Chapter 5
Garrison and Training Considerations
This chapter discusses environmental considerations in routine unit actions while in garrison and during training activities. Integrating environmental considerations is a constant in planning, as is CRM, but specific risks or considerations may be of reduced importance. During garrison and training activities, environmental considerations typically receive higher priority and are more focused on sustainability. Federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations tend to dictate unit actions. Violating these statues may result in punitive actions. Commanders must be aware of the various installation and other requirements and integrate these requirements into their command environmental programs.
GARRISON CONSIDERATIONS
5-1. Military units occupy installations, which contain varying environmental requirements. In addition, USAR units must comply with their own federal, state, and local requirements. Commanders develop command environmental programs to ensure unit compliance with outside requirements and in support of unit operations during deployment.
5-2. Installations must adhere to a multitude of federal, state, and local laws and regulations in which most are integrated into various Service manuals. As commanders develop their command environmental programs, they must be aware of these requirements-which are generally much more stringent than during force projection operations and can impact the way in which units conduct their daily administrative, logistic, maintenance, and training operations. Units must be familiar with installation, range, and training area requirements and maintain a liaison with installation environmental and public works managers to ensure that the development of command environmental programs meets the necessary requirements.
5-3. Industrial operations, acquisition services, and training area management support the installation's routine missions. They also provide significant support to operations during mobilization/demobilization and deployments/redeployments. Units may avoid unanticipated costs and delays with proper environmental considerations and integrated planning functions. They must therefore coordinate with installation personnel when support requirements are expected to increase, as in the following circumstances:
• Number of troops. Large numbers of troop units may cause an installation to exceed its air, wastewater, and storm water discharge permit levels.
• Operational pace. Additional natural resource or special use permits are required as the operational pace in the training area increases.
• Transportation. Temporary marshalling areas are required at points of departure or railheads to relieve overcrowded transportation facilities.
• Temporary storage. Offloading fuel and POLs at points of departure and railheads increases the likelihood of spills and places additional requirements for temporary storage on installation industrial operations.
Environmental Management System
5-4. To comply with EO 13423 and other environmental laws and regulations, the Army uses an
Environmental Management System based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
14001 model. The ISO 14001 provides a set of internationally recognized criteria for an Environmental Management System. It employs a continual cycle of environmental policy, planning, implementation, and operation; checking and corrective actions; and management review. An Environmental Management System helps to avoid environmental problems by increasing awareness and developing sustainable activities and processes. Units must be aware of the installation's Environmental Management System program and develop their command environmental programs accordingly.
Installation Sustainability
5-5. Many installations have recently embraced the concept of sustainability and taken initial steps toward creating a sustainable military. A sustainable military simultaneously meets mission requirements worldwide, safeguards human health, improves quality of life, and sustains the natural environment. This comprehensive revision of doctrine, force structure, training, and equipment provides a unique opportunity and the obligation to integrate and institutionalize environmental protection and stewardship with installation sustainability throughout the military. Commanders develop plans to support installation sustainability goals, including the following areas:
• Energy conservation.
• Fuel conservation.
• P2.
• Recycling programs.
• HM/HW minimization.
• Soil and water conservation.
• Installation natural resource management plans.
5-6. Figure 5-1 describes the continual improvement process. The continual improvement process forms an integral part of installation sustainability.
Figure 5·1. Continual improvement
Garrison and Training Considerations
TRAINING CONSIDERATIONS
5-7. Operational readiness depends on sufficient land for training individuals and units. Without adequate training areas, training opportunities would rapidly diminish. This decline would cause a reduction in military ability to effectively train to conduct its mission across full spectrum operations. Therefore, to ensure that the military maintains a highly trained force, it must identify ways to sustain the natural environment while executing its mission across full spectrum operations.
5-8. Integrated training area management (ITAM) is a key part of the Army's commitment to realistic training according to doctrinal-based standards and under realistic combat conditions. The purpose of ITAM is to achieve optimum sustainable use of training lands by implementing a uniform program that includes-
• Inventorying and monitoring land conditions.
• Integrating training requirements with carrying capacity.
• Educating land users to conduct their activities in a way that minimizes adverse impacts.
• Providing for land rehabilitation and maintenance.
5-9. Along with the ITAM, units must consider all aspects of the natural environment. Laws impacting training are integrated into installation regulations and impact the way that units train. These laws include the following:
• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• Clean Air Act.
• Clean Water Act.
• ESA.
• Sikes Act.
• National Historic Preservation Act.
• Noise Control Act of 1972.
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
5-10. To help ensure sustainable practices and to comply with these and other environmental policies, laws, and regulations, leaders and personnel should-
• Avoid operations in or near cultural, archaeological, or historical sites, artifacts, and structures.
• Identify and reduce sources of air pollution (such as dust control in training areas, excessive emissions from poorly maintained vehicles, or parts washer emissions).
• Ensure that riot control and smoke agents are used only in authorized training/tactical scenarios.
• Plan and conduct training and operations to avoid surface water (defined as all water naturally open to the atmosphere [rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, streams, impoundments, seas, or estuaries] and all springs, wells, or other collectors directly influenced by surface water) and groundwater (defined as a body of water, generally within the boundaries of a watershed, that exists in the internal passageways of porous geological formations [aquifers] and flows in response to gravitational forces) areas where possible.
• Supervise to ensure that released or spilled vehicle fluids do not contaminate surface water or groundwater by taking immediate corrective action should a spill occur.
• Plan missions to reduce the possibility of erosion, and prohibit using live vegetation for camouflage (unless permitted), driving or parking vehicles close to trees, and cutting trees without permission from range control or from the installation forester.
• Avoid tactical maneuvers in erosion-susceptible areas and refill fighting positions.
• Make maximum use of existing roads and trails.
• Recognize threatened and endangered species habitat, and avoid it during training and operations. Also, avoid actions that could harm protected plants and animals and their habitats.
• Mark environmentally sensitive areas as restricted movement areas during field training.
• Write HM/HW and solid waste collections, disposals, and turn-ins into the training scenarios as they would be experienced in the operation (local landfills, recyclers, transport to centralized facility) to enforce realistic training. Compliance with U.S./installation policy should be transparent to the unit.
• Incorporate restricted areas into training/tactical scenarios (for example, identify them as minefields or other restricted terrain).