Appendix G
Base Camp Operations
This appendix provides guidelines for integrating environmental considerations into base camp operations. The increase in the number of expeditions and contingency operations has lead to an increased requirement for military personnel to operate from base camp facilities. The establishment of base camps and the occupation of existing facilities (such as ports and airfields) require extensive integration of environmental considerations. These sites, which may approach the size of small cities, can require a tremendous allocation of resources. In addition, they generate wastes in quantities similar to small cities, but without the existing infrastructure to support it. Planning for base camp operations must begin as early as possible in the operation, including in the establishment of environmental guidelines, oversight authority, site selection, and camp operating procedures. Refer to FM 3-34.400 for additional information.
BASE CAMP OVERSIGHT AND PLANNING
G-l. Senior commands may establish a base camp coordination agency/JEMB to assist in the conduct of operations. While these agencies perform separate functions, their coordination is important to ensure consistent operations. The base camp coordination agency establishes the standards for and coordinates the location, construction, and occupancy of base camps and installations. The JEMB establishes and coordinates policy for environmental matters. While sometimes referred to as a "temporary" board, the JEMB is a requirement as long as there are base camps and similar sites to manage. The JEMB may even be created during the planning phase to support the integration of environmental considerations into the planning process. Chaired by the senior engineer or a member of his staff, the JEMB includes primary staff membership (such as legal, medical, and CA) expertise to round out input for all environmental considerations. By working together, these two agencies may complement each other's efforts.
G-2. Base camp planning is typically initiated at a joint level and is a function of the collaboration between operators and logisticians as they attempt to define the number, the size, and the locations of potential base camps to support a deployment and the questions related to the standards (construction and other) that will be applied to each base camp. Staff assessments are collated by the engineer and fed into the base camp planning process. For each site, a base camp development site plan is developed with a supporting base camp development plan. The base camp development plan is a set of interrelated documents that record the planning process for laying out, determining the scope, and initiating implementing actions for the base camp.
Site Selection
G-3. The selection of base camp and installation sites is critical to the integration of environmental considerations. While the tactical situation may often dictate the locations, whenever possible environmental considerations need to be integrated into the decision process. Units must avoid areas that may contain contamination, such as industrial facilities and other areas that include or are adjacent to landfills or other health hazards. In addition, military personnel should not be billeted in structures such as ammunition bunkers or aircraft hangers for extended periods of time to avoid exposure to TIC/TIM hazards. Some areas of consideration in site selection include-
• Presence of TIC/TIM or HM/HW hazards (including asbestos and PCBs).
• Industrial facilities in the area that may subject personnel to contaminants.
• Potential for dust or noise.
• Landfills and waste dumps.
• Drainage (both into and from the site).
• Proximity to civilian populations.
• Adequate space for HM/HW and POL storage and protection.
• Adequate space for latrine and gray water facilities.
• Existing environmental infrastructure, such as water and sewer.
• Overall safety of structures on the site.
• Proximity to areas of standing water that may spread illness.
• Possible endangered species or critical habitats.
• Presence of historical, cultural, or religious sites.
• Interference with the normal routine of the local civilians.
G-4. Although not all of these criteria may be met, a good balance of factors will help to ensure the protection of the environment and the health of Soldiers and Marines. As always, the tactical mission and the requirements of protection will also weigh heavily on any base camp locations. The EBS is an important part of determining site suitability.
Environmental Baseline Surveys
G-5. An EBS (see Appendix E) should be conducted within 30 days of site occupation. This survey helps to address three primary issues: the identification of risk factors, the determination of initial site conditions, and assistance in base camp or installation layout. Environmental and safety risks to the health of Soldiers, Marines, and local civilians may be determined by investigating the site. This helps determine the overall site suitability for occupation. Factors such as evidence of environmental contamination, landfills, and surrounding land/industrial uses may impact site suitability. Determining initial site conditions also helps when comparing the closeout EBS; this prevents liability to U.S. forces for damage or contamination that may have been present before site occupation. The existing infrastructure and the surrounding area are surveyed to help planners determine the best locations (from an environmental and health standpoint) for force beddown, maintenance, sanitation, HM/HW and POL storage, and motor pool locations.
