Chapter 6
Environmental Responsibilities and Duties
Commanders, staffs, subordinate leaders, and individual Soldiers and Marines must understand their individual duties and responsibilities for environmental sustainment and become environmental stewards. To practice stewardship, all personnel must understand the basic environmental management responsibilities that apply to their work area or assigned duties. They must also understand what their roles and responsibilities are with respect to incorporating environmental considerations into the conduct of operations. This includes not only the specific planning process for those missions but also the integration of environmental considerations into all the training their unit undertakes.
COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES
6-1. Command and staff environmental responsibilities vary by echelon and position. While certain elements include more extensive or better-defined environmental responsibilities, almost all positions contain an environmental component.
BRIGADE/BATTALION LEVEL
6-2. An effective brigadelbattalion environmental program begins with the establishment of command policies and SOPs. These documents integrate installation and operational requirements into daily routines. Command environmental programs always include guidance for subordinate commanders, staffs, subordinate leaders, and personnel.
COMMANDER
6-3. AR 200-1; AR 700-141; DA Pamphlet (Pam) 700-142, Part 651, Title 32, CFR (32 CFR 651); and
MCO P5090.2A specify the commander's environmental responsibilities. These include-
• Complying with the installation environmental policy and appropriate federal, state, and local laws and regulations (see appendix A).
• Developing an environmental SOP (see Appendix J) and ensuring that it contains all environmental considerations and regulatory requirements right for the level of command.
• Promoting environmental stewardship.
• Understanding the links between environmental considerations and the associated impact on safety and other aspects of protection and FHP.
• Appointing an environmental officer (see Appendix H) and an HW coordinator (these duties may be combined into a single position) at the proper level and ensuring that they are properly trained.
• Ensuring that all environmental training mandated by law occurs.
• Addressing environmental concerns throughout the training cycle.
• Conducting an environmental self-assessment or an internal environmental performance assessment.
6-4. When deployed, commanders will often work with base camps. Base camps-though not installations-are comparable to small towns and require many of the considerations applied to installations. A mayor assists the base camp commander with the control of base operations. A base camp
coordination agency may provide expertise and support to the commander, largely through its subordinate base camp assistance/assessment team. This team maintains environmental expertise, supports the base camp commander and the designated mayor of the base camp, provides technical recommendations, and maintains appropriate standards.
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
6-5. As the commander's principal staff officer, the executive officer directs staff tasks and coordination and ensures efficient and prompt staff response. The executive officer is responsible for integrating CRM into operations planning and execution. As a supervisor, the executive officer also ensures that all staff members analyze operational effects on the environment and assess the environmental status, while the S-3 integrates environmental planning and execution into the operations.
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR
6-6. The command sergeant major is the senior enlisted trainer and spokesperson, who enforces established environmental policies and standards for enlisted personnel and ensures that subordinate noncommissioned officers (NCOs) do the same. Command sergeant major duties include-
• Providing advice and making recommendations to the commander and staff on matters pertaining to environmental sustainability.
• Assisting with inspecting command activities and facilities as prescribed by the commander.
• Ensuring adherence to command environmental policies.
• Ensuring that newly assigned enlisted personnel are instructed in command regulations or policies relating to environmental stewardship.
• Assessing environmental training at all levels and providing feedback to appropriate commanders and leaders.
• Noting environmental deficiencies and initiating appropriate corrective action.
PRIMARY STAFF
6-7. Whether developing the running estimate, the protection levels, or the EBS, environmental protection requires that each staff member actively participate. Environmental factors may influence a wide range of activities or require a significant expenditure of resources. A single point of contact for all environmental considerations is neither effective nor efficient.
6-8. Unit staffs are responsible for certain environmental actions within their areas of expertise. While some of these responsibilities may depend on the command or commander, all staffs undertake many of them. Unit SOPs at battalion and company levels incorporate specific responsibilities.
6-9. Unit staffs also integrate environmental considerations into the planning and execution processes. Common staff duties provide the basis for some environmental responsibilities while FM 5-0 provides a basis for others.
PERSONNEL STAFF OFFICER
6-10. As the principal staff officer for all matters concerning human resources and personnel, the personnel staff officer (S-1) ensures that the command maintains the requisite expertise to fulfill environmental requirements. Depending on the level of the command, experts may include both military and civilian personnel. The S-1 is the coordinating staff officer for the medical officer, the SJA, and the PAO and coordinates environmental issues between these personnel and across the staff.
