JANUARY 23, 2024 – Administration officials have announced more than $55 million in new federal grants for Defense Department projects aimed at improving energy efficiency and resilience at installations across the globe.
The funds will support eight projects at Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Washington headquarters services bases throughout the U.S. and at the U.S. Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany.
The DOD initiatives are among 31 projects across 11 federal agencies to receive more than $104 million in total funding under the first phase of a Department of Energy program to assist federal facilities with the implementation of energy conservation technologies.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said the grants provide DOD with the opportunity to strengthen its energy resilience and operational capabilities while improving the quality of life for the force.
“We have a moral obligation to the people that defend our nation, to their families and to the American people to provide modern and efficient facilities,” Hicks said.
“The Department of Defense manages one of the nation’s largest real property portfolios,” she said. “Our buildings support where people live, where our forces, allies and partners train and where our families raise and educate their children. Promoting the operational resilience of our joint force and improving quality of life for our people are top department priorities.”
She added that the department advances these priorities while at the same time striving to minimize their impact on the environment, in ways that are mutually reinforcing.
“These investments in energy resilience are entirely aligned with our military needs,” Hicks said. “The department’s focus on resilience enables us to secure our critical infrastructure and capabilities and mitigates [the] risk to our forces. That’s why we consider how we can be more energy resilient and efficient [in] everything that we do — from how we develop strategy and planning to our investments in new platforms to our installations and operations.”
“But we know we can’t do this alone,” she added. “And that’s why this interagency support is so important.”
“When it comes to decarbonizing our economy, it is vital that federal agencies walk the talk and put our money where our mouth is,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm, who joined Deputy Secretary Hicks in announcing the grant awardees from the Pentagon.
The announcement marked the first of three disbursements from the $250 million in funding authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021.
“As we think about the potential for making our homes and offices more energy efficient, the world’s second-largest office building is a pretty good place to start,” Granholm said, referring to the Pentagon.
Among the funds for DOD projects are $10 million the department will invest in improving the energy footprint of its iconic headquarters, through efforts such as HVAC recommissioning and heat pump installation.
The department’s measures also include installing solar infrastructure, which will help provide uninterruptible power sources to ensure the mission, operations and energy resilience of the Pentagon. Moreover, efforts like these are vital to better defending DOD facilities against cyber and other threats to critical civilian energy infrastructure.
The grants will support similar energy projects across the services.
By Joseph Clark , DOD News