to a particular region of the world. Thus, the Army
needs diverse landscapes in which to train units and
test equipment as “operational analogs” to places they
may be deployed. The diversity and extent of lands
managed by the Army requires them to exercise pro-
active environmental stewardship practices to sustain
these resources as an essential component of its readi-
ness posture.
Military lands in the United States have become
increasingly valuable, not only in support of national
defense, but for their unique ecological value as well.
These landscapes and ecosystems contain significant
biodiversity of flora and fauna. As much of the United
States has developed and commercialized, these mili-
tary lands now have become, in many cases, “islands
of diversity,” supporting a wide range of threatened
and endangered species, and their associated natu-
ral habitat. This reality has increased the complexity
of managing these lands sustainably, while meeting
mission requirements. Thus, increasing conflicts, both
within the military and with outside neighbors, have
become part and parcel of the military’s land manage-
ment paradigm.
This chapter will provide an historical, geographic
and ecological overview of U.S. military lands, illus-
trate the approaches to land management, and ad-
dress some of the emerging trends and conflicts in
land sustainability.
Introduction to Military Lands and Mission
Perspective
Today there are over 3,700 locations where the mil-
itary manages land in the fifty states. Figure 1 depicts
the distribution of 200 of the largest military installa-