2016 ADC TRANSITION POLICY DOCUMENT FORUM

Key Policy Issues

3 DEFENSE DOWNSIZING – Austerity measures including the Budget Control Act, sequestration, the 2013 government shutdown, five episodes of planning for shutdowns, and a series of continuing resolutions rather than on-time budgets have seriously damaged the military, its readiness and our nation’s installations. We need Congress and DoD to work together to make the tough choices moving us forward on a path that will restore certainty and ensure our nation’s defense infrastructure is protected.

4 Key Policy Issues BRAC – If that strategy changes our infrastructure needs or if the current downsizing continues, the process for reducing infrastructure needs to be transparent and allow for community involvement and input. Gradually cutting missions or mothballing bases is harmful to military readiness and communities.

5 Key Policy Issues EXCESS CAPACITY – Communities recognize that there is excess capacity across installations and support the efforts to help communities and DoD find alternative uses for excess infrastructure, including enhanced use leases, other types of community partnership agreements or new authorities. Trying to specifically identify this excess outside a formal process like BRAC will likely generate data that is challenged in its methodology and political impacts.

6 Key Policy Issues BASE OF THE FUTURE – Communities support a strategy that prepares military installations to meet the readiness and personnel requirements of future missions and emphasizes more integration with communities in order to leverage community resources and services.

Sustainin g Military Value

8 INSTALLATION INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING PRIORITIES – DoD should develop a long-term, sustainable approach to managing installations that provides sufficient funding for infrastructure investment and facility maintenance, with a special focus on critical water, storm water, cyber and energy systems. DoD should look to partner with communities and the private sector whenever possible.

9 Sustaining Military Value INSTALLATION ENERGY POLICY – DoD should continue to focus on developing sustainable and secure energy sources and networks. While renewable energy is a key part of this equation, it should not be the sole focus of DoD’s installation energy policy. Energy security should be achieved through collaboration with partners inside and outside the gate.

10 Sustaining Military Value PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS – DoD should increase efforts to explore and implement public-private partnerships for defense infrastructure, installation maintenance, utilities management and administration of quality of life services. This will allow DoD to focus on its primary national security mission and divest itself of responsibilities that can be performed more efficiently and effectively by the private sector.

Community Collaboration

12 Community Collaboration PUBLIC-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS – Defense communities play an integral role in supporting military missions and military families. Installation leadership should be given the authority and encouragement to work with their host communities whenever possible. This includes pursuing public-public partnerships, joint land use planning, sharing of emergency and security services and other quality of life services.

13 Community Collaboration OEA / REPI – Defense communities strongly support the mission and programs of the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) and the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. These are very important DoD initiatives that leverage community investment and ensure our installations, training ranges and communities can sustain their support for the military.

14 Community Collaboration QUALITY OF LIFE SERVICES – The large majority of service members and their families now live in the community. DoD should explore alternative methods of supporting quality of life services that make sense for the current generation of military families with a focus on community collaboration.

15 Community Collaboration HOUSING – Cuts to basic housing allowances have had a disproportionately negative impact on lower enlisted service members and junior NCOs who make up the bulk of the force. These cuts have had harmful impacts on quality of life retention and community housing markets. While communities understand the need for cost savings, they support a system that balances how those cuts are applied across the rank structure.

16 Community Collaboration BASE REDEVELOPMENT – Communities support continued funding for communities impacted by base realignment and closure, including: Expedited environmental clean-up Increased use of no cost economic development conveyances Public benefit property transfers