Chapter 3
Environmental Considerations and Force Projection
Environmental considerations play a part in all phases of an operation. Planners must consider the effect environmental considerations have and how they may constrain or influence various actions and decisions. In the predeployment, deployment, and redeployment phases of operations, these considerations will be rather clear, and units will have to adhere to the laws and regulations with little margin for noncompliance. In the employment and sustainment phases of the operation, units will have greater latitude (based on the situation and the commander's guidance) in integrating environmental considerations into the operation. Integrating environmental considerations early into the planning activities and effectively identifying and managing environmental risk are key elements of the process.
PREDEPLOYMENT
3-1. Predeployment environmental considerations include training with a focus on environmental principles, analysis of operational and mission variables (including initial environmental risk assessment and integrating environmental considerations into IPB and other planning activities), and logistics planning. Integrating environmental considerations early establishes the foundation for future success and allows subordinate units to begin planning for environmental considerations earlier in their planning process.
TRAINING
3-2. Predeployment environmental training is essential for personnel to gain the proper skill sets to conduct operations in a manner supporting environmental principles. This training includes not only individual skills but also collective training in the integration of environmental considerations into planning and operations.
Individual Skill Sets
3-3. Protecting the environment, Soldiers, Marines, and civilians from environmental health hazards begins with training the individual. This includes the training conducted as a part of the Soldier's and Marine's individual job and the training related to specific additional duties and deployment considerations. Commanders must ensure that their assigned personnel maintain the necessary skills to protect themselves and the environment. Staffs must plan and integrate this training into routine training schedules to ensure that Soldiers and Marines possess the required expertise before deployment. Predeployment environmental training assists in the deployment of military units by reducing the requirement to conduct additional environmentally specific training during deployment, thereby allowing units to focus on mission-specific requirements. While each Service includes specific requirements for both routine job-related and additional duty-specific training, the following areas should generally be addressed to ensure adequate numbers of trained personnel:
• The environmental protection portion of the unit SOP.
• Environmentally related additional duty-specific training.
• Spill prevention and response.
• Hazard communication (HAZCOM) (defined as the responsibility of leaders and supervisors concerning possible hazards in the workplace and notification of hazards and necessary precaution to their Soldiers).
• HW operations and emergency response.
• HM/HW transportation, storage, and handling certifications.
• Environmental officer training.
• HM/HW certifier courses.
• Field sanitation.
• Satellite accumulation point operation.
• MSDS recognition and use.
• First aid procedures for HM/HW exposure.
• Installation environmental awareness training.
• Geneva Convention and LOW training.
• Personal health and hygiene.
Collective and Staff-Level Training
3-4. In addition to individual Soldier and Marine skills, units integrate environmental considerations into unit and staff training. While units are already required to integrate environmental considerations into FTXs, they can also integrate these considerations into simulation training exercises. Simulation exercises allow staffs to include planning for environmental considerations, to include those not normally encountered in CONUS field training. The more experienced staffs are at identifying and planning for environmental factors, the more proficient they will become at integrating these factors into the conduct of operations.
3-5. In addition to collective staff training, certain staff positions require that individuals be aware of various environmental considerations impacting their running estimates. SJA, CA, and contracting officers in particular must be aware of pertinent environmental laws, regulations, and treaties that may impact military operations. Predeployment training is essential to ensure the rapid integration of environmental considerations into the running estimates.
3-6. Once units are alerted for deployment to a specific AO, they must ensure that personnel are trained in specific aspects of environmental considerations pertaining to that area. The location of the operation, intermediate staging locations en route, and other foreign nations that supply lines may run through will have differing requirements for environmental protection and present different health hazards to the Soldiers and Marines. Training at all echelons may be necessary to prepare personnel for deployment. This training may include-
• Environment health hazards in the area.
• Cultural, religious, and political sensitivities.
• Recognition and protection of endangered species (defined as those species designated by the Secretary of the Interior that are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range) or habitats.
• Recognition of cultural or archaeological artifacts and buildings.
• Specific environmental laws, regulations, and treaties.
• Transportation requirements for HM/HW.
• Theater-specific training for handling, storing, transporting, and disposing of HM/HW, solid waste (defined as any material or substance [solid or liquid] that is inherently waste-like by being no longer suitable for its originally intended purpose), medical waste, gray water (water that has been used for dish washing, cooking, showers, or laundry, but does not include water used for wash racks or latrine facilities), and recycling programs.
• Rules of engagement.
• Infrastructure assessment.
3-7. The following vignette displays the importance of integrating environmental considerations into training.
Issue
The Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) integrates environmental considerations into its tactical scenarios.
