Improvement Continues In Dod S Reporting On Sustainable Ranges But Opportunities Exist To Improve Its Range Assessments And Comprehensive Plan

Improvement Continues in DOD’s Reporting on Sustainable Ranges, but Opportunities Exist to Improve Its Range Assessments and Comprehensive Plan

Improvement Continues in DoD's Reporting on Sustainable Ranges, But Opportunities Exist to Improve Its Range Assessments and Comprehensive Plan

Recent operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world have highlighted the need for U.S. forces to train as they intend to fight. DoD training ranges and operating areas are required to be managed and operated to support their long-term viability and utility to meet the national defense mission. Sustainable training range mgmt. focuses on the practices that allow the military to manage its ranges in a way that ensures their usefulness well into the future. This audit discusses: (1) the extent to which DoD's 2008 sustainable ranges report and training range inventory address the elements of section 366; and (2) opportunities for DoD to further improve its sustainable ranges report. Illus. This is a print on demand report.

Military Training

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The DoD¿s training ranges vary in size from a few acres, for small arms training, to over a million acres for large maneuver exercises and weapons testing, and include broad open ocean areas for offshore training and testing. DoD has defined a number of factors -- including competition for broadcast frequencies or airspace, air and noise pollution, endangered species, critical habitats and other protected resources, unexploded munitions, urban growth around installations, and civilian access -- that it says encroach upon its training ranges. This report discusses: (1) DoD¿s progress in addressing this issue; and (2) improvements incorporated in DoD¿s 2009 annual sustainable ranges report as well as DoD¿s plans for its 2010 report. Charts and tables.