Deployed in Iraq as an army engineer, Neil Greet FIEAust CPEng EngExec was part of a coalition team asked to design a bypass around Baghdad. But when it came time to build, he watched as bureaucracy and short-term thinking drowned out the engineer’s voice.
It was 2006, not long after President George W Bush had declared “mission accomplished” in the second Gulf War. The US-led coalition was attempting to reconstruct Iraq while managing an insurgency that was costing many lives.
The senior engineers in the coalition decided to build a bypass around the capital, Baghdad. This was a pragmatic way to protect logistics routes, but would also be a piece of infrastructure useful for the city into the future.
I was part of the team seeking approval on the project, working with a team of US Army engineers. We took our proposal to the commanding general and optimistically said it would take 18 months to complete.
The general said, “Yeah, that sounds good. Do it in four.” All of the American engineers in the room nodded and said, “Yes sir, we’ll do it in four.” I sat there in stunned silence, unable to influence things, as Australia was a junior member of the coalition.
The project was never built.
This was one of many times in my military career when senior officers decided that logistics and engineering could be done quicker than was possible. They think engineers simply don’t understand the mission and thus the imperative to get things done quickly. Many engineers don’t challenge this. They just nod and agree. And when they do raise an objection, it is easily ignored. Of course, senior leaders regularly pay the price for this when a project goes wrong. But this doesn’t stop it being a frustrating experience.
Five years later, I left the army, thinking that I would finally have my expertise as an engineer respected. But this was no magical world where suddenly engineers had their voices heard. It was the same story.
I was involved in a project that failed eight months into the tender process because we were trying to put forward something new. It was designed to meet the goals of the tender more effectively and efficiently, but the procurement process had already dictated all processes and deliverables. Again, engineering expertise was ignored.
Then there are those who want to cut corners, conceal the true cost of things or use the project as a political or ideological tool. Engineering advice is devalued because it’s stuck in a rut that someone else has decided that we should be in. And too few engineers have the ability to break this dynamic.
Read more: Humanitarian engineering more important than ever
Raise your voice
Engineers need to be great communicators. We all know this. We have trained for this. But we still find ourselves watching projects suffer the same fate as the Baghdad bypass.
What I have learned is that there is a power imbalance with engineers. This is present in the military, government and private corporations. There are simply not enough engineers in leadership positions influencing decisions, challenging the bureaucrats and advocating for innovation. I had to be that voice.
So I actively engaged in my areas of interest: humanitarian engineering, disaster resilience and energy security. I concentrated on writing policy, engaging and influencing. I took the approach that by writing and being involved in policy development, I could promote my ideas.
I formed partnerships with many organisations and joined the Engineers Australia College of Leadership and Management. It’s important we raise our voices and become the change.
Neil Greet’s top tips
- Be courageous. Don’t sit there and nod. Your opinion is invaluable.
- We all have the ability to make an impact. You just need to make a decision.
- Be true to your values and believe in your abilities.
Neil Greet FIEAust CPEng EngExec is a Director of RedR Australia and Deputy Chair of the Engineers Australia College of Leadership and Management.
This article was originally published in the May 2025 issue of create.
Elevate your career and skills by becoming Chartered. Learn how to prepare for and begin the application process.