Discussion
JRTC takes a proactive approach to environmental considerations by writing scenarios with socioeconomic implications rather than treating "no-dig" areas as administrative restrictions. For example, units are advised that the local population has reservations about U.S. forces being in the area. Units are also informed that a power line providing electrical power to the local town is buried somewhere in the area and if severed would adversely affect their units' ability to accomplish the mission. To create defensive positions and avoid digging in this area, units constructed berms by hauling soil from less sensitive areas.
This JRTC scenario forces units to consider the long-term effects of their actions. The mission end state may be impaired when units do not consider socioeconomic and environmental impacts.
Techniques and Procedures
Commanders must-
• Integrate environmental considerations into the mission analysis phase of the MDMP. During mission analysis, the commander and his staff conduct a risk assessment, which includes identifying all environmentally related hazards.
• Develop innovative solutions to limit training distracters, which may be the result of environmental considerations (for example, making environmental considerations part of the tactical scenario).
• Consult the unit environmental officer throughout the planning process.
ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONAL AND MISSION VARIABLES
3-8. Combatant commanders are responsible for a specific AOR. This responsibility entails planning for various contingency operations. As a part of the predeployment phase of the operations, staffs must integrate environmental considerations into contingency planning. This planning includes information gathering on specific countries within the AOR and the integration of environmental considerations into specific plans. Each staff section must take into consideration a myriad of concerns, listing them in their running estimates and intelligence collection plan/IPB for specific countries or operational situations. In addition, planners must include environmental considerations in their risk assessment for conducting operations. This information is essential to allow commanders and staffs to develop plans that protect the environment against undue harm and the health of Soldiers and Marines and support stability operations (as required) in a fashion that adheres to U.S. national values.
3-9. Topics or areas of concern include:
• What are the applicable laws, treaties, FGS, and regulations?
• Are there any threatened species (defined as those species that are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range) or endangered species and/or designated critical habitats (defined as a designated area declared essential for the survival of a protected species under authority of the Endangered Species Act [ESA])?
• What are the cultural, ethnic, and religious sensitivities?
• What are the environmental health hazards?
• What is the status of the infrastructure that supports environmental considerations?
• What effect will terrain and weather have on operations (as they pertain to the environment)?
• What types of industry, agriculture, and natural resources are present?
• What types of industry or agriculture that generate HM/HW are present?
• Are there specific environmental issues (such as water rights) that may be catalysts for conflict?
• Are there potential targets for environmental terrorism? If so, what are the anticipated results of the damage?
• What is the attitude of the public toward environmental matters in the affected foreign nation?
• Are specific forces, such as facility engineer teams, required to support environmental activities?
LOGISTICS PLANNING
3-10. Early planning is essential to ensure adequate time to obtain and transport resources. Predeployment planning helps identify the logistic requirements in time to make the necessary arrangements for procurement, storage, and transportation. Adequate provision for environmental considerations may have a significant impact on the logistics system in the areas of transportation, material procurement, and contracting. Much of this information will be provided to subordinate commands in the higher headquarters OPLAN/OPORD. The development of environmentally sustainable logistics and the use of new products and technology will enhance logistics support.
3-11. During predeployment, unit personnel must prepare a basic load list of equipment and other supplies required to protect the health of personnel and the environment until the supply system is established. Equipment and supply considerations include-
• Adequate PPE for use when handling HM/HW.
• Spill response equipment. The basic planning guidance is to have enough material to contain the substance in the largest container. Ensure that team members are trained and aware of procedures to request additional assistance.
• Material and waste containers (including secondary containment), overpack containers, labels, markers, placards, signage, and bung wrenches.
• Fueling operations equipment. Ensure that spark-proof tools, PPE, and other equipment is available.
• Trained personnel to handle the HM/HW. Ensure that HMs (explosives and POL) are properly labeled and MSDS is on hand.
• Trained personnel to handle solid waste.
3-12. A sample of a basic packing list is provided in table 3-1. This list may not be all-inclusive, and unit personnel must adjust their lists as necessary.
Transportation
3-13. Transporting HM/HW is subject to various laws, regulations, and treaties. Relevant requirements and procedures must be addressed to ensure the safe and legal movement of these materials. Since the movement of HM across international boundaries requires coordination, initial planning must include provisions to enact or establish procedures with foreign governments to transport them. Planners must determine these requirements early in the planning process to avoid unexpected delays when the materials become essential. In addition to coordination requirements, planners must include planning for adequate resources to transport HM/HW to and from HW accumulation sites. A hazardous waste accumulation site is a specially designed site for the temporary collection of hazardous wastes where no container may remain onsite for more than 90 days (the definition was shortened, and the complete definition is printed in the glossary).
