RECORD VERSIONSTATEMENT BY

MR. J. E. “JACK” SURASHSENIOR OFFICIAL PERFORMING THE DUTIES OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARYOF THE ARMY FOR INSTALLATIONS, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTBEFORE THESUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS,AND RELATED AGENCIESCOMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONSUNITED STATES SENATEFIRST SESSION, 117TH CONGRESSON MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLIMATE RESILIENCEMAY 19, 2021

NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL RELEASED BY THECOMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONSChairman Heinrich, Ranking Member Boozman, and Members of theSubcommittee: on behalf of the Soldiers, Families, and Civilians of the United States
Army, thank you for the opportunity to discuss how the Army is preparing for thechallenges ahead by working to increase the climate resilience of our infrastructure
through adaptation, mitigation, and innovation. My name is Jack Surash, and I am
currently the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of theArmy for Installations, Energy and Environment. Previously, I served as the Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy & Sustainability.

Introduction
The Army’s efforts to maintain or increase the resilience of our installations
infrastructure is embedded into our policies and programs. Energy and water resilience,or uninterrupted access to energy and water, is essential for Army readiness andensuring the Total Army can deploy, fight, and win. In line with the Secretary ofDefense’s direction, the Army is prioritizing climate change considerations in ourmissions, plans, resources, and capabilities. As our mitigation and adaptation efforts
mature, the Army’s commitment to climate change does not change the Army’s prioritiesof People, Readiness, and Modernization. Our installation infrastructure, to include
energy and water resources, supports critical missions and must be able to withstandthe impacts of climate change.

StrategyIn September 2020, the Army issued Army Directive 2020-08 (Army Installation
Policy to Address Threats Caused by Changing Climate and Extreme Weather) that
requires installation commanders to address climate and extreme weather threats in all
infrastructure-related plans, policies, and procedures.
The Army Installations Strategy (AIS), published in December 2020, is thefoundational document that drives the Army’s goal for resilient installations. The AIS
represents a pivot from an Industrial-Age paradigm characterized by rigidity andpurpose-built specialization to a data-rich, reconfigurable Information Age construct. Asindicated in the AIS, Army installations support Total Army operations to mobilize andproject forces and capabilities anywhere in the world, at any time. Resilience advances
the capability of systems, installations, personnel, and units to respond to unforeseen
disruptions to quickly recover critical missions.
Climate change is a direct threat to our Army. To combat that threat, the Army isproactively taking steps to address the cause and impacts of climate change andextreme weather. Recent and ongoing activities include:Army Climate Assessment Tool (ACAT), deployed July 2020: This web-based
tool enables installation planners to identify local climate threat scenarios, toinform master planning and resilience analysis.

Army Climate Resilience Handbook, published August 2020: A companion to theACAT and a guide for garrisons to develop climate adaptation measures.

Army Climate Change Working Group, established March 2021: Supports theidentification of key tasks to immediately synchronize and direct Army activities toaddress implications at the policy, planning, and implementation levels and thedevelopment of the Army Climate Action Plan.

These efforts to address climate change risks to Army missions will help strengthen
Army resilience in support of global operations. Some effects of climate change may be
unavoidable, but with improved infrastructure and resilient installations, we canminimize operational impacts and maintain Army readiness.

Installation Master Planning
Per the FY20 NDAA, 10 USC 2864 now requires the master plans for major
military installations to address “military installation resilience” and to include the“consideration of… energy and climate resiliency efforts.”
We gain valuable insights into our existing infrastructure condition and capability
gaps, resource access, and system operations and plans through planning andcondition assessments. Army Installation Energy and Water Plans (IEWPs) outline
critical mission needs, characterize energy and water baseline conditions, and propose
prioritized projects and operational activities to increase energy and water resilience.

