Integration of NEPA Analysis in Army Strategic Planning

Abstract

Integration of NEPA Analysis in Army Strategic Planning Continuous improvement is an Army standard practice and is the underlying theme of ISO 14001. The Installation Management Command (IMCOM ), supporting the United States Army’s warfighting mission, has a well-defined evaluation and prioritization process for determining how to provide effective and efficient services, facilities, and infrastructure to Soldiers, Civilians, and Family Members. Within this process, economic and environmental components are merged together to form a strategic plan that is consistently scrutinized as it is applied. This paper provides an in-depth view of how Army Installations, in particular Fort Stewart / Hunter Army Airfield (FS/HAAF) in Georgia, develop, evaluate, prioritize and decide to execute a proposed action. This strategic planning process at FS/HAAF is intertwined with the spirit of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and provides an accurate and constant venue for environmental involvement. Within this procedural configuration, NEPA analysis becomes a part of the decision-making process. Discussion within this paper will also focus on steps beyond the decision-making process: monitoring mitigation commitments as a result of those decisions and discovering adaptive management techniques.