Material Procurement and Contracting
3-14. Planning for environmental considerations includes procuring and contracting materials. These materials may be nonpolluting or may be to support other aspects of environmental protection, such as spill response. Purchasing reusable or nonpolluting alternatives reduces the logistics burden by reducing the quantity of HW that must be stored, handled, or transported. Logistics planners must plan to purchase and transport these materials as early as possible to ensure that units maintain adequate, accessible stockpiles. In addition to purchasing materials, military forces must be prepared to implement recycling programs. These programs help to reduce the waste stream by reusing serviceable materials, such as construction materials, tents, and shipping containers.
DEPLOYMENT
3-15. As military forces deploy, specific environmental considerations become more obvious. The additional specific training and resources required are supported by the various installations that support the deployment. In addition, further transportation requirements will become necessary for HM/HW. Adequate predeployment planning mitigates the impact for deploying units and supporting installations for additional environmental requirements. If this planning is not done during predeployment, it will create a greater burden on the deploying force because of time constraints. Guidelines for deployment are listed in table 3-2.
MOBILIZATION
3-16. As forces increase their training tempo in preparation for deployment and as additional forces (including ARNG and USAR forces) are mobilized, demands on training facilities, areas, and ranges will increase. This training will place additional strain on installations and may stress installation sanitation, maintenance, and recycling facilities. These strains will be most apparent on overseas installations that do not regularly host large numbers of military personnel. Planners need to analyze the effects that this increase in personnel will have on installations supporting these operations. In some circumstances, it may prove necessary to request excusal from or modification to certain environmental requirements for the mission. These issues must be addressed early to allow time for the legal and regulatory issues to be resolved, for engineer and facility planners to develop solutions, and for logistic specialists to acquire the needed materials. The installation environmental, engineering, and logistic offices are essential points of contact for coordinating mobilization planning.
3-17. Questions that affect mission planning pertaining to mobilization activities include-
• What are the applicable laws, treaties, regulations, FGS, and installation operational procedures?
• Will it be possible to obtain adjustments or exemptions to laws and regulations? What are the procedures for this?
• Will the installation infrastructure support added personnel-in particular water, wastewater, sewage treatment, solid waste disposal, medical waste, and recycling centers? What steps need to be taken to increase capacity?
• How will training areas and ranges be impacted by increased use? What mitigation steps are necessary to reduce damage?
• Are there adequate billeting areas? If not, are additional structures (for example, warehouses, hangars, and bunkers) safe for extended occupation by military personnel?
• Are dining facilities adequate? Are new food service personnel properly trained to avoid food contamination and the spread of food-borne illnesses?
• Are adequate facilities available for personnel hygiene? If not, have arrangements been made to increase them?
• Are medical facilities adequate for the increased population?
TRANSPORTATION
3-18. The deployment of military forces requires a tremendous allocation of transportation assets. It involves transporting vehicles, equipment, materials, and personnel to distant locations. Units must transport various forms of HM/HW, including POL products and ammunition, in a manner safe for the environment and for military personnel and civilians. This process involves training in the proper procedures and handling, storing, inspecting, and certifying loads. Planners must negotiate transit agreements with other nations as well to ensure the legal movement of materials. Considerations in the movement of material include-
• Negotiating international transit agreements.
• Identifying HM/HW.
• Ensuring that adequate numbers of personnel are trained to certify HM.
• Preparing vehicles and equipment for shipment.
• Implementing safety procedures for HM/HW specific hazards (flammable, combustible, corrosive, reactive, and health).
• Coordinating with local authorities to transport HM/HW and ammunition.
• Arranging the security for HM/HW and ammunition shipments.
• Conducting customs inspections of personnel and equipment.
• Ensuring that the correct documentation for HM/HW is acquired.
3-19. The following vignette demonstrates the importance of complying with environmental requirements with regard to vehicles, equipment, materials, and rear detachment personnel.
Issue
Rear detachment personnel were unprepared to comply with environmental requirements.
Discussion
Many deploying units fail to realize the importance of maintaining environmentally trained personnel as part of their rear detachment.
The rear detachment is responsible for the continued maintenance of existing facilities and HM storage areas and compliance with installation and state environmental requirements. Failure to maintain trained personnel increases environmental/safety risk and decreases the ability to meet regulatory requirements.
Techniques and Procedures
Deploying unit commanders must ensure that stay-back personnel maintain the necessary training, facility access, and equipment to carry on the unit's rear detachment mission.
Develop an environmental SOP that encompasses rear detachment responsibilities and procedures, to include-
• Training rear detachment personnel to assume environmentally related duties.
• Ensuring that the rear detachment has a trained environmental officer.
• Conducting an inventory and walk-through inspection of facilities/supplies between the deploying unit commander and the rear detachment officer in charge. Note all environmentally related issues.
• Ensuring that adequate spill kits are available for rear detachment use.
