The purpose of this focus area is to engage stakeholders through forums, white papers, publications and other means about emerging issues, to interpret how emerging issues might impact them, and to identify alternative courses of actions to consider.
Sustainability Approaches, Education, and Knowledge Management
This focus area relates to improvements in sustainability metrics and reporting, advancements in sustainability education and learning resources, and management and sharing of sustainability approaches and knowledge. This will involve the design and implementation of additional web collaboration and knowledge sharing capabilities for Army Sustainability that will extend and complement the existing Army sustainability website: http://www.sustainability.army.mil
This focus area relates to the advancement of arrangements, approaches, resources, tools, and procedures to provide capabilities for coordinated and collaborative regional planning.
From a military capability systems support perspective, power and energy are ubiquitous in sustainability. They are a consideration in many facets of military operations. The purpose of this CASI Technology Focus Area is to identify the sustainability needs associated with integration of power and energy into military missions. ERDC-CERL offers a full suite of power and energy related services and resources in support of the Army Energy Strategy and energy strategies of other DoD elements. An energy research and development overview is available as a two-page brochure at: http://www.cecer.army.mil/td/tips/docs/Energy%20Branch%20Systems%20trifold.odf
Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure
The purpose of this focus area is to help USACE, the Army, and DoD work toward achieving sustainable planning, design and development goals. The focus area team leaders are part of the SDD DX that the Corps has established to provide support in developing criteria, research and development, design and construction support services, and training and advisory assistance. In this technology area, CASI also provides support and collaboration with USGBC and other organizations involved in SDD.
Sustainable Forward Military Operations
This focus area seeks to identify the Army's required capabilities for full spectrum contingency operations. To meet the objectives of this focus area, a multi-disciplined approach is necessary to develop doctrine, organizations, training, material, leadership and education, personnel and facility solutions that ensure sustainability and efficiency while eliminating redundancy. This aspect of CASI directly supports the Base Camp Integrated Capabilities Development Team (ICDT) led by the Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN) tasking to prepare a Concept Capability Plan (CCP) and Capabilities-Based Assessment (CBA) for years 2015-2024.
Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital
The purpose of this focus area is to identify, investigate and develop capabilities for emerging challenges in military-related ecosystems. Military "related" ecosystems include those that are directly or indirectly used and impacted by the military, those that are protected by the military to buffer mission activities, and those that provide valuable ecosystem services to the military and to the communities that co-exist with the U.S. military and to the communities that co-exist with the U.S. military in areas across the nation and around the world.
This focus area addresses access to, and the sustainable use of, water resources. Activities include understanding water resources status, quantities and qualities; conservation approaches and technologies; water reuse technologies and approaches; and other capabilites to improve and enhance the availability and quality of water as a sustainable resource.
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Climate Change Impacts on Agency Facilities and Missions
This focus area relates to the impacts of climate change on public resources and how managers adapt to them. This aspect of CASI is broadly "inter-agency" focused, as these impacts and adaptations are relevant to all public resource managers, not just U.S. military activities and missions. However, the 2008 Defense Authoritization bill included language that requires DoD to identify the impacts of climate change on military facilities, ecosystems, and missions.
