Department of War Approves $90 Million in Grants Under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program

Sept. 24, 2025 |

Today, the Department of War awarded ten Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) grants from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, totaling approximately $90 million. DCIP is a competitive program for states, territories, and communities to undertake infrastructure enhancements to support military value, the training of cadets at independent "covered educational institutions," installation resiliency, and/or family quality of life that benefits their local installations.

On August 15, the Assistant Secretary of War for Energy, Installations, and Environment instructed the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to invite grant applications for ten projects based on a competitive ranking of all proposed projects in response to a May 27, 2025, DCIP Notice of Funding Opportunity.  

These awards derive from Fiscal Year 2025 appropriated funding and leverage an additional $59.9 million in non-federal funding, for a total investment of approximately $150 million. 

"Enhanced partnerships with state and local communities are critical to the success of our installations and their missions," said Mr. Dale Marks, Assistant Secretary of War for Energy, Installations, and Environment. "The Defense Community Infrastructure Program continues to play a vital role in building and maintain these successful partnerships. This year's program continues to build on the Department's efforts to invest in critical infrastructure with our defense communities to enable the readiness and lethality of our installations." 

The Fiscal Year 2025 grant awards are as follows: 

$14 million federal grant to North Slope Borough, Alaska, to undertake a $23.5 million project to install high-speed fiber optic telecommunications infrastructure to Point Barrow Long Range Radar Site. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

$2.6 million federal grant to Golden Valley Electric Association, Inc., Alaska, to undertake a $2.7 million project to install critical electrical infrastructure to the Murphy Dome Long Range Radar Site. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

$13 million federal grant to Golden Valley Electric Association, Inc., Alaska, to undertake a $13.3 million project to construct a new switching substation, upgrade an existing substation, and improve communication systems. This project supports the readiness and lethality of Eielson Air Force Base. 

$7 million federal grant to North County Fire Protection District, California, to undertake a $13.9 million project to construct a fire station that will enhance emergency response resources and mitigate impacts of wildfires on training and mission readiness. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Marine Corps Camp Pendleton and Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Fallbrook.

$5.7 million federal grant to the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Connecticut, to undertake a project to replace 11,700 linear feet of a water main to enhance water supply infrastructure. This project supports the readiness and lethality of Submarine Base New London.

$4.8 million federal grant to the Port Authority of Guam to undertake a $6.9 million project to execute near-term structural and safety upgrades to stabilize the pier, extend its operational life, and maintain critical functionality. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Joint Region Marianas.

$10 million federal grant to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Oklahoma, to undertake a $35.8 million project to reconstruct a segment of US-69 and replace the Peaceable Creek bridge. The project supports the readiness and lethality of McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.

$11.9 million federal grant to the City of Chesapeake, Virginia, to undertake a $29.9 million project to construct a waterline. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads.

$20 million to Kitsap County Public Works, Washington, to undertake a $40 million project to construct a 1.4 million gallon per day anaerobic digester, yard piping, and a digester control building. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Naval Base Kitsap.

$300,000 federal grant to the City of Everett, Washington, to undertake a $800,000 project to construct a police boathouse facility. The project supports the readiness and lethality of Naval Station Everett.

Groundbreaking on these projects may commence once all environmental requirements have been met.  

The Defense Community Infrastructure Program is authorized under 10 U.S. Code § 2391.

Department of Defense Unveils Comprehensive Recommendations to Strengthen Foreign Military Sales

June 13, 2023 | Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III approved a tasking memo from the Department of Defense (DoD) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Tiger Team that highlights six key FMS pressure points and directs implementation of recommendations to improve and accelerate the Department's institutional processes to execute FMS cases. The efforts of the Tiger Team and the Department's commitment to improving the FMS system advance the direction of the 2022 National Defense Strategy to break down barriers to working with allies and partners.

The Tiger Team conducted a thorough analysis of representative case studies, examining all phases of the FMS process. They illuminated best practices to benchmark and identified systemic challenges endemic in the DoD's FMS ecosystem. Additionally, they solicited and incorporated feedback from allies, partner nations, and U.S. industry to enhance the efficiency of DoD's implementation of the FMS process.

Secretary Austin has instructed FMS-implementing agencies to undertake several crucial initiatives:

 Improve the Department's understanding of ally and partner requirements by reorganizing, training, and equipping for security cooperation. This includes establishing a Defense Security Cooperation Service on par with the Defense Attaché Service to expedite discussions and reduce delays in the FMS case lifecycle.

Enable efficient reviews for the release of technology by reviewing and updating relevant policies, empowering accountable officials, and improving the technology review and release process. The Department will also collaborate with interagency efforts focused on technology review and release.

Provide allies and partner nations with relevant priority capabilities. The Department will develop a methodology to facilitate Non-Programs of Record, enabling greater support for allies' and partners' national security needs.

Accelerate acquisition and contracting support for FMS by establishing contract award standards and metrics, along with process maps to monitor prioritization and award timelines for allies and partner nations.

Expand Defense Industrial Base (DIB) capacity to reduce production timelines. The Department will incorporate ally and partner requirements into ongoing efforts to expand DIB production capacity. This includes comprehensive studies to incentivize DIB investment, building surge capability, and utilizing multi-year contracts and the Special Defense Acquisition Fund.

Ensure broad U.S. Government support for the FMS process by working closely with the Department of State, Congress, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities for improvement.

To facilitate the implementation of these recommendations and ensure the elevation of emergent FMS issues to senior leadership, the Department has established an FMS Continuous Process Improvement Board (CPIB). This enduring governance structure, reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense, will provide accountability, measure impact, and continually pursue areas for process improvement.

Foreign Military Sales (FMS) is a vital tool of U.S. foreign policy and national security, strengthening the United States' unparalleled network of allies and partners. Under the FMS program, the U.S. Government utilizes the DoD's acquisition system to procure defense articles and services on behalf of U.S. allies and partner nations. The program is administered by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and authorized by the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), overseen by the Department of State.

The establishment of the FMS Tiger Team in August 2022 demonstrates Secretary Austin's commitment to addressing historical inefficiencies in the transfer of defense articles and services to foreign allies and partners. Led by Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. Radha Plumb and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker, the team comprises senior representatives from across the Department of Defense. Together, they are working diligently to strengthen the FMS system and fortify alliances and partnerships worldwide.