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The U.S. Military at West Point
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point:
Building Toward A Secure, Sustainable Future
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From the classroom to the playing fields and the unseen infrastructure needed to run at peak efficiency, the nation’s oldest military academy is getting a makeover.
Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino
In your mind’s eye it’s easy to imagine Gen. George Washington – a land surveyor by training through his early adult life – observing the garrison at West Point keeping watch over the Hudson River in 1781 and referencing it as “the most important post in America.” the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.”
“That was West Point as a military garrison in the Revolutionary War period. General Washington saw it as a critical component of the Revolution itself, of the overall war plan,” explains Col. Greg Boylan, Director of Resource Planning and Integration for West Point, the longest continuously garrisoned post in U.S. history since 1778. Today the massive 16,000-acre military reservation’s annual operating budget ranges from $160m to $190m and is dedicated to a 47-month holistic leader development program – the West Point Leader Development System (WPLDS) – into which the 4,400 cadets are immersed from the moment they arrive on campus.
First proposed by Henry Knox and Alexander Hamilton, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point was formally founded by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. The Academy is now under the direction of its 60th Superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams (Class of ’83). Appointed in 2018, he is a distinguished career field artillery officer who has served around the world.
The Academy’s mission statement prominently displayed on its home page is “to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to “The principle offering for cadets is grounded in academic, military, physical and character development programs, all of which are intended to produce highly-qualified, capable and ready commissioned officers prepared for active service leading soldiers in units in the United States Army,” Col. Boylan explains. Approximately 5,000 staff and personnel from 11 other
organizations placed by the Army work in direct support of the Academy, which serves as a sort of “Task Force Headquarters.” That includes 1,577 personnel – 822 military and 755 civilians – serving as Academy staff and faculty.
“We have a significant number of active duty personnel here who have already trod the road these young men and women are endeavoring to tread. We want our cadets to have first-hand exposure to people who have experienced the challenges they will soon face,” notes Col. Boylan.
Modernization Plans
“That includes assuring all requirements are identified and validated as they relate to the Academy’s mission and integrating them and synchronizing them within the Academy’s plan to assure we can continue our mission at a high level with minimal disruption. You can’t shut the place down for five years while you rebuild everything,” he says.
Precise coordination with other elements of the staff is, Boylan says, “to assure that the resources necessary to execute that mission and achieve the vision are planned, prioritized and allocated so
COL. Greg Boylan
From the classroom to the playing fields and the unseen infrastructure needed to run at peak efficiency, West Point is getting a makeover. As Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Integration, Boylan oversees management and implementation of the Academy’s modernization vision and plan, dubbed “USMA 2035”.
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that the Superintendent is wellinformed and well-positioned to make the decisions that lead to success.”
The 15- to 20-year USMA 2035 moderization plan: • Barracks infrastructure • Academic infrastructure • Military complex infrastructure • Physical development infrastructure • Enabling efforts (utilities, IT, etc.) for infrastructure that underpin the previous four segments
Barracks Infrastructure: Work is two-thirds complete in this 10-year program that involves the complete renovation of nine existing barracks and the construction of a tenth – Davis Barracks completed in 2017. The largest, Bradley Barracks, will have 900 beds upon completion in August 2022. Lee and Sherman Barracks, the final two, are completing the design phase and will begin in January 2022 with a 2023-24 target completion.
“We incorporated collaborative spaces and chain of command spaces within the barracks – spaces that allow cadets to interact in chain of command positions and to have expanded opportunities to facilitate their growth in academic and military development domains,” Boylan explains.
Academic Building Upgrade – The new $200m Cyber and
Engineering Academic Center now under construction required blasting and removal of 300,000 cubic yards of rock. The state of the art center will include a parking structure beneath it and an August 2025 completion date is anticipated. Additional major academic building renovations, including the Patton Swing Facility that will be required to enable them, are expected to begin earnest in FY23 and continue through 2035.
Military Complex – Phase One of the four-phase renovation project at Camp Buckner began in January 2021and will continue through Summer 2024. A larger military construction effort is planned for Camp Natural Bridge and is anticipated to begin in 2028. Physical Fitness Infrastructure and Fields – This project is under way on several levels and design aspects will tackle historic preservation. The centerpiece is The Academy’s storied Michie Stadium, which will undergo a $95m Preservation Project focused on its East Stands and funded solely by donations.