• Ensuring that rear detachment personnel have access to HM lockers, container express (CONEX), or POL storage bins.
EMPLOYMENT
3-20. The employment of military forces often creates a significant impact on the environment. While much of this impact is unavoidable, commanders must seek to minimize its impact to the greatest practical extent. Reducing or mitigating environmental damage serves to support U.S. goals. Protecting the environment and the health of military and civilian personnel reduces long-term reconstruction and medical costs, supports I0, and aligns with U.S. national values.
INTELLIGENCE PREPARATION OF THE BATTLEFIELD
3-21. Identifying environmental risks early and developing mitigation plans is essential to avoid unwarranted environmental damage. The IPB process identifies aspects of the operating environment crucial to the commanders' decisionmaking. The engineer and CA staffs must work with the intelligence staff to integrate environmental considerations into the IPB. Geospatial engineers can generate geospatial data, provide geospatial information, and create terrain visualization products to further the staff's analysis of the physical environment and help them visualize those aspects of the terrain that may require additional environmental consideration. By identifying environmental considerations, the other staff elements can develop plans, which take into account various environmental factors (such as terrain, weather, infrastructure, and civil considerations). These considerations may include:
• Potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) sites.
• Potential targets that the enemy may attack to inflict environmental damage.
• Industries and factories that emit, produce, or store TICs/TIMs.
• Location of oil and gas pipelines.
• Potential second- and third-order effects of damage to industrial facilities and WMD sites.
• Endangered species or critical habitats.
• Historic, cultural, or religious sites or structures.
• Ability of the local infrastructure to support environmental considerations (such as sewer and water treatment plants).
• Effect of the weather and the terrain on the potential spread of contaminants.
• Potential force beddown and operating base locations.
• Material and technology used in the AOR that may be hazardous.
ENVIRONMENTAL RECONNAISSANCE
3-22. Environmental reconnaissance focuses on the collection of technical information on existing environmental conditions and the identification of environmentally sensitive areas or areas of relative environmental concern. Planners use the information they collect to assess the impact of military operations on the environment and identify potential environmental impacts on safety and other aspects of protection. With adequate information on both risks, planners can mitigate the impact of environmental concerns on the operation. (See the vignette on page 3-12 for an example.)
3-23. Environmental reconnaissance is a multidisciplinary task best conducted by a base team augmented as necessary with additional expertise. The engineer will likely be responsible for coordinating environmental reconnaissance but should rely on other branches for help, depending on expected areas of concern and required expertise. In many circumstances, however, a team may consist of one to two personnel with limited experience. To obtain effective results, commanders and staffs must work to coordinate for and obtain additional expertise or, at a minimum, additional training support before conducting an environmental reconnaissance.
3-24. Many operations require fixed facilities, structures, or other real property as logistics, command and control, administration, communications, billeting, and maintenance areas. Planners must ensure that any hazards from HM/HW, POL, CBRN contamination, disease vectors, and other contamination sources (such as open sewers or medical waste) are identified and mitigated, if possible, before the unit occupies the site. Planners must also understand the site layout and the layout of the surrounding civilian infrastructure to help determine overall site suitability and to plan for locating various base camp/installation functions. In addition to protecting military personnel and civilians, an environmental baseline survey (defined as an assessment or study done on an area of interest [a property] in order to define the environmental state or condition of that property prior to use by military forces. Used to determine the environmental impact of property use by military forces and the level of environmental restoration needed prior to returning the property upon their departure) will also help determine site condition before occupation, thereby limiting liability to U.S. forces for any damage incurred. If the tactical situation permits, commanders conduct or direct an EBS before occupying any of these sites. An EBS is typically performed by or with support from engineer elements. However, units may conduct an initial site assessment without assistance from engineer elements. Ideally, units will conduct a full EBS in conjunction with an EHSA. Appendix E provides additional information.
Issue
EBS prevents Soldiers' and Marines' exposure to toxic substances during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Discussion
U.S. and coalition forces occupied former Soviet bases during Operation Enduring Freedom. They discovered a stockpile of leaking electrical transformers. The commanders' risk assessment determined that due to their age, these transformers potentially contained carcinogens. Subsequently, the commanders determined that the risk to Soldiers and Marines, the cost of cleanup, and the value of the real estate parcel to mission needs did not warrant immediate removal of the transformers. However, as a risk mitigation procedure, the site was effectively marked and posted as a hazardous area and recorded on the EBS document.
During its real-world mission, the unit employed proper risk assessment procedures acquired through training scenarios. By taking the necessary precautions, the commanders protected Soldiers and Marines from an environmental hazard and helped safeguard the mission and Soldier and Marine health and well-being. Doing the right thing came as second nature.
Techniques and Procedures
To help safeguard the health and well-being of Soldiers and Ma