Soil Mechanics and U.S. National Defense—A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

Abstract

This paper discusses military requirements and how these requirements have driven technology. Specifically, these advances in technology have been directly applied to civil engineering and, even more specifically, geotechnical engineering to advance the state of practice as we know it today. Topics include airfield construction, soil dynamics, and rock mechanics. Current gaps in our knowledge are briefly discussed as they relate to both our nation's defense and geotechnical engineering.