With a grant from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) of the Department of Defense (DoD), the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) collaborated with global advisory firm ICF and its partner Nspiregreen, and other partners in the region to conduct a Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR). The report, released today, identifies hazards and vulnerabilities in communities surrounding four military installations in Washington, D.C. that could impact the military’s ability to carry out its missions on-base. The report also outlines actions to address these vulnerabilities.
The MIRR assessed resilience in the communities surrounding Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Washington Navy Yard (WNY), and Fort Lesley J. McNair (Fort McNair). Rigorous research and stakeholder consultation brought to light 14 priority resilience measures, including retrofitting stormwater pumping stations and supporting floodwall construction at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant to address increased severity of flooding, addressing key climate risks to communications systems, and ensuring Lower Anacostia Waterfront redevelopment is resilient, among others.
“Our installations and the communities that host them comprise one community, recognizing those that live, learn, work, and play in this community, regardless of any installation fence lines, share the same natural and man-made threats,” said Patrick J. O’Brien, Director of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC). “We commend the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments for not just initiating a dialogue with the key stakeholders in this community, but engaging in actionable planning to address these threats for the well-being of our local missions and the community sustaining them.”
“Investing time and resources into building resilience now will help installations and communities reap the benefits of a stronger, safer, and thriving region well into the future,” said Clark Mercer, COG Executive Director. “The next step is to work together with installations to implement the priority recommendations while building a culture across our region that promotes preemptive resilience action.”
This MIRR will help address equity in the District of Columbia with tangible benefits for the historically disadvantaged and vulnerable communities surrounding the four military installations in this study. Through improved transportation connectivity, workforce training, and improved climate resilience, the relationships developed during the MIRR study will facilitate continued collaboration working toward shared goals of community and installation resilience.
“Catastrophic events like extreme flooding and heat waves are increasingly threatening infrastructure and people across the country,” said Dr. Peter Schultz, ICF Vice President, Climate Adaptation and Resilience and ICF Climate Center Senior Fellow. “The MIRR serves as a blueprint to build resilience in communities surrounding military installations across the country while also advancing equity.”
MORE: Final Report - Building Resilience Together: Community-Military Collaboration in Washington, D.C.