Sustainability of installations, environment key to readiness

  • Published
  • By Terri Lukach
  • American Forces Press Service
TAMPA, Fla. (AFPN) --  The best way to ensure that today’s warfighters have what they need to fight and win in the post-Sept. 11 world is to sustain the viability of both military installations and their surrounding environments, a defense official said here April 12.

That idea of sustainability -- of the military mission, the environment and the community -- is the focus of the 2005 Joint Services Environmental Management conference here.

The days of “protracted battles featuring environmental winners and losers” are gone, said Michael W. Wynne, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. “Today, we are witnessing cooperation that has created partnerships and a renewed vigor in environmental stewardship.”

Defense Department officials, together with other federal and state agencies, industry and local communities, have “moved beyond simply complying with environmental laws and regulations to ensuring that our land, sea, air and space assets are sustainable over the long-term,” Mr. Wynne said.

“It is imperative,” he said, “that we manage our assets in a sustainable manner so we can support the warfighter not only today, but tomorrow and well into the future.

“Military readiness requires substantial resources -- including air, land, water and space -- areas where military forces can test and train as they would fight,” he said. “Increased competition for these resources -- from urban and suburban sprawl, airspace competition or airwave capacity -- constrains the military’s ability to train and test under realistic conditions.”

To manage and reduce these constraints, DOD officials need to assess the capability of their installations and ranges from an environmental perspective, Mr. Wynne said. That means taking the long view of the environment as the military tests and fields new weapons systems, using environmental-management systems effectively and integrating environmental concerns into the military-acquisition process.

Early integration of environment, safety and occupational-health considerations into system design is also the most cost-effective way to avoid schedule and performance risks, ensure safety and reduce the burden on installations, Mr. Wynne said. It reduces cost, reduces logistics requirements, increases the long-term sustainability of the system and frees resources for other requirements, and “it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

DOD officials are not only gaining recognition as innovative leaders in environmental management and conservation programs, but are also driving the market in areas such as alternative fuels and green products, he said.

The Defense Energy Support Center is the largest purchaser of biodiesel fuel in the U.S. and is a leader in developing the commercial specifications for the fuel, Mr. Wynne said. Center officials also are working with an international group to develop worldwide jet fuel specifications, including synthetic fuels, and it is a leader in education and awareness of fuel alternatives, he said.

He challenged industry and local leaders to help DOD officials meet three important objectives: reduce the total cost of DOD operations, improve military readiness and eliminate or minimize any adverse impact on the environment and human health.

“We have had some great successes already,” he said.

Stryker brigade combat teams use an environmental management system to reduce the use of hazardous material and to prevent pollution, Mr. Wynne said. Officials are conducting jet noise-reduction research and development that is reducing noise levels in communities and hearing injuries in U.S. forces and air emission-reduction projects that are creating aircraft with greater thrust and cleaner fuel combustion, he said.

“DOD (officials’) primary mission is maintaining our nation’s military readiness today and in the future,” he said. “Our military installations, ranges and operating areas are national assets that provide the land, air and sea space to train our military forces and test our equipment to sustain a strong defense.

“We must share these resources with the communities surrounding our installations in a manner that is compatible and cooperative,” Mr. Wynne said. “We are committed to managing our assets in a sustainable manner to ensure our support of the warfighter today and tomorrow.”