SustainabiltySustainabiltyBriefingBriefing

96th Air Base Wing96th Air Base Wing

I n t e g r i t y - S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e

…It’s Always the Hour

Colonel Eric Pohland

96 ABW/CV

Eglin Air Force Base • Eglin AFB is the home of the Air

Armament Center, responsible for development, acquisition, testing, and sustainment of all air-delivered weapons.

– 464,000 acres in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties

– Hundreds of thousands of square miles of over-water range

– Over 45 associate units– Over 50 test areas– Multiple terrain features including

shorelines, rolling hills, dense forests, cleared flat expanses, water

Air ForceAir Force Marine CorpsMarine Corps NavyNavyArmyArmy

Eglin’s Current Missions

BRAC and New Mission• BRAC-Congress approved Eglin as

beddown site for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter joint training, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) test site and of the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group.

• Recent beddown of the Air Force Special Operations tilt-rotor aircraft, the CV-22 Osprey, at Hurlburt Field.

• Incoming testing of the Combat Search and Rescue vehicle at Duke Field

– Big challenge to sustain current mission and accept new mission

Joint Strike FighterJoint Strike Fighter CV 22CV 22Army 7th SFGArmy 7th SFG DTRADTRA

Sustainability and StewardshipSustainability of Eglin’s dynamic and robust missions depends on• Stewardship of natural and cultural resources• Effective management of land, water, range and airspace• Support of the State and surrounding communities

– Coordinated Planning • National Environmental Policy Act - BRAC, Military Family Housing• Joint Land-use (JLUS) planning• Emerald Coast Transportation Corridor• Mid-Bay Bridge Transportation Connector

• Leveraging resources – Partnership examples

• NGO - Nature Conservancy, Longleaf Pine Alliance• Regional bodies - Committee for a Sustainable Emerald Coast, Gulf Coastal Plains

Ecosystem Partnership (GCPEP), NW FL Regional Planning Council• Local communities - Shalimar, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Crestview, Navarre,

and Destin• Counties – Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton• Federal Agencies - US Fish and Wildlife, Agriculture, Geological Survey, EPA,

Corps of Engineers • State of Florida - Departments of Environmental Protection, Forestry,

Eglin’s Natural Resources Stewardship Mission

•• Largest natural resources program in Air ForceLargest natural resources program in Air Force•• 280,000 acres in public recreation280,000 acres in public recreation•• 70,000 acres/yr in prescribed burns70,000 acres/yr in prescribed burns

•• 20 miles of beach20 miles of beach•• 19 Federally19 Federally--listed listed

T&E speciesT&E species•• 39 State39 State--listed T&E listed T&E

speciesspecies

Support Eglin AFB in accomplishing its diverse warfighting Support Eglin AFB in accomplishing its diverse warfighting missions through sound natural resources managementmissions through sound natural resources management

•• 300,000 acres in 300,000 acres in longleaf pinelongleaf pine

• Only jeopardy opinion ever received at Eglin AFB cited a lack of information about the species as the reason.

• If that same mission were to come to Eglin today it would happen.

• Good science, good information and good partnerships win every time.

Eglin is a Success Story – Military Testing and Training is Compatible with Natural

Resources Conservation

Sustainability through Environmental Management

Sustainability of Eglin’s dynamic and robust missions through•Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Committee provides oversight and policy of environmental areas• Environmental Management System (EMS) - automated EMS scores and prioritizes environmental aspects for both funding and planning corrective actions.• Pollution Prevention (P2) Assessments - to avoid, eliminate or correct potential compliance issues•Environmental and Occupational Health Assessments and Assistance Visits (EOHCAMP) - annual multidisciplinary self-assessment of environmental compliance

Questions?