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| Department of Defense Environmental Security | |
|---|---|
| Name | Department of Defense Environmental Security |
| Formed | 20th century |
| Jurisdiction | United States federal government |
| Headquarters | The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia |
| Parent agency | United States Department of Defense |
Department of Defense Environmental Security
The Department of Defense Environmental Security functions as the component within the United States Department of Defense responsible for integrating environmental protection, natural resources management, environmental restoration, and sustainability into defense operations. It links program management across services such as the United States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, the United States Space Force, and agencies including the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency. The office coordinates with federal bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy while interacting with international partners such as NATO, the United Nations Environment Programme, and bilateral counterparts.
Environmental Security directs policy implementation across installations including major hubs such as Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, Naval Station Norfolk, Pearl Harbor, and Edwards Air Force Base. It manages programs affecting lands under the purview of entities like the Army Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. Coordination extends to regional authorities such as the Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. European Command, and interagency task forces formed after events like Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The office engages stakeholders ranging from National Trust for Historic Preservation partners to tribal governments represented by organizations like the National Congress of American Indians.
Environmental Security operates within statutory frameworks including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. It implements directives and guidance from instruments such as Executive Order 14008, Executive Order 13693, DoD Instruction 4715.03, and policies emanating from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Legal interactions occur with tribunals and oversight bodies including the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Government Accountability Office, and the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. International obligations involve treaties like the Paris Agreement and agreements under the North Atlantic Treaty framework.
Key initiatives include sustainable design and construction programs aligned with standards promulgated by the U.S. Green Building Council and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Energy resilience efforts coordinate with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy initiatives and projects such as microgrid pilots at installations analogous to Naval Base Ventura County efforts. Natural resources stewardship programs engage with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on endangered species matters listed under the Endangered Species Act. Water resources and ecosystem management tie into projects overseen by the Bureau of Reclamation and collaborations on coral reef protection with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.
Compliance activities employ environmental management systems modeled on ISO 14001 and use assessment frameworks similar to audits by the Government Accountability Office. Restoration programs implement cleanup procedures consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and coordinate with contractors subject to procurement rules from the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Enforcement actions and negotiated settlements have intersected with cases involving agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and oversight by congressional committees like the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Climate adaptation and resilience planning reference science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Sea-level rise and storm surge concerns impact coastal installations studied under programs involving the United States Geological Survey and regional initiatives like the National Climate Assessment. Extreme weather preparedness links to exercises and readiness guidance used by commands including U.S. Pacific Command (now U.S. Indo-Pacific Command) and lessons from events such as Hurricane Maria response operations. Mitigation strategies include greenhouse gas accounting consistent with Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks approaches and collaborations with the Department of Energy National Laboratories such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Hazardous materials stewardship involves regulation and disposal protocols following Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements and coordination with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for radiological matters. Munitions response and unexploded ordnance programs work alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and historic ordnance remediation referenced in cases like former ranges at Camp Lejeune. Chemical agent demilitarization links to facilities and treaties such as the Chemical Weapons Convention and partnerships with the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program. Storage, transport, and hazardous waste contracting follow standards overseen by agencies like the Department of Transportation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Research agendas leverage collaborations with academic institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, and Texas A&M University, and with national labs like Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. Public-private partnerships engage firms in the energy and environmental sectors such as General Electric, Siemens, and Lockheed Martin on technology transfer and pilot deployments. Cooperative programs with international research centers, nongovernmental organizations like the World Resources Institute, and foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation advance areas including biodiversity protection, clean energy, and pollution prevention. Training and capacity-building align with centers like the Civilian Conservation Corps legacy programs and professional development through institutions such as the National Defense University.