The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is the premier research and development facility for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. With more than 2,500 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities and an annual program exceeding $2.4 billion, the ERDC supports the Department of Defense (DoD), the US Army Corps of Engineers (Civil Works), and other federal, state, and local agencies. Recognized as one of the most diverse engineering and scientific organizations in the world, the ERDC is home to subject-matter experts in a variety of mission areas including Soldier support, military installations, environmental research, water resources and information technology. ERDC is also home to the DoD High Performance Computing Center, ranked among the top in the world, and the Army Centrifuge Research Center, a facility that enhances the capabilities of researchers to address needs in physical modeling that span the full range of engineering applications. Additional unique attributes include an aquatics laboratory, a blast load simulator, a ship-tow simulator and many physical models. The ERDC, headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss., is made up of seven laboratories headquartered in four states: 1. Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) in Vicksburg, Miss. 2. Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, N.H. 3. Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Champaign, Ill. 4. Environmental Laboratory (EL) in Vicksburg, Miss. 5. Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) in Vicksburg, Miss. 6. Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) in Vicksburg, Miss. 7. Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL) in Alexandria, Va.