The Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program supports cost-sharing partnerships authorized by Congress (10 U.S.C. § 2684a), between the military Services, private conservation groups, and state and local governments to protect military test and training capabilities and conserve land. These win-win partnerships acquire easements or other interests in land from willing sellers to preserve compatible land uses and sustain wildlife habitat near installations and ranges where the military operates, tests, and trains.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) created REPI to organize and administer congressional funding for authorized projects. OSD provides Department of Defense (DoD) policies and standards, stakeholder engagement and regional partnerships, and integration of various tools to enhance mission-supportive partnerships.

REPI is DoD’s core effort aimed at using the authority provided by Congress to protect military readiness by preventing incompatible development and preserving habitat through buffer projects, supportive education, engagement, and regional planning.

Warfighter readiness depends upon maintaining the capabilities of our Nation’s installations, ranges, and training spaces that are the platform for conducting daily operations, realistic training, and effective weapon system testing. Loss of habitat and growing development near and adjacent to installations, ranges, and operating areas pose a continuing and significant threat to the readiness of the Armed Forces. If trainees or units receive restricted or inadequate training, they are more likely to misunderstand combat strategies and tactics, leading to poor skills and unsafe practices on the battlefield. If military installations are to remain active and contributing economic participants in their communities, the installations must have the space necessary to successfully accomplish their test and training missions. Therefore, efforts to limit incompatible development and preserve habitat are vital to maintaining readiness and protecting valuable national assets.

Encroachment — any external factor that inhibits military readiness, including the growing competition for land, airspace, waterfront access, and frequency spectrum — is not a linear progression that can be adjusted incrementally. Single encroachment events may individually appear to have a marginal effect, but combine over time to cumulatively result in irrevocable impacts to readiness capabilities. Increasingly, land uses far away from the installation and range boundaries can also have an impact on the military’s ability to test and train.

Development near military areas can restrict testing and training in many ways, including:

• Lights from developments near installations and ranges reduce the effectiveness of night-vision training;
• Residents near installations and ranges complain about the noise, dust and smoke generated by military activities, resulting in restrictions on the timing, frequency, and type of training activities;
• Competition for frequency spectrum interferes with mission readiness;
• Communication towers, wind turbines, highways, and energy transmission lines near or through training areas all hinder realistic training and testing; and
• Land development that destroys or fragments endangered species habitat pushes those species onto less developed military lands, resulting in increased restrictions on test and training.

Click here to view an interactive graphic produced by the U.S. Army Environmental Command displaying encroachment issues facing the military.

The potential for encroachment continues to grow, often due to actions beyond DoD’s control. In many instances, the Department’s best option for protecting the operational capabilities of installations is to enter into partnerships that acquire easements or other interests in land.

REPI partnerships serve as an innovative way to address land use and resource challenges that threaten military readiness. The partnerships prevent further development from impacting operations while providing additional environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to neighbors, communities, and DoD alike.

To learn more about the how the military Services implement REPI projects, click here.