The Army's primary mission is to provide national defense. However, as a federal agency, the Army must also comply with the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) that relate to the conservation of federally listed threatened and endangered species on its lands.

Training operations and weapons testing, by their nature, are held in remote areas, far removed from populations and development. As a consequence, these areas have become, in many instances, some of the country's last remaining large undeveloped land areas – "islands of biodiversity," with significant animal and plant life.

These areas have been providing for Army training, but they have also been a haven for many of the disappearing species of animals and plants regulated by the Endangered Species Act.

As of Oct. 1, 2003, the Army counted 175 listed threatened and endangered species, and 30 proposed and candidate species, on 101 installations. Critical habitat has been designated on 15 Army installations. Five installations have critical habitat not currently occupied by the associated species.

In fiscal 2003, the Army spent more than $21 million on the management of threatened and endangered species and approximately $9 million on multispecies projects benefiting listed, proposed or candidate species.

When a listed or proposed species or critical habitat is found on an installation, the installation prepares an endangered species management component for its Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan. This is the Army's primary means of meeting mission requirements while ensuring compliance with ESA.

Management of listed species by Army installations plays an essential role in the recovery of many endangered species. Examples include the golden-cheeked warbler at Fort Hood and Camp Bullis, Texas, and the red-cockaded woodpecker at nine installations including Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort Stewart and Fort Benning, Ga.

Some Army installations have been so successful and instrumental in providing the conservation and management needs of proposed species that their efforts alone precluded the need to list the species, such as slick spot peppergrass at Orchard Training Area in Idaho and mountain plover at Fort Carson in Colorado. Some installations employ biologists specifically to manage listed species and ensure the balance between meeting necessary military mission requirements and ESA compliance.

The very habitats that ensure the survival of threatened and endangered species also ensure that the American warfighters are the best trained in the world. Maintaining that land supports the Soldiers and the species as well. The Army will continue to play an important role in conservation and management of these species. Fighting to prevent extinction and promoting recovery of sensitive species are just other battles the Army has taken on and appears to be winning.

Threatened and endangered species cared for by the Army, left to right: Gray wolf, Fort McCoy, Wis.; short-nosed sturgeon, Fort Stewart, Ga.; golden-cheeked warbler, Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; red-cockaded woodpecker, eight Southern installations; desert tortoise, Fort Irwin, Calif.; Lane Mountain milk-vetch, Fort Irwin, Calif.; Karner blue butterfly, Fort McCoy, Wis.; Sonoran tiger salamander, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; Euphorbia haeleeleana, Makua Military Reservation, Hawaii; California red-legged frog, four California installations; American burying beetle, Camp Gruber, Okla., Fort Chaffee, Ark., McAllister AAP, Okla.; San Joaquin kit fox, Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif.