Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment The Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment , or DUSD ( I & E ) , provides management and oversight of military installations worldwide and manages environmental , safety , and occupational health programs for the Department of Defense ( DoD ) . DoD ' s installations cover some , with 539 , 000 buildings and structures valued at more than $ 700 billion . The responsibilities of the DUSD ( I & E ) include the development of installation capabilities , programs , and budgets ; installation - energy programs and policy ; base realignment and closure ; privatization of military housing and utilities ; and integration of environmental needs into the weapons acquisition process . The DUSD ( I & E ) is also responsible for environmental management , safety and occupational health ; environmental restoration at active and closing bases ; conservation of natural and cultural resources ; pollution prevention ; environmental research and technology ; fire protection ; and explosives safety . The DUSD ( I & E ) reports to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics , and is a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense . History . Responsibility over installations and environmental affairs at the Defense Department has been spread out across a variety of positions over time . Oversight for installations has been lumped together in the past with manpower , acquisition , and logistics functions ( see , for example , the history of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy ) . For a brief period in the mid - 1990s , the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Economic Security had oversight for installations and the base realignment and closure ( BRAC ) program , in addition to DoD policy in the areas of industrial affairs , dual - use technology , international cooperation programs , and community economic adjustment . On April 5 , 1996 , the DoD nullified Defense Directive 5134 . 7 ( signed 21 August 1995 ) , thereby abolishing the ASD ( Economic Security ) while noting that this position has served the " purpose for which it was intended and is no longer required . " Responsibility for installations then migrated to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations . Meanwhile , oversight for environmental affairs was linked together with health affairs for many years ( see , for example , the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs ) . In 2001 , the responsibilities for installation and environment functions were merged into a single office . This office is not one of the five Principal Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense authorized by law , as articulated in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 . Thus , DoD is statutorily obligated to re - designate this office in the near future , similar to the recent re - designation of the Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense within the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness . Office Holders . The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time , as well as all the holders of those offices .