2020 Report on REPI Program Outcomes and Benefits to Military Mission Capabilities

Authors: Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program is a key tool for combating encroachment that can limit or restrict military training, testing, and operations. The REPI program facilitates cost-sharing partnerships between the Military Departments, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and private conservation organizations to help relieve or avoid land use conflicts near military installations and address regulatory restrictions that inhibit military activities. These partnerships, authorized by Congress in 10 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 2684a, preserve and enhance military readiness by providing base and range commanders with the flexibility necessary to optimally conduct their critical missions. This report leverages data submitted by the Military Services to demonstrate the REPI program’s outcomes and benefits to military readiness. The report’s key findings are summarized below.

ENCROACHMENT IS THREATENING MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AND RANGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Encroachment, defined as pressures adversely affecting the military’s use of testing, training, and operational lands, is a widespread and growing challenge that DoD must continue to address. Based on available REPI project data, the three most common restrictors of military activity are noise complaints, tall structures, and danger or safety zone regulations. As discussed in Section 2, 91 percent of the 66 proposals submitted in fiscal year (FY) 2020 report at least one of these three restrictions. Accordingly, a majority of REPI funds seek to mitigate or prevent these restrictions.

ENCROACHMENT IMPACTS ARE SET TO EXPAND RAPIDLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE

Section 2 highlights the ongoing trend of natural and agricultural buffer lands converting to residential and commercial properties that restrain military operations. Family farms and large timber companies are declining while transportation, utility, and other infrastructure networks are expanding across lands that were previously viewed as undesirable to developers. The rapid expansion of development has and will continue to exacerbate a challenging situation for installations and ranges. Roughly half of properties targeted by the Military Services as part of their most recent REPI project funding requests are at risk of incompatible development within six months and another quarter within the next two years. Protection of these parcels is time sensitive. Once these lands are subdivided and developed, the loss of their military training value is likely irreversible. For example, a rifle range was permanently closed at Camp Butner which is located north of Durham, North Carolina, due to noise complaints. Helicopter training noise complaints have grown recently, and with even more development near Camp Butner expected, operations could be further restricted.

ESSENTIAL MISSION CAPABILITIES ARE INCREASINGLY CHALLENGED BY ENCROACHMENT

Encroachment currently restricts or potentially threatens a wide variety of mission-critical activities across air, land, sea, and frequency spectrum domains. Specifically, encroachment is threatening fixed-wing and rotary-winged flight training, unmanned aircraft system operations, and radar and navigation activities. Section 3 illustrates that

acreage protected through REPI helps to preserve or enhance specific critical capabilities.

REPI’S MINIMAL INVESTMENT HELPS TO PROTECT DOD’S HIGH-VALUE ASSETS FROM COSTLY WORKAROUNDS

REPI is preserving and enhancing valuable DoD assets for a small fraction of what it costs to build, modernize, and replace them. The Department spends billions of dollars in military construction (MILCON), capital improvement, and maintenance of its facilities and equipment. To modernize and maintain unfettered access to key capabilities for decades into the future, DoD must leverage tools to protect these assets from known or potential encroachment threats. Section 4 validates REPI as an effective and cost-efficient way to preserve and enhance the military’s capabilities. For example, Joint Base San Antonio – Camp Bullis leveraged $7 million in DoD funding with almost $27M million in external partner contributions to help preserve or enhance $108 million in MILCON investments to accommodate the installation’s expanding force and training capabilities such as $8 million for 21 ranges, a shoot house, and a combined arms combat training facility. In fact, the sum of all assets and capabilities supported by REPI and valued between $1 million and $100 million is over $5.9 billion.

REPI HAS SAVED THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE $850 MILLION BY LEVERAGING PARTNER CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMPLETE TRANSACTIONS

The REPI program is a cost-effective and efficient approach to sustaining military readiness. The program helps to prevent suboptimal test and training, costly construction of new ranges to replace encroached assets, and relocation of operational missions. Since Congress enacted 10 U.S.C. § 2684a in 2002, REPI partnership agreements have attracted contributions from federal agencies, state and local governments, conservation organizations, and other private organizations that nearly match the investments made by the Department. Through partnerships, the REPI program has achieved a total cost savings of over $850 million, close to 50 percent, for DoD through FY 2019.

While 13 REPI projects are already complete, the Military Services are proposing new projects and requesting funding for existing projects every year as described in Section 5. Through the end of FY 2019, DoD has protected 16 percent of land targeted for protection using 10 U.S.C. § 2684a. By preserving and enhancing essential mission capabilities, the REPI program is ensuring our country’s most critical defense infrastructure and assets are available to build a more lethal and resilient combat force in the foreseeable future.