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Image courtesy USACE “Eighty percent of our locks are 50 years old,” he says. “My vision is a reliable and available system. That will only happen if we rehab what we have, maintain what we have, and invest in what we have.”

Major General Jason E. Kelly,

Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, USACE • Asset Management Analytics: Sophisticated data tools

Funding Momentum — But Gaps Remain help prioritize limited dollars toward the highest-risk assets, in-

Recent years have brought signi? cant federal investment into creasing transparency and accountability. On the coastal side, infrastructure, including inland waterways. But Kelly stresses the Corps is advancing deep-draft channel improvements to ac- that the backlog remains substantial. USACE tracks key per- formance indicators across the system — mechanical failures, commodate larger vessels. “If we’re going to remain competi- tive globally, we must advance deep-draft projects,” Kelly says.

24-hour delays, weeklong closures. The most concerning trend is the increase in multi-day disruptions. Systemwide availabil-

Delivering Faster, Smarter Projects ity is currently around 95%. Kelly’s target is 100%.

One of Kelly’s concerns is project delivery timelines that “Our legislators are visiting sites and seeing the condition have stretched from roughly a decade to 20 years or more. To ? rsthand,” he says. “My job is to convey, through data, the risk counter that trend, the Corps is focusing on three imperatives: we’re sitting on. When they see the data, the investment case becomes clear.” Workforce capacity — a challenge across Get the engineering right; Get the project management right; and Get the team right. USACE is pursuing a more integrated many federal agencies — has not slowed execution in critical model with industry partners and non-federal sponsors, em- areas, he notes. The Corps continues hiring in navigation en- gineering, project management and operations. “I’ve seen no phasizing collaboration and shared accountability.

“It is the collective,” Kelly says, “that is going to allow us to impacts that prevent us from delivering,” Kelly emphasizes.

Funding alone will not solve the problem. Kelly is equally continue to deliver for the nation.”

Seven major lock and dam projects are currently under con- focused on modernization. “We have to modernize the system struction, with several more in design. They represent a gen- for this day,” he says, “and set conditions for a more favorable erational modernization push.

future.” Among the Corps’ key initiatives:

Kelly’s long-term vision is straightforward: a reliable, avail- • Lock Control Modernization: Many lock control sys- able and resilient inland waterway system. “Eighty percent of tems date back decades. USACE is integrating digital dash- boards, automation upgrades and modern controls to reduce our locks are 50 years old,” he says. “My vision is a system maintenance costs and improve reliability. “I need to take that is reliable and available. That only happens if we rehab advantage of today’s technology to buy down operating and what we have, maintain what we have and invest in what we have.” For maritime stakeholders — towboat operators, barge maintenance costs,” Kelly says.

lines, port authorities and shippers — the stakes are obvious. • Digital Twins: The Corps increasingly uses digital repli-

For policymakers, the connection to national power may be cas of physical infrastructure to simulate stress, predict failure less visible but no less critical. “These waterways are why we points and intervene before breakdowns occur. “This helps us are a superpower,” Kelly says. “But we must invest today. Not go faster and intervene earlier,” Kelly notes.

tomorrow.” The inland waterway system is one of America’s • Advanced Materials: Fiber-reinforced polymers and oth- quiet strategic advantages. Whether it remains one will de- er new materials promise longer life cycles and lower mainte- pend on decisions made in this decade. Major General Jason nance demands — critical for structures already 70 years old.

Kelly is determined to ensure it does.

Port of the Future 2026 • www.portofthefutureconference.com 9 2026_PortoftheFuture_1-17.indd 9 2026_PortoftheFuture_1-17.indd 9 3/3/2026 5:21:21 PM3/3/2026 5:21:21 PM