G-6. The survey requires personnel with the necessary training and expertise to identify potential hazards and may require the taking of various air, soil, and water samples. It will be helpful to determine previous site usage, hazards on the site, and the potential for hazards generated from areas surrounding the site. Hazards are those generated as a result of military operations and include both those presented to personnel occupying the site and to the surrounding civilian population.
Environmental Health Site Assessment
G-7. An EHSA is conducted to determine whether environmental contaminants from current or prior land use, disease vectors, or other environmental health conditions that could pose health risks to deployed personnel exist at the deployment sites. Additionally, it also identifies industrial facility operations and commodities near the site that could, if damaged or destroyed, release contaminants harmful to personnel. An EHSA is generally conducted in conjunction with an EBS, since the two documents support each other. While the EBS is generally more visual and engineer-related, the EHSA is more analytical (including a greater variety and detail of sampling), with a greater focus on health hazards.
Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health
G-8. Environmental, safety, and occupational health (ESOH) standards should be addressed from a safety and environmental standpoint. Initial site selection, structure use, and repair estimates must include ESOH factors. These include items such as electrical systems; water systems; ventilation; air quality; slip, trip, and fall hazards; structural integrity; PPE; and the use of existing industrial infrastructure, such as overhead lifts, chain hoists, and cable systems.
BASE CAMP LAYOUT
G-9. While all base camps are unique in their layout due to variables (such as terrain, use, size, and type of tenant units), certain relationships between base camp layout and environmental considerations tend to be constant. Considerations with regard to base camp layout include-
• Locating POL and HM/HW storage areas and motor pools away from billeting areas and drainage features.
• Locating latrines and gray water disposal areas away from dining facilities, food storage areas, and water distribution points.
• Locating landfills and burn pits downwind from the camp or from billeting areas when possible.
• Avoiding locating billeting areas in low-lying areas or adjacent to standing water.
BASE CAMP OPERATIONS
G-1O. The operation of base camps and other installations (such as airfields, ports, internment/resettlement facilities, and enemy prisoner of war camps) requires the integration of environmental considerations. Commanders and staffs must identify and use all available knowledge, including reachback capabilities to CONUS, to assist in meeting these challenges. Certain areas of base camp operation require particular attention to avoid environmental impacts and to protect Soldier, Marine, and civilian health and quality of life. Environmental considerations in the development and operation of these sites include the following:
• Field sanitation.
• HM/HW storage, transportation, disposal, and safeguarding.
• Spill response and reporting.
• Potential for base camp or mission expansion.
• POL storage and safeguarding.
• Solid waste disposal sites or waste removal.
• Dust abatement.
• Burn pit locations and operation.
• Latrine and shower facility locations.
• Gray water disposal or removal.
• Mess facility locations.
• Establishment of guidance and policy on ESOH standards.
• Medical and infectious waste storage and disposal.
• Protection against disease vectors (such as rodents and insects).
• Guidelines for pesticide use.
• Motor pool locations.
• Wash rack locations and operation.
• Drainage.
FIELD SANITATION
G-11. The baseline FHP concern for field commanders is in field sanitation. This is directly linked to preventive medicine, which each commander may directly affect as a resident unit of a base camp. For information on unit-focused protective/preventive measures, see FM 4-25.12 and FM 21-1O. Most of these measures should be captured in unit SOPs, and the transition to applying them to base camp standards should be virtually seamless in its application. As standards on the base camp improve, some of these considerations will be alleviated by improvements in camp facilities.
