The Water Council (TWC) announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) to further the country’s capabilities relating to public sanitation, water technology, and water talent.
Water insecurity is a growing global problem leading to instability that threatens communities around the world. The U.S. Department of Defense increasingly serves a critical role in tackling core global water issues and in turn helping to improve local or regional human and economic security.
“Every community USACAPOC(A) engages in is dependent on clean and sustainable water,” said Major General Jeffrey Coggin, commanding general of the command. “This partnership with The Water Council will provide a meaningful increase in capabilities to our Civil Affairs teams around the world. We’re grateful for another USACAPOC(A) partnership that incorporates civilian expertise into military planning and operations.”
The Water Council will assist the command with the recruitment of industry water professionals to serve as Public Water and Sanitation Civil Affairs Officers. These officers will provide technical expertise focused on the control, rehabilitation, or establishment and maintenance of water and sanitation systems for the sustainable collection and distribution of water for human consumption, agriculture, and industry.
“As recently noted by Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. needs to be a leader in providing solutions to water scarcity and other global water issues,” said Dean Amhaus, The Water Council’s president and CEO. “The Water Council is honored to contribute our experience and connections to the effort to secure clean, abundant freshwater for populations around the world in the interests of national security and humanitarianism.”
Albert Cho, Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer of global water technology company Xylem, recently became the first person recruited by The Water Council to be commissioned in the program.
“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to serve,” Cho said. “Water and environmental management are fundamental to stable and prosperous communities, and I look forward to doing all I can to help build our country’s ability to advance environmental security around the world.”
The Water Council and its partners will also provide training and research to assist U.S. military personnel in their overall understanding of water-related issues, including military training aids and materials along with workshops and conferences for skills exchange and capacity building. This includes an annual or biennial, multi-day conference hosted by The Water Council for the purposes of networking and training.
The agreement includes collaboration with TWC member universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and Marquette University, to provide graduate and post-graduate level research to further the understanding of water-related challenges around the world.
“We’re excited that, through this partnership, our faculty will be able to provide resources and training to U.S. Army officers deployed to areas where they must be prepared to obtain safe drinking water or to manage wastewater or potential contaminants,” said Rebecca Klaper, Vice Dean of UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.
Initial funding for the collaboration has come from the state of Wisconsin through a special appropriation to the University of Wisconsin System and The Water Council.
“Wisconsin is increasingly recognized as a leader in freshwater innovation across the country and around the world,” Amhaus said. “We look forward to growing this partnership and our work solving global water challenges.”