INTELLIGENCE STAFF OFFICER
6-11. As the staff officer responsible for conducting IPB and defining and characterizing the AO, the intelligence staff officer (S-2) is responsible for incorporating significant environmental factors.
Additionally, the S-2 must collaborate with other staff officers to effectively coordinate environmental intelligence requirements.
OPERATIONS STAFF OFFICER
6-12. The S-3 is responsible for ensuring that any significant collateral environmental damage caused by command-directed operations is understood and approved by the commander in the MDMP. The S-3 establishes and supervises the command training programs. These programs include providing environmental skill and awareness training to support the unit's mission. The S-3 also ensures that the unit protects and maintains training areas. As the overall ground manager and planner for troop movements, bivouacking, and quartering, the S-3 understands and considers environmental vulnerabilities during operations. The S-3 also requires and coordinates for the initial and the final EBSs before occupying or leaving a site.
6-13. The S-3 may assign special missions to tactical units to secure and safeguard critical environmental resources, such as wastewater treatment plants in urban areas. When appropriate, the S-3 prepares counterterrorism and security plans to combat possible environmental sabotage. The S-3 must coordinate with the engineer coordinator (ENCOORD), the S-2, the CA staff officer, and the unit surgeon to establish environmental vulnerability protection levels.
LOGISTICS STAFF OFFICER
6-14. As the principal staff officer integrating supply, maintenance, and services for the command, the S-4 oversees many functions with a potential for generating HW. Significant environmental issues for logisticians include procurement, transportation, storage, distribution, and disposal of HM/HW. The S-4 establishes procedures for requisitioning, storing, reducing, and controlling HM and recommends command policies for solid waste and HM/HW disposal. The S-4 also recommends command policies for P2 and, in coordination with the S-3, oversees and coordinates the preparation of spill prevention and response plans.
6-15. In staff planning and in supervising food, bath, and laundry services, the S-4 ensures that the staff exercises and implements appropriate controls over wastes and effluents. The S-4 is responsible for constructing facilities and installations and for controlling real property, including EBSs, upon occupation and redeployment.
6-16. The S-4 coordinates property disposal actions (such as the disposal of HM/HW and medical waste) and establishes the authority to conduct nonstandard supply operations for HM requisitioning. The S-4 office tracks disposal actions on the unit's document register, prepares the proper turn-in documentation, and maintains turn-in receipts. To perform these actions, the S-4 coordinates with the appropriate DOD activities, to include DRMO, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Logistics Civilian Augmentation Program.
CIVIL AFFAIRS STAFF OFFICER
6-17. As the principal staff officer for all matters concerning CA, the CA officer is familiar with the relationships between the local populace and their environment. These relationships include an understanding of the underlying causes of the conflict, the threats to public health, and knowledge of critical vulnerabilities to the disruption of environmental services, such as clean water or useable croplands. Environmental services are defined as the various combinations of scientific, technical, and advisory activities (including modification processes such as the influence of man-made and natural factors) required to acquire, produce, and supply information on the past, present, and future states of space, atmospheric, oceanographic, and terrestrial surroundings for use in military planning and decisionmaking processes or to modify those surroundings to enhance military operations.
6-18. In conjunction with the SJA, the CA officer advises the commander of the legal and moral obligations regarding the long- and short-term effects (economical, environmental, and health) of military operations on civilian populations. The CA officer also must coordinate with the fire support coordinator to protect culturally significant sites and targets. In many areas of the world, these obligations include protecting critical environmental resources. Along with the SJA, the CA officer should also be familiar with local environmental laws, especially in overseas deployment areas. The CA officer may supervise CA units assisting local governments with environmental protection services. Finally, the CA officer also serves as the coordinator for foreign nation support and indigenous labor and coordinates with the SJA on civilian claims against the U.S. government for environmental damage.
SPECIAL STAFF
6-19. Special staff officers have functional environmental responsibilities. The following are the key special staff officers with environmental protection expertise and responsibilities.
MEDICAL OFFICER
6-20. The medical officer advises the commander and the staff on regional health matters within the commander's area of interest. The medical officer will-
• Advise on medical threats, including environmental, endemic, and epidemic diseases.
• Conduct pre- and post-health assessments.
• Conduct medical surveillance activities.
• Monitor environmental and occupational health hazards, pest management, food service sanitation, drinking water supplies, field hygiene, and sanitation activities.
6-21. The medical officer also maintains direct access to environmental, preventive medicine, and public health services. He provides health risk assessment guidance to support the commander's CRM decisionmaking process. The medical officer relates the effects of environmental hazards to the environmental health of personnel. In more demanding situations, the medical officer may rely on the capabilities of the Army Medical Laboratory and USACHPPM to assist in providing recommendations to the commander. The commander and the unit staff may call on the medical officer to assist in determining the public health implications of damage to critical environmental resources.
CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR OFFICER
6-22. The CBRN officer is the special staff officer responsible for using and requiring chemical assets, CBRN defense, and obscuration operations. A CBRN officer exists at every echelon of command and integrates chemical reconnaissance assets to assist in performing site assessments. In conjunction with the medical officer, the CBRN officer advises the commander with information to understand the current and predicted situation while providing actual and potential impacts of CBRN hazards and their effects on personnel and equipment.
ENGINEER COORDINATOR
6-23. The ENCOORD is the special staff officer for coordinating engineer assets and operations for the command. As the senior engineer officer in the force, the ENCOORD will-
• Advise the commander on environmental issues.
• Work with other staff officers to determine the impact of operations on the environment.
• Assist the commander in integrating environmental considerations into the MDMP.
• Integrate geospatial engineering throughout the operations process.
• Plan and coordinate environmental protection, critical areas, and protection levels.
6-24. The ENCOORD works with the S-4 in performing site assessments for installations and facilities. He and the SJA advise the commander on the necessity for environmental assessment (defined as a study to determine if significant environmental impacts are expected from a proposed action). When a project has mitigating environmental impacts that do not call for a complete environmental impact statement, the agency can develop an environmental assessment for site-specific projects to meet foreign nation or EO 12114 requirements. The ENCOORD is also responsible for advising the S-2 on significant environmental factors and integrating these impacts into the IPB process.
TRANSPORTATION OFFICER
6-25. The transportation officer plans and supervises administrative movements. When these movements contain HM/HW, the transportation officer ensures that unit personnel follow applicable laws and regulations. These requirements include the following:
• Training personnel.
• Manifesting cargo.
• Inspecting loads.
• Segregating loads.
• Marking vehicles.
• Arranging for hazardous cargo routes (as necessary).
MAINTENANCE OFFICER
6-26. The maintenance officer plans and supervises maintenance and repair activities. In many instances, these activities require significant quantities of HM and generate HW. The maintenance officer ensures safe use, storage, and disposal of these materials-which often includes operating temporary storage areas for products, such as used oils, contaminated fuels, paint residues, spill cleanup residues, and solvents. Since maintenance personnel work with hazardous chemicals, the maintenance officer must ensure that all personnel comply with HAZCOM requirements.
PERSONAL STAFF
6-27. Some staffs involve personal staff officers who work under the immediate control of the commander, giving him direct access to them. The commander establishes guidelines or gives specific guidance to the personal staff officer who informs or coordinates with the chief of staff or other members of the staff.
STAFF JUDGE ADVOCATE
6-28. The SJA advises the commander on compliance with environmental laws, regulations, treaties, and conventions. He also writes or interprets SOFAs. The SJA provides legal advice and assistance concerning contracts, health care, environmental matters, and compensation matters. The SJA helps other staff officers to understand the legal aspects involved in their respective specialties.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
6-29. Public perceptions of environmental threats may be more significant to mission accomplishment than the threat itself. The PAO advises the commander on methods of conveying information and responding to information from the public. When deployed overseas, the PAO coordinates with appropriate staff and commanders to plan and execute public relations efforts in support of the mission objectives. In CONUS, various environmental laws require public involvement. The PAO identifies and prepares plans for meeting these requirements.
UNIT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES
6-30. In addition to senior command and staff responsibilities, small units must meet similar requirements. In general, these requirements mirror those of senior commands but are directed to a different scale and echelon.
UNIT COMMANDER
6-31. The commander's role in environmental sustainment centers on building an environmental ethic within personnel by training and counseling subordinates on environmental stewardship, leading by example, and enforcing compliance with laws and regulations. Commanders will-
• Communicate environmental ethics to assigned personnel while training them to be good environmental stewards.
• Develop and sustain a positive and proactive commitment to environmental protection.
• Protect the environment during training and other activities.
• Train peers and subordinates to identify the environmental effects of plans, actions, and missions.
• Counsel personnel on the importance of protecting the environment and the possible consequences of noncompliance.
• Understand the links between environmental considerations and the associated impacts on safety and other aspects of protection and FHP.
EXECUTIVE OFFICER/OPERATIONS OFFICER
6-32. As the commander's principal company officer, the executive officer is responsible for the day-to- day operations of the company. The executive officer/operations officer will-
• Identify environmental risks associated with individual, collective, and mission-essential tasks.
