The U.S. Army has announced a new initiative dedicated to refocusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) priorities on core civil works missions. Titled “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork,” the program will shorten permitting timelines and reduce or eliminate unnecessary regulations and paperwork while investing in priority water resources projects and minimizing non-core programs.
The plan consists of 27 initiatives split between five categories:
- Maximizing the Ability to Deliver National Infrastructure.
- Cutting Red Tape.
- Focus on Efficiency.
- Transparency and Accountability.
- Prioritization.
These efforts will empower USACE leaders to advance critical water resources projects and programs while being unburdened by bureaucratic processes that hinder productivity and increase costs. The end goal is to maximize deliverability on civil works infrastructure projects that benefit the nation, making the most out of every dollar used.
Some of the initiatives featured in the plan include the implementation of the RAPID Planning Framework, designed to accelerate complex and time-intensive Dredged Material Management Plans (DMMPs). Additional related improvements revolve around the agency’s efforts to modernize how the USACE contracts for dredging and repairing harbor structures.
With the implementation of these efficiencies, the USACE will potentially be able to expand environmental windows for when it can dredge federal channels each season. The same initiative will also introduce new scientific tools and smarter systems to advance the regulatory program while protecting aquatic environments.
Notably, the listed initiatives will not impact the corps’ execution of emergency response support to natural and manmade disasters.
Streamlining processes and eliminating red tape has been a high priority for the federal government since the administration took office. With more barriers between planning and execution removed, the USACE will be empowered to rapidly build infrastructure that would have been significantly slowed by regulatory oversight and environmental frameworks.
The execution of the Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork program follows in the administration’s latest efforts to alleviate permitting timelines. In December 2025, the Houst of Representatives passed the PERMIT Act – a legislative package designed to accelerate the permitting process for water infrastructure projects under the Clean Water Act. Both programs are reminiscent of the administration’s inaugural efforts to cut back on regulations with the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts in early 2025 to remove wasteful spending and bureaucratic obstacles.
Photo by Sillerkiil, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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