The mission and the environment: keeping the balance in the big picture

Defense AT&L, Nov-Dec, 2007 by Philip W. Grone

Philip W. Grone was appointed as the deputy under secretary of defense for installations and environment (I & E) in November 2004. He has management and oversight responsibilities for military installations worldwide, with a land area covering over 50,000 square miles and containing 577,000 buildings and structures valued at more than $712 billion. Grone talked with Defense AT & L in August about various aspects of his mission, including base realignment and closure and integrating installations and environmental considerations into the weapons acquisition process.

Q

You've served as the deputy under secretary of defense for installations and environment since November 2004 and as that post's principal assistant deputy since September 2001. Can we start with an overview of your major roles and responsibilities?

A

The Department of Defense administers one of the largest global, specialized real property portfolios, with a land area covering over 50,000 square miles and containing 577,000 buildings and structures valued at more then $712 billion. Within our facilities management responsibilities, this office oversees the development of installation capabilities, programs, and budgets; base realignment and closure; the privatization of military housing; installation energy management; competitive sourcing; and integration of installations and environmental needs into the weapons acquisition process.

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Additionally, we have responsibility for environmental management; conservation of natural and cultural resources; environmental research and technology; fire protection; safety and occupational health; and explosives safety. I also have the privilege to serve as the Department's representative to the Federal Real Property Council, which consists of the senior interagency property management team; and I'm the secretary of defense's designee to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Q

A major effort during your tenure has been the 2005 BRAC--base realignment and closure. The changes were necessary to support ongoing force transformation, improve the joint utilization of assets, and--in your own words--"to convert waste to warfighting." What results have you realized to date from this major initiative?

A

With congressional authorization, the secretary of defense initiated the 2005 BRAC process to rationalize the base infrastructure within the United States in support of the Department's long-term strategic capabilities. The Department's goals included transforming the current and future force and its support systems to meet new threats; eliminating excess physical capacity; rationalizing the base infrastructure to the new defense strategy; maximizing both warfighting capability and efficiency; and examining opportunities for joint activities.

The 2005 BRAC included over 200 closures and realignment recommendations involving more than 800 installations throughout the United States. This BRAC round consisted of 24 major closures (that is, installations with a plant replacement value in excess of $100 million) and 24 major realignments (400 or more net reduction of military and civilian personnel).

We estimate it will cost approximately $31 billion to implement these recommendations, and we estimate we will save approximately $4 billion annually after 2011. The annual recurring savings for this BRAC round is estimated to be twice as large as any previous round and almost as much as all four past rounds combined.

The Department is on track to implement all realignments and closures by the statutory deadline of Sept. 15, 2011.

A key element of BRAC involves the disposal of assets and community redevelopment. The Department has recognized more than 120 local redevelopment authorities, or LRAs, that are responsible for creating a redevelopment plan for property made available for civilian reuse as a result of BRAC and for directing implementation of the plan. The majority of these communities, with assistance from the Office of Economic Adjustment, are presently working to develop a consensus for redevelopment that reflects the specific market forces, public-facility and Service needs, and private sector circumstances at each location, and to gauge local homeless and community economic development interests in those properties. At the same time, efforts are being made between the LRAs and the military departments to link local civilian redevelopment activities with DoD's environmental and property disposal efforts, including any necessary environmental remediation.

Q

This round of BRAC also looked specifically at the industrial activities of the Department on a joint basis. All aspects--from medical functions to supply and storage--were assessed from a joint perspective to help provide the most efficient military structure. How is this focus different from previous BRAC decisions?

A

The Department's BRAC process for 2005 created an analytic framework and a review and oversight process that were substantially strengthened from those in previous rounds. The Department conducted the process with an eye to ensuring that we assessed capacity across the installations maintained by the military services for the best joint use possible. Early on in the process, the secretary of defense reviewed and approved those functions within the Department that received joint cross-Service analysis and the metrics for that analysis. While the Services evaluated their unique functions, those determined to be common business-oriented functions (the functions that exist in more than one Service and/or reside in the private sector) were evaluated jointly. In this round, we learned from past experience and chose to take a broader enterprise view. Rather than jointly assessing only depots or labs, for example (as was done in prior rounds), we broadened the analysis to industrial processes and our entire technical base. We also added jointly to the mix, functions, such as headquarters, that had not been previously assessed. This gave the Department the best opportunity to realign mission and basing to joint warfighting solutions.