• Plan and conduct environmentally sustainable actions and training.
• Analyze the influence of environmental factors on mission accomplishment.
• Integrate environmental considerations into unit activities.
• Ensure that personnel are familiar with unit SOPs and supervise their compliance with laws and regulations.
• Incorporate environmental considerations into after-action reviews (AARs).
• Oversee the environmental officer's performance.
FIRST SERGEANT
6-33. As an essential member of the command team, the first sergeant must be tactically and technically competent and totally committed to the Soldiers and Marines, their mission, and the military. The first sergeant will-
• Manage the field sanitation section of the unit SOP (see Appendix J).
• Train the field sanitation team.
• Incorporate personal hygiene and preventive medicine measures.
• Maintain water supply in the field.
• Maintain waste disposal in the field.
• Inspect unit activities and facilities to identify environmental issues and discrepancies and initiate corrective action.
• Assist the commander in planning, conducting, evaluating, and assessing unit environmental training.
• Ensure that personnel providing environmental training are training to standard.
MAINTENANCE OFFICER
6-34. The maintenance officer/NCO plans and supervises maintenance and repair activities. In many instances, these activities use significant quantities of HM and generate HW. The maintenance officer/NCO ensures that personnel are safely using, storing/accumulating, and disposing of these materials. This may include operating temporary storage areas for products such as used oils, contaminated
fuels, paint residues, spill cleanup residues, and solvents. Since maintenance personnel work with hazardous chemicals, the maintenance officer must ensure that all personnel comply with HAZCOM requirements. Maintenance supervisors-
• Maintain MSDS for their AO (see Appendix K).
• Provide required PPE.
• Set up field expedient satellite accumulation points for HW collection.
• Ensure that personnel wear the proper PPE.
• Ensure that maintenance personnel properly manage HM/HW (see Appendix F).
• Ensure that sufficient HW containers are available.
• Prepare a spill response plan.
• Provide trained spill response teams.
SUPPLY PERSONNEL
6-35. HM and HW should be managed through the unit supply channel. Support platoons within the maneuver and forward support battalions supply HM to tactical units at designated logistics release points and should, at the same time, retrograde HW for proper storage and disposal. Supply personnel-
• Supply HM within the company.
• Retrograde HW from the company to the battalion storage area.
• Maintain a log of all HW accumulated within the company storage area (see Appendix F).
• Coordinate with the unit environmental officer, as appropriate.
• Complete the appropriate turn-in documents for HW generated by the company.
• Coordinate with the battalion S-4 for final transport or disposal of HW.
PLATOON LEADER/SERGEANT
6-36. The platoon leader/sergeant role in environmental sustainability centers on building an environmental ethic in their Soldiers and Marines by training and counseling subordinates in environmental stewardship, leading by example, and enforcing compliance with laws and regulations. Leaders-
• Communicate the environmental ethic to Soldiers and Marines while training them as good environmental stewards.
• Develop and sustain a positive and proactive commitment to environmental protection.
• Understand the links between environmental considerations and their associated impact on safety and other aspects of protection and FHP.
• Identify environmental risks associated with individual, collective, and mission essential tasks.
• Plan and conduct environmentally sustainable actions and training.
• Analyze the influence of environmental factors on mission accomplishment.
• Integrate environmental considerations into unit activities.
• Counsel Soldiers and Marines on the importance of protecting the environment and the possible consequences of noncompliance.
• Ensure that Soldiers and Marines are familiar with unit SOPs (see Appendix J) and supervise their compliance with laws and regulations.
• Incorporate environmental considerations into AARs.
• Coordinate with unit environmental officer(s), as appropriate.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE OFFICER
6-37. The environmental compliance officer accomplishes environmental compliance requirements on behalf of the commander. While this position is not a formal staff position, the environmental compliance officer is critical to the commander's environmental program (see Appendix H).
SOLDIERS AND MARINES
6-38. Soldiers and Marines maintain inherent professional and personal responsibility for understanding and supporting the unit environmental program. Soldiers and Marines-
• Comply with environmental requirements in unit and installation SOPs (see Appendix J).
• Attend the required environmental awareness training.
• Maintain environmental awareness throughout daily activities.
• Provide recommendations to the chain of command on techniques to ensure compliance with environmental regulatory requirements.
• Identify the environmental risks associated with individual and team tasks.
• Support recycling programs.
• Report HM/HW spills immediately.
• Make sound environmental decisions based on guidance from the chain of command, training received, and individual concepts of right and wrong.