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL/HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
G-12. Controlling and managing HM/HW protects the water, the soil, and the air of a base camp from harmful levels of contamination. The military uses large quantities of HMs, such as fuels, paints, batteries, pesticides, and solvents. Often, these compounds contain acids, metals, and other toxins. The military work environment is at least as conducive to HM/HW spills as is the standard workplace. Given these conditions, U.S. military forces must take extra precautions to ensure that they minimize environmental contamination by hazardous substances. Even low-level exposure to HM may adversely affect the health of Soldiers and Marines. This is one of the first environmental protection issues that should be addressed at base camps. Its FHP aspects cause it to be of critical importance to the base camp commander and the units living there. Appendix F provides additional guidance on HM/HW operations.
PETROLEUM, OIL, AND LUBRICANTS OPERATIONS
G-13. Refueling of vehicles and containers always raises the level of risk that spills will occur. Because refueling operations are a necessity for base camps and the units associated with them, commanders must make them a priority. Spills have significant implications for safety, FHP, and environmental protection- especially the potential effect on water supplies. Because of these realities, POL operations are a focus area for base camps, even in their initial stages of development. In addition, these operations may have a potentially damaging effect to the inhabitants of the base camp. Planning for spills and spill response should already be a part of unit SOPs, and Soldiers and Marines should generally follow these basic procedures in conjunction with base camp guidance. See Appendix F for additional information on POL procedures and spill response.
DUST SUPPRESSION
G-14. Dust created by operations presents both a health hazard and hazard to equipment. Unfortunately, clearing large areas for motor pools, helicopter landing pads, roads, and billeting areas creates significant dust hazards. Various techniques, such as placing larger aggregate paving areas (when feasible), ensuring that vegetative strips remain in place, and applying various chemical dust palliatives help to suppress dust. GTA 05-08-018 and TM 5-830-3 provide additional supporting information.
BASE CAMP SUSTAINMENT
G-15. From an environmental considerations view, sustainment includes periodic inspections of conditions in the form of the ECR and various medical reports in support of FHP. This will support the base camp staff in a similar way to the support provided to an installation commander and staff.
G-16. The longer U.S. forces operate a base camp, the more likely it is that efforts will be made to increase quality of life for the Soldiers and Marines living there. This could occur in a variety of areas. One of the areas that may be impacted is environmental considerations. The reestablishment of a foreign nation government and the ensuing establishment of an FGS for that nation may also affect environmental standards. Compliance requirements may make the adjustment to these standards a requirement rather than a commander's decision.
BASE CAMP CLOSURE
G-17. The closure of a base camp is a part of the initial planning process that identified the need for a given base camp and provided an estimate for its duration. The environmental considerations included in the initial planning must attempt to factor in the end state of a base camp and the requirement to ultimately return the real estate and facilities to a local government. In some cases, restoration involving the removal of pollution and contaminants from the environment may be required. An EBS is included in the process of closure to provide the final snapshot of conditions for documentation. Together with the initial EBS/EHSA and subsequent ECRs/medical inspections, the final EBS provides a picture of the environmental life of a base camp, which may be used to deal with claims against the government (or directed remediation) or to address questions of FHP after the site is no longer occupied by Soldiers and Marines. Areas of environmental concern in the closure of base camps include-
• Removing HM/HW and POL stockpiles.
• Removing soil contaminated by HM/HW or POL.
• Filling in fighting positions and bunkers and removing tactical and communications wires.
• Closing and marking landfills and latrines.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM GOALS AND IMPACTS
G-18. Environmental program areas provide the framework for all programs on an installation to support environmental protection. To a degree, these are also used to support base camps. Although these program areas focus on installation use, they are also relevant for base camps, especially those with a long life where the base camp approaches the standards associated with installations.
G-19. Military programs protecting the environment correspond to legal requirements to protect air, land, water, human health, and natural and cultural resources. Portions of these programs will almost certainly be brought forward to affect life on a base camp. To the degree that they do, table G-1 summarizes program goals and their impacts.
Table G·1. Typical environmental program areas and goals/impacts
G-20. In general, at the battalion level or below, these program requirements are integrated into existing unit programs and procedures. They need not be addressed as separate environmental programs. However, commanders should coordinate with appropriate base camp environmental staff (and the base camp coordination agency and base camp assistance/assessment team) to determine their application.