Since the President declared Global War on Terrorism in October 2001, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Contingency Real Estate Support Team (CREST) has rapidly deployed 29 highly trained professional civilian volunteers performing real estate activities for the Army and Air Force in eight different countries in Southwest Asia and Europe to support Operation Enduring Freedom, and now Operation Iraqi Freedom. CREST is involved in numerous real property activities, including leasing space and facilities for operations, providing guidance to the theater commander on real property matters, and coordinating real estate issues between the custodial Command and the host nation’s real estate authority. By deploying early along with the first troops arriving in-country, CREST is able to save the Government money leasing at true market values while at the same time expediting the deployment for the troops.
Over the last 18 months, CREST has executed approximately 200 overseas firm-term leases worth approximately $30,000,000 for various types of real property including housing, schools, guest quarters, doctor’s and safe houses. Offices, compounds, hotel rooms, apartments, morgue, motor pools, tent cities, warehouses, cargo and fuel storage spaces, land, airports, hangers, ramps, stand off spaces, and roads were also leased.
CREST was developed to have high caliber realty professionals, familiar with military protocols to be embedded with troops. CREST members are trained in using military equipment and in dealing with hazards in hostile environments. CREST members needed to be, in every manner, ready and able to deploy with as little as 24-hours notice.
CREST is constantly an evolving organization. No two wars are alike. The legal requirements to lease real estate are different in virtually every country and monetary denominations and languages vary. Overcoming these challenges is a part of the CREST mission statement. CREST looks for existing common denominators. The CREST members are trained to know the denominators or look for them, but while remaining flexible to change when facing new challenges.
For more information, contact Mr. Dwain McMullen at (202) 761-5531 or via e-mail at dwain.d.mcmullen@hq02.usace.army.mil