IEWPs have begun to identify a wide range of deficiencies that will require mitigation.
The challenge is resourcing projects and operational changes to address the highestrisk energy and water deficiencies to critical missions amidst pressure to fund otherArmy priorities. The Army has 30 IEWPs at or near-completion; all remaining
installations are scheduled to be completed by the end of FY 2022. IEWPs will beupdated on a recurring basis and results will be incorporated into installation masterplans.
Energy and Water Efficiency and Resilience
The Army is the largest consumer of installation energy in the Department ofDefense, spending more than $1 billion per year on facility energy and water. Our
installations rely, with few exceptions, on commercial energy and water sources toaccomplish critical missions. The vulnerabilities in the interdependent electric grids,
natural gas pipelines, and water resources supporting our installations jeopardize Army
missions, installation infrastructure and security, and the Army’s ability to project power.
The Army Installation Energy and Water Strategic Plan, issued in December
2020, sets the vision, “Army installation energy and water infrastructure supporting
critical missions in the Strategic Support Area is resilient, efficient, and affordable.” Itestablished goals, strategic objectives, and targets to further efforts to build long-term
resilience, efficiency, and affordability. Building and measuring resilience enables Armyreadiness by improving the ability to prevent and recover from disruptions to vital energy
and water utility services. We are leveraging all approaches to address energy andwater resilience.
Comprehensive Energy and Water Evaluations (CEWEs) and Black Start
Exercises (BSEs) are two of the methods we use to identify gaps and opportunities.
Their results inform our IEWPs and project prioritization. CEWEs are directed to beaccomplished by the National Energy Conservation Policy; they report energy and water
efficiency opportunities on a four-year cycle. Black Start Exercises lead to the detectionof resilience needs, and have the added benefit of resulting in improved
communications and collaboration between the Army, local communities, and utility
companies that service an installation. We have conducted BSEs at Fort Stewart, GA,Fort Greely, AK, Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Knox, KY, and Fort Irwin, CA, and we areplanning exercises at Fort Hood, TX, Fort Leavenworth, KS, and Rock Island Arsenal, IL.
These exercises revealed challenges including lack of defined critical building loads;
critical building loads and communications systems not connected to backup
generation; and backup generator failures due to lack of maintenance or insufficientloading. We are developing a BSE schedule to support the FY21 NDAA requirement
for a minimum of five exercises per year starting in FY23.
In FY 2020, the Army’s energy use per square foot (energy use intensity or EUI)
was 82.1 thousand BTUs per square foot. Compared to the FY03 baseline, the Armydecreased EUI by 15.6%. Army installation energy efficiency and conservation effortsinclude reducing overall energy use, maximizing efficiency, implementing energy
recovery and cogeneration opportunities, and striving to offset remaining demand withonsite energy generation. The Army’s FY20 water use per square foot (water use
intensity or WUI) was 38.6 gallons per square foot. Compared to the FY07 baseline,
the Army decreased WUI by 28.2%. In addition to reducing overall water use andmaximizing efficiency, water efficiency and conservation efforts include recycling andreusing water by shifting to alternative sources, recharging aquifers, and striving tooffset remaining demand with onsite water sources. By reducing the demand for energy
and water, the Army lowers its reliance on external sources, creating flexibility andresilience to meet mission requirements and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI) is the Army's central program management
office that develops, implements, and oversees privately financed, large-scale energy
projects. Energy generation, storage, and control capabilities are favored; whencombined, these capabilities create an “island” effect—enabling critical missionsustainment during an electrical grid outage. Their work has results in 11 operational
projects with 325 MW of energy production capacity, securing $627 million of private
sector investment, and anticipated life-cycle operations and maintenance values of$603 million.
The Army also leverages private sector expertise and partnership throughEnergy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Service Contracts to improveefficiency and contribute to resilience. While these projects target the reduction ofenergy and water consumption, they also enable Army to address maintenance andrepair backlogs sooner than if we rely solely on constrained appropriated funds.
The Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP) is theDoD’s only direct-funded program targeted for energy resilience. The Army has been
focusing on ERCIP projects to incorporate resilience attributes, conserve energy andwater, reduce reliance on the grid, and construct on-site power generation andassociated infrastructure. In FY21, the Army received $35.1 million for two ERCIP
projects that add energy and water resilience capabilities.
The Army’s utility systems, both government owned and privatized, must beresilient, reliable and efficient. By investing in energy infrastructure and modernizing
utility systems with current technology, we will enhance our installations’ overallresilience. The Army’s Utilities Privatization Program conveys utility systems to a nongovernment entity, usually a utility company, through a utility services contract. Thesecontracts allow the Army to access private sector financing for up to 50 years tomodernize and recapitalize utilities infrastructure. We have privatized 147 systems at
98 U.S. installations. This includes systems at 17 of 34 installations that are Power
Projection Platforms, Mobilization Force Generation Installations, or both.
The need to be resilient is now. We are advancing the development and use ofclimate adaptation and mitigation tools, renewable energy, energy efficiency andconsumption, and water usage initiatives to enable Army operations. The Army willcontinue to collaborate with Congress, DoD, the other Services, private industry,utilities, and local communities to enhance installation resilience, efficiency andaffordability in support of Army readiness. We will also continue participating in industry
events, such as Department of Energy’s Energy Exchange, to communicate, sharelessons learned, and remain up-to-date with industry best practices.

Conclusion
Army Readiness begins on our installations. We need ready and resilient
installations to ensure our Soldiers are able to properly train and can deploy anywherein the world in order to fight and win our Nation’s wars. Through adaptation, mitigation,and innovation, the Army will work to secure the readiness and resilience of forces,functions, and facilities.
Your continued advocacy helps to ensure we will remain an attractive option for
current and future generations who want to serve their Nation and retain the current
force by meeting the expectations of an all-volunteer Army with capable, high-quality,
and modernized installations. Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony
and for your continued support of our Soldiers, Civilians and Families.