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The Installation Readiness program is a needs-based grant program designed to assist states and communities to work with nearby installations to plan, enhance infrastructure, and implement measures that contribute to maintaining or improving a military installation’s readiness and lethality.
Many factors impacting an installation's readiness may also impact the local defense industrial base, so these program efforts can have far reaching benefits for the local mission.
The Installation Readiness Program is a needs-based program that is codified under 10 USC § 2391.
Eligibility and Requirements
Eligible entities for the Installation Readiness program include states, counties, municipalities, other political subdivisions of a state; special purpose units of a state or local government; other instrumentalities of a state or local government; and tribal nations.
Under this program, eligible entities analyze external threats and vulnerabilities to the installation, develop mitigation strategies, and identify resources necessary to ensure the continuity of Department of Defense and installation mission capabilities.
Proposals and projects are considered through a rolling, nomination-based process:
- Service Nomination Process. The Military Services may nominate installation(s) for assistance through annual requests or may also nominate installations out of cycle.
- Community Nomination Process. State and local governments may self-nominate.
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will evaluate existing or potential readiness and encroachment issues to determine if a project is reasonable and beneficial to supporting the military mission.
Projects may include the following:
- a comprehensive review of natural and man-made threats and vulnerabilities;
- targeted studies or plans concerning, but not limited to, transportation, land use/encroachment, utility services, housing, stormwater management, sewer, and communications; and,
- table-top exercises with local military and civilian (public and private) leadership to review capacities of hard infrastructure and public services to respond to natural and/or man-made disruptions.
Funds for this program should not be used to substitute or undertake any activity that would otherwise be undertaken by the Military Departments with military funding.
Recent Examples
USAF Academy/Peterson AFB/Schriever AFB/Fort Carson Joint Land Use Study Implementation
The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments is carrying out high-priority Compatible Use Study implementation strategies to continue partnerships with the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, and the Peterson-Schriever Garrison (Peterson AFB, Cheyenne Mountain AFS, and Schriever AFB) to ensure land uses are compatible with military operations. Deliverables include sub-area development planning, maps to aid in siting decisions for energy projects, identification of parcels suitable to buffer the military sites, standardized real estate disclosure language for nearby residents, and outreach to inform the public about mission related impacts. These tools and ongoing collaboration will help prevent radar and signal interference and protect military flight operations.
MacDill Air Force Base Installation Resilience Review
The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council is partnering with the City of Tampa to conduct a resilience study analyzing energy, water, and wastewater vulnerabilities; transportation limitations; as well as the impact on associated critical infrastructure and services with the goal of creating an action plan that supports the continued mission readiness of MacDill AFB.
San Diego Region Installation Resilience Implementation
After an initial Installation Resilience Review identified storm surge, sea-level rise, and traffic congestion as threats to three targeted access corridors to Naval Bases Point Loma, San Diego and Coronado, the San Diego Association of Governments is developing the necessary conceptual designs, cost estimates, and policies needed for transportation infrastructure improvements to ensure military readiness.