IMSC Connections - United States Policy and Environmental Analysis in the Pacific

Photo By Gianna Greben | PACAF AOR and Installations.  

UNITED STATES

10.15.2020

Courtesy Story

Headquarters Air Force, Office of the Director of Civil Engineers

CE Weekly Submission by Ms Erica Becavar //

The Pacific Air Forces Command (PACAF) Area of Responsibility (AOR) covers more than 100 million square miles, about 50 percent of the earth’s surface. This area contains more than 40 countries with greater than 60 percent of the world’s population and nearly half of the world’s trade which has recently suffered from extreme natural disasters. China and Russia are both heavily invested in this region, including developing advanced weaponry, militarizing the South China Sea, and attempting to exert economic dominance.

This region is a significant focus area for U.S. policy. The 2018 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act emphasized a need to “sustain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific region” as well as to “expand security and defense cooperation with allies and partners.” To increase PACAF’s influence in the region, the Air Force is investing in the expansion of new basing and beddown missions.

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Division (AFCEC/CZN) plays a key role in implementing these initiatives. The Division’s mission focuses on analyzing potential environmental impacts of diverse Air Force actions. The team’s responsibilities include basing new weapon systems, conducting major construction projects, and executing new operations within an air space prior to the implementation of that mission. To analyze environmental impact, the Air Force follows the Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP) for both CONUS and OCONUS locations.

Conducting environmental analysis is a congressional requirement for all federal agencies. When dealing with PACAF’s CONUS and OCONUS locations, considerations must be made in accordance with NEPA, Air Force policies, DoD policies, as well as various host nation requirements. Analysis often explores mission impact on air quality, noise, and endangered species, as well as performing consultations with interested parties. Consultations involve communicating with indigenous tribes and local governments, notifications to the public with solicitations for comment, and conducting public hearings. The PACAF AOR adds further complexity as installations may be led by the Air Force or the Navy, located in allied countries, or belong to allied countries without U.S. owned installations (e.g., Australia, the Philippines, or New Guinea). Furthermore, the U.S. is investing in locations referred to as “places without bases” such as Yap and Palau.

Analyzing this vast and diverse region that contains a large variety of applicable environmental regulations is often a challenge. Ms Julianne Turko, AFCEC/CZN Program Manager, notes this keeps the work interesting. “Since joining the NEPA Division over a year ago, I have never experienced a dull moment working with PACAF and the great team of Air Force individuals supporting the mission,” says Turko. “There is always a new and interesting project that requires assessment of the appropriate environmental requirements, and I am excited to be part of this team.”

Despite the complexity of their task, AFCEC’s NEPA Division is among the best in the nation in regards to performing these analyses in a timely manner. Recently, President Donald Trump announced updates to NEPA, which focused on reducing NEPA analysis timelines to two years or less. Historically, this process has taken many federal agencies significantly longer to perform. However, due in part to a centralized approach to implementing EIAP, the Air Force’s average time has beaten this target for the last five years.

Promoting U.S. interests in PACAF requires the efforts of a coordinated Air Force team that understands the complexity of the PACAF mission and the unique approach to EIAP. The AFCEC NEPA Division, its team of 10 NEPA program managers, and the Air Force NEPA Subject Matter Expert (SME), Mr Mike Ackerman, have made this effort a reality. The AFCEC team is proud to be contributing to these key initiatives that will strengthen U.S. security interests in the Indo-Pacific region for generations to come.

• Date Taken: 10.15.2020
• Date Posted: 10.15.2020 09:15
• Story ID: 380942
• Location: US