Sustainability and National Security

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Encroachment Issues and Conflicts


Despite the many successes and strides noted by
the military in moving towards a sustainable land and
installation management concept, the military’s man-
agement of its land is not without controversy. The
management of species and other resources mandat-
ed by law has often come into conflict with military
training needs. Examples of these conflicts abound,
sometimes resulting in the closure of critical training
ranges and assets or producing legal actions against
the military. One of the more noteworthy cases was
the closing of a critical multi-purpose firing range at
Fort Bragg, NC in the late 1980s when the USFWS
successfully stopped Army use due to violations of
the Endangered Species Act with regards to the red-
cockaded woodpecker. The policy and legal aspects of
this case are well documented (Rubenson et al. 1993).
In Hawaii, a newly constructed firing range was never
opened when an endangered plant was discovered
during a biological survey (Shaw et al. 2005).
Many military lands were initially established in
very rural areas but are now surrounded by develop-
ment – both residential and commercial. This has cre-
ated additional land use conflicts with surrounding
communities. In the late 1990’s the term “encroach-
ment” was defined by the DOD as “the cumulative
result of any and all outside influences that inhibit
normal military training and testing” (USGAO 2003).
These influences included noise complaints, zoning
regulations, safety concerns for landing aircraft and
munitions firing, and other issues. Encroachment is-
sues initially resulted in a “we versus they” mentality
that put the military and its surrounding neighbors at
odds.

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