Numerous other projects including cemetery expansion, wastewater treatment plant renovation and expansion, and utility and steam system component upgrades are ongoing across campus.
A Day In The Life
Candidates for admission are screened based on academic performance, leadership potential
– a large percentage were high school team captains or cocaptains; club presidents and valedictorians – physical fitness assessment and aptitude, and character assessment such as letters from individuals they were involved with, exposed to or interacted with in high school.
Once admitted, Boylan says the WPLDS framework provides cadets opportunity for growth in two ways.
“First they practice following and then they practice leading starting in the sophomore year and it aggregates in each year with increasing responsibility for numbers of people and requirements for a squad, platoon or company all the way up to the brigade. Ultimately WPLDS focuses cadets in three areas: Living honorably, leading honorably and demonstrating excellence in all that they do,” he says.
Ultimately, staff and faculty serve as facilitators, providing candidates with tools to guide them.
“What I tell cadets as an example is that I am not here necessarily to develop them, I am here to facilitate development because development is an individual responsibility. It is how the individual chooses to take
advantage of the developmental opportunities presented to them,” Boylan adds.
The curriculum includes 36 majors and 17 minors and cadets have access to 17 research centers.
“They are different from a dedicated research institution and it’s important to understand that. Our research program is less about connection with externalities as opposed to research components that are intended to enrich the undergraduate academic experience,” Boylan offers Cadets also study abroad, participate in internships and have the opportunity to engage with applied research components with external partners.
“They learn how their particular academic pursuits apply in a military context but then also have exposure to various other agencies that support the military and military problem-solving requirements,” Boylan observes.
Cadets are exposed to boxing, military movement, survival swimming, combat applications and a lifetime fitness regimen with regular testing. The Academy supports 30 NCAA D1 teams within the Patriot League, 16 club teams, and an intramural program that covers 11 other sports. Every
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cadet competes in some athletic endeavor.
Boylan, who taught in the Department of System Engineering, has also served as the officer representative for the women’s rugby team for eight years.
“Every team, depending on size, has one or more to provide mentorship for the Cadet-Athletes to keep them grounded about what they are here for, 47-month developmental experience culminating in graduation and commissioning into the army,” he says. “I remind my players every day that none of you are here to play rugby. Rugby is here for all of you insofar as it pertains to your
“We have a significant number of active duty personnel here who have already trod the road these young men and
“women are endeavoring to tread. We want our cadets to have first-hand exposure to people who have experienced the challenges they will soon face.” - Col. Greg Boylan
development as a leader and an officer. When it stops enabling that growth, you should probably find something else to do.”
The Road Ahead
With USMA 2035 in place, the nation’s oldest military academy is on the fast track to a secure, sustainable future, every bit as important in a global context today as Gen. Washington deemed it to be 240 years ago.
“The place is absolutely steeped in history. You have an immediate attachment to the earliest moments of our nation’s history. In many ways it started here and that attachment contributes to the purpose of what you’re doing here. By linking cadets to the strategic past of West Point you help them understand the strategic presence. It helps them realize why it is so critical to remain strategic into the future both for the Army and the nation,” Boylan elaborates.
He notes that dealing with young men and women called to a higher purpose every day and having the opportunity to influence and guide their growth toward that end is incredibly satisfying. “Ask anyone here what attracts them and it’s the opportunity to deal with, interact with, develop
and nurture and to guide these young men and women,” he stresses.
Looking back, he notes the importance of thanking your parents as often as possible for their early and continued investments in your future.
“Personally invest in who you are and remember your development is your responsibility. There is a great quote by Anne Frank that I always use: ‘Parents can only give good advice or put [their children] on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands’,” Boylan
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Company Name: U.S. Military Academy at West Point Country: United States
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Construction Infrastructure Est: 1781 Mission: To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, and Country as an officer in the U.S. Army. Superintendent: Lieutenant General Darryl A. Williams Website: www.westpoint.edu www.constructorsjournal.com
