interest in sustainability progress will likely drive
Congressional inquiries to focus on the degree to
which sustainable options were considered in Army
investment decisions. Auditors will want to see that
the Senior Leader decisions were based on criteria that
adequately reflected soldier resilience on the battle-
field and environmental stewardship everywhere the
Army operates.
In addition, in May 2009, President Obama signed
Executive Order (EO) 13514, Federal Leadership in
Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance.
This order outlines goals and responsibilities for each
agency to include requiring a designated Agency
Senior Sustainability Officer. Secretary of Defense
designated Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisi-
tion, Technology and Logistics, USD (AT&L) for the
Department of Defense (DOD). Secretary of the Army
designated the Under Secretary of the Army for the
Army. Each of these positions is tasked with several
actions through the EO to implement sustainability
within their agencies. Important to note is that they
are also responsible for transparency of their efforts
in achieving these actions. The EO states specifical-
ly: “Finally, it is also the policy of the United States
that agencies’ efforts and outcomes in implementing
this order shall be transparent and that agencies shall
therefore disclose results associated with the actions
taken pursuant to this order on publicly available Fed-
eral Websites” (Obama 2009, 1).
The operational need coupled with a declining
budget and demand for transparency will force staffs
at all levels to make a conscious effort to ensure they
have performed adequate due diligence of including
sustainability considerations within their existing de-
cision processes.
sharon
(sharon)
#1