson)

    USACE celebrates opening of new I-ATLAS facility

    In partnership with the Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) cut the ribbon on the new home for I-ATLAS — a collaborative coastal mapping effort that provides the data needed to prepare, respond and stay ahead of emerging challenges in both civil works and national defense operations.

  • September

    Drs. Yoko Slowey and Mark Chappell, with ERDC's Environmental Lab, and USACE Europe District representatives pose with members of the Botswana Defense Force and the U.S. Embassy team.

    ERDC, USACE host workshop in Botswana to help mitigate lead contamination

    Subject-matter experts from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Europe District recently traveled to Gaborone, Botswana to conduct an Environmental Soil Screening Workshop with the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) at their shooting ranges.
  • Randy Hill poses next to the plaque honoring his induction into the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory’s Gallery of Distinguished Employees.

    CRREL’s Randy Hill Inducted into Gallery of Distinguished Employees

    Physical scientist Randy Hill was inducted into the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory’s (CRREL) Gallery of Distinguished Employees on Aug. 21.

  • August

    Melanie Johnson, with ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), stands among some of her colleagues after being honored with the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Career Exceptional Service Award.

    CERL’s Melanie Johnson wins Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Career Exceptional Service Award

    One of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) electrical engineers earned recognition for her contributions to improving microgrid technology. Melanie Johnson, a research electrical engineer and team lead at ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), earned the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Career Exceptional Service Award.

  • July

    Lt. Col. Joshua Haynes holds the USACE flag during the Change of Command Ceremony, solidifying his role as ERDC's 13th Commander.

    ERDC welcomes 13th Commander, Lt. Col. Joshua Haynes

    ERDC welcomed Lt. Col. Joshua Haynes as its 13th commander during the Change of Command Ceremony on July 15, in the ERDC Headquarters Building. Haynes replaces outgoing Commander Col. Dr. Christian Patterson, who leaves ERDC after six years of service, three of which he served as commander.
  • Col. Patterson applauds ERDC professionals for their commitment to excellence during a special ceremony recognizing ERDC for its first Army Superior Unit Award.

    ERDC earns its first Army Superior Unit Award

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) received recognition for its exemplary support to the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency received its first Army Superior Unit Award streamer during a special ceremony held at ERDC Headquarters.
  • Airmen from the 109th Airlift Wing Make History, Landing the LC-130 Hercules on Fresh Water Ice for the First Time

    ERDC and the 109th Airlift Wing team up for aviation first

    ERDC's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) has performed decades of research and fieldwork establishing that 55 inches of ice is the thickness required to land an LC-130 (a ski-equipped version of the C-130) for both saltwater ice and freshwater ice. Researchers have long thought that a landing on freshwater ice could be done on much less thick of ice.
  • U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 7th Engineer Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, transports Italian VBM Freccia at a wet gap crossing during exercise Saber Guardian 25 in Frecatei, Romania, June 12, 2025. ERDC researchers worked closely with Soldiers in Romania as part of an experiment focused on improving tactics, techniques and procedures for Warfighters conducting wet gap crossings.

    ERDC and NATO experiment advances engineer survivability

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), along with the NATO Military Engineering Working Group’s Camouflage, Concealment, Deception, and Obscuration Team of Experts, recently conducted an experiment in support of “surviving the gap” during wet gap crossing exercises in Frecatei, Romania.