ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Army is doubling down on the resilience and readiness of its installations, said Rachel Jacobson, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment. 

“Installations are essentially the backbone of what our Army does. Without strong installations that are resilient and that are ready, we can't do what we do. It's that simple,” Jacobson said Oct. 16 during a Warriors Corner presentation on Army installations at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Making sure military families on large Army posts have what they need to thrive is a big, intensive job—and it extends beyond the installation gates, a panel of leaders said Oct. 11.

While the Army is making progress on improving quality of life programs for soldiers and their families, there’s more work to be done, two senior leaders said.

Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy Army chief of staff for installations, G-9, said he and his senior enlisted adviser, Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, pay close attention to many of the most pressing issues facing soldiers and their families, including food insecurity, aging infrastructure and access to child care.

The Army’s deputy chief of staff for installations will speak April 25 at a Coffee Series event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, the Army G-9, will be joined by Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, his senior enlisted adviser, at the in-person event at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, where they will discuss the Army installations enterprise and its impact on Army readiness.

The event opens at 6:30 a.m. with registration, coffee and networking. The program is scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m.

The Army is committed to improving its installations and ensuring they are modern and resilient, a senior Army leader told lawmakers. 

“Installations are at the epicenter of everything we do in the Army,” Rachel Jacobson, assistant Army secretary for installations, energy and environment, said during a hearing before the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness. “They’re where we train, work, learn and live. To strengthen Army readiness and build the force of the future, we must be laser-focused on providing state-of-the-art installations.” 

With more than 200,000 buildings on its installations around the world, the Army faces a maintenance backlog worth several billion dollars, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. 

The report, which analyzed 49,000 of those buildings in use on 88 Army installations across the U.S., estimates that “the cost of eliminating the deferred maintenance backlog and returning the buildings to the Army’s standards would be about $19 billion.”

As climate change continues to impact many aspects of modern life, the Army must prepare for its effects on installations and operations, a panel of experts said during a discussion hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

Climate change is “a challenge that does not respect borders or boundaries, including the fence line of a military base,” said Sharon Burke, founder and president of Ecospherics and a former assistant secretary of defense for operational energy.

Army efforts to improve the resilience and security of its installations require close cooperation with contractors and communities, Lt. Gen. Jason Evans, deputy Army chief of staff for installations, said April 13.

Installations “are no longer a sanctuary,” Evans said. Instead, they would be considered part of the front line of future warfare. Preparing for this culture change requires a new breed of installation commander and staff who will need ongoing and up-to-date training, he said.