By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 7, 2012 – Army,
Navy and Air Force officials discussed renewable energy milestones, force
structure changes and the impact on military and surrounding communities
affected by base realignment and closure here yesterday.
Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary
of the Army for installations, energy and environment; Roger M. Natsuhara,
acting assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and
environment; and Terry A. Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force for
installations, environment and logistics, took part in a roundtable discussion
at an Association of Defense Communities conference.
The service officials outlined
strategies to adapt to future force structure changes and reductions in
supporting infrastructure at U.S. and overseas military installations without
compromising the nation’s defense capabilities.
“The U.S. is at a strategic turning
point after we’ve had over a decade of war,” Hammack said. “We know as the
end-strength comes down, force structure changes will be required under the
Budget Control Act.” The Army already has announced its end-strength reductions
could total about 80,000 soldiers by fiscal 2017, she said.
Base realignments and closures have
proven to be effective and objective in reducing domestic infrastructure and
reconfiguring what must remain, Hammack said. Four rounds of BRAC took place
after the Cold War wound down and force structure was declining, she said, in
contrast to the 2005 BRAC, which took place during a protracted war.
“The ’88, ’91, ’93 and ’95 rounds
combined produced 97 major base closures, 55 significant realignments and $22
billion in implementation costs resulting in … $8 billion in annual reoccurring
savings,” Hammack said.
BRAC 2005 enabled the Army to reset its
infrastructure to accommodate the return of forces from Europe and Korea while
revitalizing the Army Reserve and National Guard, she added.
“In the last six years, we have closed
97 sites and returned 23,000 acres to host nations, she said. “In the next four
years, we plan to close another 23 sites and return 21,000 acres, primarily in
Germany,” Hammack said, citing similar progress in Korea during the same
timeframe. There, the Army closed 34 sites, with 7,300 acres returned to the
community and another 20 sites projected for closure, with 9,400 acres returned
to the host nation.
“What remains in Korea and Germany, we
believe, is necessary for the support of this nation,” she said.
The Army will continue to seek
congressional authorization for additional rounds of BRAC, Hammack said, noting
property conveyance remains a priority.
“Putting excess property back into
productive reuse facilitates job creation, and that’s never more important than
it is today,” she said. “We know that some of these properties have more
extensive environmental remediation than others, but we focus on those that can
be transferred for beneficial economic use as a first priority.”
Hammack also underscored the Army’s
commitment to one of its largest endeavors yet: the deployment of three
gigawatts of renewable energy on Army, Navy and Air Force installations by
2025. The Army has partnered with local communities and the services to ensure
renewable, reliable energy through analysis of fuel, water and energy needs
while reducing the load of power systems in a digital society, she said.
“Collectively, these advancements are
changing both the technology we employ and the manner in which we plan and
execute our operations,” Hammock said.
Yonkers said the Air Force has taken on
similar measures and efficiencies to sustain and modernize its core systems,
develop a scalable and responsive force, and preserve readiness while taking
care of airmen and their families.
He warned of paying for unnecessary
infrastructure that “eats up” dollars better directed to modernization,
sustaining weapons systems and supporting the quality-of-life improvements for
airmen. He also lamented the possibility another half-trillion dollars pared
from the defense budget over the next 10 years that will be triggered in
January by a “sequestration” mechanism in the Budget Control Act if Congress
fails to come up with an alternative. Sequestration, he said, would have
“serious impact” on the Air Force’s ability to conduct its assigned missions.
But despite the new fiscal reality,
Yonkers said, communities continue to demonstrate strong support and promising,
innovative ideas in support of bases.
“We have 180 renewable energy projects
in operation or under construction at 77 of our Air Force bases,” Yonkers said,
also noting 20 solar, wind, waste, geothermal, and biomass projects that will
move the service closer to its goal of deploying one gigawatt of energy by
2016.
In California alone, the Air Force
already has solar energy projects at Edwards Air Force Base and Travis Air
Force Base, he said. Combined and when complete, they will create 420 megawatts
of power, he added.
Similarly, the Navy will continue to
pursue its energy goals through ongoing community and industry partnership,
Natsuhara said.
“The big goals for us will be the 50
percent alternative energy for our bases,” he said. “We look forward to working
with the communities as we look at renewable energy, microgrids and other
[avenues] to meet all of our very aggressive goals.”
And while the BRAC process has reduced
the service’s installations to from 150 to 70 in the United States, the Navy
now is in more of a “growth mode” overseas, as the new defense policy pivots
attention to the Asia-Pacific region, Natsuhara said.
“We have quite an extensive program that
we’re going to have to implement … very soon in Guam, Australia and Hawaii,” he
said. “We’re also moving a few ships to Singapore.” A lot of these bases, said
he added, are going be of a different and unprecedented model.
“There are going to be less of the
traditional bases where we have our families and modern support facilities,” he
said. “There’s a lot of pressure on our facility side as we go overseas.”
With fleet concentrations primarily in
the northwest and southwest regions of the United States, Natsuhara said, the
Navy can benefit from being able to analyze how to make its bases more
efficient as it further aligns its forces.
Community collaboration has produced
successes along the way, he said, including Virginia’s Naval Air Station
Oceana, which was considered for closure in 2005, but through legislation and
joint councils, has become more compatible with the community.
“To date, the Oceania area and the state
have contributed about $63 million in some of the land-use purchases to build
more compatible lands,” he said.
At Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas,
the Navy worked with wind developers on private lands to make turbine
operations compatible with air training operations, Natsuhara said.
“Wind turbines are an important part of
the renewable energy push for this country,” he added, “and we’re a strong
supporter of that.”
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