Inclusion of Sustainable Materials and Innovative Techniques in Military Construction

Introduction

This study responds to the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Section 2851, directing the Secretary of Defense to commission a study on the practices of the Department of Defense (DOD) with respect to the development of military construction (MilCon) projects and submit the results of the study to congressional defense committees. This study represents relevant background information and the significant findings of a much larger body of work also commissioned (and also conducted by CNA) in response to Section 2851 titled Inclusion of Sustainable Materials and Innovative Techniques in Military Construction.

Specifically, Section 2851 requires an examination of the following:

1. Practices with respect to adoption of Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) changes and the inclusion of such changes into advance planning, Defense Department (DD) Form 1391 documentation, and planning and design.
2. Practices with respect to how sustainable materials, such as mass timber and low-carbon concrete, are assessed and included in advance planning, DD Form 1391 documentation, and planning and design.
3. Barriers to incorporating innovative techniques, including 3D-printed building techniques.
4. Whether the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) or the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) could be used to validate such sustainable materials and innovative techniques to encourage their use by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC).

The use of sustainable materials and innovative construction techniques in MilCon can decrease DOD greenhouse gas emissions and is crucial to meeting an array of goals related to net-zero energy, emissions, water, and waste. DOD policies encourage the use of sustainable materials and innovative techniques in MilCon, and DOD component labs are actively testing and evaluating sustainable materials and innovative techniques. However, several barriers prohibit more widespread use of sustainable materials and innovative techniques in MilCon. This report discusses those barriers and ongoing efforts to further expand the inclusion of sustainable materials and innovative techniques into MilCon.