Lieutenant General Semonite surveying damage from Hurricane Harvey.
Strengthening the Foundation of America's Water Infrastructure
An Interview with Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite
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served as its first director, reforming the way the Army acquires, develops, employs, and retains a talented workforce. He was also the commanding general for Combined Security Transition Command–Afghanistan, responsible for the building of the Afghan army and police through management of a $13 billion budget to support a force of 352,000 individuals. Prior to that command, Lt. Gen. Semonite served as the deputy chief of engineers and the deputy commanding general of the Army Corps. He has also served as commanding general, South Atlantic Division. Municipal Water Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, spoke with Lt. Gen. Semonite about the role of the Army Corps in securing water supplies for municipalities, addressing aging water infrastructure, and working with municipal water agencies and flood control districts. Kris Polly: What are the Army Corps’ top priorities for 2018? Lt. Gen. Semonite: The top priorities for the Army Corps are to support national security, deliver integrated water resources solutions, reduce disaster risk, and prepare for tomorrow. Congress has passed a massive, bipartisan budget bill that includes provisions to make the nation safer, stronger, and more secure in the face of worsening MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the past year has posed a series of challenges for the management of American waterways and water resources. A series of natural disasters—from Florida to Puerto Rico to Texas—destroyed lives and property and stressed our increasingly aging water infrastructure. The Army Corps has been essential to recovery efforts and to providing a vision for rebuilding critical infrastructure, securing essential water supplies, and mitigating future flood events. All the while, the Army Corps continues to facilitate innovative water resources development to the benefit of municipal water districts. Those efforts are led by Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite. Lt. Gen. Semonite became chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in May 2016. As chief of engineers, he advises the secretary of the Army on general, combat, and geospatial engineering; construction; real property; public infrastructure; and natural resources science and management. As the Army Corps’ commanding general, he is responsible for more than 32,000 civilian employees and 700 military personnel who provide project management, construction support, and science and engineering expertise in more than 110 countries. Lt. Gen. Semonite has had a distinguished career. He established the Army Talent Management Task Force and
