Many of the challenges and opportunities that the
Department of Defense (DOD) will face throughout
the balance of the 21st century relate to building and
sustaining the infrastructure needed for mission resilience.
Currently, DOD and its 3 million team members operate on more than 25-million-acres and nearly 5,000 sites in different regions, climates, and landscapes in the United States and around the world. Over the last five years, military installations have experienced more than $10 billion in damage from storms, flooding, and other natural hazards. These risks are compounded by combinations of natural hazards, climate change, and aging infrastructure. Given the complexity of DOD’s mission, there are not many instances where simple “silver bullet” infrastructure solutions are sufficient. Creating resilient systems requires innovation and action. Meeting this need will require new ways of thinking about complex problems, an openness to new solutions, a willingness to change, and a commitment to adaptation.
