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ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY
OVERVIEW
LESSON DESCRIPTION:
In this lesson, you will learn about the Army's environmental strategy into the twenty-first century and the Army's mission. The strategy focuses on good stewardship practices to conserve and preserve natural and cultural resources through high leadership standards so that the resources will be available for present and future generations to use.
TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
| ACTION: | You will list the four continuous efforts of the Army's environmental strategy, describe the environmental model, list the models four pillars, and define the key building blocks. You will also describe the four challenges supporting the Army's environmental program and define the Army's environmental ethic. |
| CONDITION: | You will be given the material contained in this lesson. |
| STANDARD: | You must complete the lesson and the practice exercise. |
| REFERENCE: | The material contained in this lesson was derived from TC 20-401. |
Among the many challenges facing the Army today, one of the most important is preserving our national resources while conducting realistic training. In order to remain trained and ready, we must protect the environment now and in the future through implementation of the Army's environmental strategy.
1-1. Army Environmental Ethic. Stewardship is the cornerstone of the Army's environmental ethic. This means caring for the environment because it is the right thing to do. By considering the effects of training and operations on the environment and by properly handling and disposing of hazardous waste (HW), the damage to the environment can be reduced. While training for the next war, doing what is right for the environment helps ensure that training areas are available to conduct realistic training.
1-2. Vision Statement. "The Army will integrate environmental values into its mission in order to sustain readiness, improve the soldier's quality of life, strengthen community relationships, and provide sound stewardship of resources." This vision statement communicates the Army's commitment to the environment. The statement defines the Army's military and civil works leadership role in environmental management. Throughout the strategic-planning process, the main values and themes that have evolved for a vision of the future are to demonstrate leadership, be environmental stewards, and care for the environment as an integral part of the overall Army mission.
1-3. Strategy. The Army's strategy for preserving the environment is founded on four continuous efforts. First, leaders at all levels must give immediate priority to sustained compliance with all environmental laws and regulations. Second, the Army will continue to restore previously contaminated sites as quickly as funds permit. Third, units must focus their efforts on pollution prevention to reduce or eliminate pollution at the source. Fourth, leaders must ensure that both natural and cultural resources are conserved and preserved so that they will be available for future generations. To be on a firm foundation, these efforts require the Army to build on its core competencies and to develop an integrated approach. This integrated approach includes six critical elements, which are-
- Commit the chain of command.
- Organize for success.
- Spread the environmental ethic.
- Train and educate the force.
- Prioritize Army resources.
- Harness market forces.
Guided by this strategy, the Army will achieve the established goals and objectives to accomplish environmental stewardship. This strategy will enhance the Army's mission, reduce the Army's direct cost, and eliminate future cost to the Army, the nation, and the environment. This strategy will establish the Army as a steward of all the environmental resources entrusted to it.
1-4. Environmental Strategy Model. Figure 1-1 shows the Army's environmental strategy model. This strategy is founded on the bedrock of shared national values, which tie the Army to the nation and give it stability. The key building blocks-people, resources, communication, and management and organization-provide the foundation for all Army activities, to include environmental stewardship. These building blocks support the Army's tradition of leadership. Strong commitment to each part of the foundation is critical to ensure a solid base for environmental initiatives and for long-term success. Army leadership, coupled with the building blocks of the environmental model, provides a sound footing for the four pillars-compliance, restoration, prevention, and conservation. These pillars symbolize the Army's environmental program. Maximum support for the Army mission is realized when all four pillars are strong and well balanced.
Figure 1-1. Army's environmental strategy model
a. Compliance Pillar. This pillar addresses all activities to ensure that current operations conducted on Army installations meet federal, state, local, and HN environmental requirements and Army regulations. The Army will sustain compliance at all sites in the US and abroad. It must also establish good relationships with communities and regulators.
b. Restoration Pillar. The restoration pillar includes all activities necessary to
clean up contaminated sites at Army installations. The Army works closely with the other federal agencies, state and local government, and HNs to define cleanup requirements and schedule remediation activities.
c. Prevention Pillar. This pillar focuses on eliminating pollution at the source; this includes reducing or eliminating hazardous-material (HM) use and HW generation. All phases of the material-management life cycle from cradle to grave are included. Prevention is generally achieved in a hierarchical process, starting with source reduction. The amount of waste generated is reduced by changing process inputs, seeking environmentally acceptable or less-toxic material, or increasing efficiency by reusing materials and by-products and treating residuals before discharge.
d. Conservation Pillar. The conservation pillar includes two different types of resource management-conservation and preservation.
(1) Conservation focuses on responsibly using Army land to ensure long-term natural-resource productivity so that the Army can achieve its mission.
(2) Preservation, which focuses on resource protection, is essential for ensuring the future of valuable national resources. The Army exercises numerous preservation techniques and programs. These programs are exercised in concert with the US Soil Conservation Service, the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal and state agencies. They are devoted to land use, conservation, and maintenance of training areas, natural resources, and historical and cultural sites.
1-5. Military Relevance. The Army's environmental activities are inextricably linked with its challenges and imperatives. The environmental program supports the Army in meeting the following four challenges:
- Maintain the edge.
- Reshape the force.
- Provide resources to the force.
- Strengthen the total force.
These four challenges include keeping the Army's six imperatives in balance. The imperatives are-
- Winning doctrine.
- Appropriate force mix.
- Quality force.
- Continuous modernization.
- Competent, confident leaders.
- Tough, realistic training.
Environmental leadership is the key ingredient for a successful Army of the future. Environmental leadership can be achieved only if environmental, natural, and cultural resource concerns are integrated into Army decision-making and environmental activities.
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