07/25/2025

Society of American Military Engineers in Action

Andrew Swedberg, a Business Development Analyst at Summit Technologies, serves as the Treasurer for the Fort Leonard Wood Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) chapter. SAME connects engineers, architects, builders, and planners from the military, government, and industry to collaborate on infrastructure, resilience, and national defense solutions. As the chapter treasurer, Andrew helps plan monthly SAME events that bring together the military, public sector, private industry, and academia. His duties include planning for and tracking all post financial matters, preparing monthly statements, and coordinating for monthly luncheons for all attendees.

The Fort Leonard Wood chapter of the (SAME) recently sponsored a live demonstration of the U.S. Army’s new M30 Bridge Erection Boat (BEB) and Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) to Army engineer officers attending the Captain’s Career Course. This event enabled a hands-on demonstration of a unique Army engineering bridging capability. For this event, Andrew coordinated all financial transactions and lunch delivery for approximately 60 attendees while they attended the demonstration.

Held at a water site on Fort Leonard Wood, the demonstration was the result of collaboration between the SAME Fort Leonard Wood Post and the U.S. Army Engineer School. For the junior officers in attendance, it was an excellent opportunity to witness the BEB and IRB in action. The M30 BEB is the Army’s modern replacement for the aging MKII BEB and can be rapidly deployed to bridge rivers to enable maneuver forces to cross.

During the demonstration, experienced Army operators showed the captains the BEB and IRB capabilities and operations. Officers observed the boat and bridge launch, maneuvers, and real-time raft-building sequences simulating tactical bridging missions.

Summit’s involvement in SAME supports and strengthens civilian and military engineering collaboration. Through event sponsorship, outreach, and chapter involvement, Summit fosters relationships that promote shared understanding between the military and industry. The event served as a networking and mentoring opportunity, with SAME members, Army engineers, civilian professionals, and industry partners engaging with the attendees.