Incorporating Environmental Considerations into Defense Acquisition Practices
Abstract
The impacts of climate change and other environmental threats are increasingly perceived by the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) as a national security threat. Mitigating and adapting to those impacts is increasingly emphasized in national security policy. In 2021, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin established a Climate Working Group to provide a DoD forum to coordinate responses and track implementation of climate- and energy-related initiatives throughout DoD. DoD's acquisition community is a stakeholder in this forum because the impacts of climate change have wide-ranging implications for the acquisition and sustainment of weapon systems and combat support systems, and acquisition of goods and services. In light of these challenges, the U.S. Congress required that the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD[A and S]) respond to Section 873 of the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which required an assessment of the knowledge, tools, and capabilities needed by the acquisition workforce to infuse environmental considerations into DoD requirements, acquisition, and resource allocation decision-making. OUSD(A and S) asked the RAND Corporations National Defense Research Institute to provide that independent analysis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1213388
Entities
People
- Gabriel Leonard
- Gwen Mazzotta
- Jeffrey A. Drezner
- Megan Mckernan
- Shane Manuel
- Susan A. Resetar
- Sydne J. Newberry
Organizations
- RAND Corporation