Source: United States Navy
“Integrating natural systems into our definition of infrastructure strengthens our operational resilience,” said Rear Admiral John Hewitt, Commander, Navy Region Southeast. “Our partnership with the University of Georgia underscores the importance of leveraging local expertise to fortify these critical assets, ensuring our Navy operations remain robust and adaptive in the face of evolving environmental challenges.”
This new agreement, administered through the University of Georgia’s Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS), enables Navy installations across the southeast to leverage the university’s extensive expertise in coastal resilience, climate change hazards, and the development of hybrid and nature-based solutions.
By streamlining the process for Department of the Navy installations to obtain services from the University of Georgia and its partners, the agreement enhances the DON’s ability to assess and address current and future environmental risks, ensuring that infrastructure both on and off the installations remains robust and operational, thereby safeguarding training and deployment capabilities.
“We work better when we work together. We are proud to partner with UGA to address installation resilience,” said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASN EI&E) and the Department’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Meredith Berger. “We’re working to build a climate-ready force, and that includes developing resilient infrastructure that gives our people, systems, and facilities every advantage as they complete the mission of protecting the nation.”
By focusing on advanced infrastructure resilience, IRIS will support Navy Region Southeast in developing adaptive solutions to climate-related challenges, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events. For example, IRIS’s innovative approaches to flood risk assessment and mitigation will be crucial in safeguarding naval bases and infrastructure from increasingly frequent and severe storms. Additionally, IRIS’s work on energy-efficient infrastructure will help the Navy optimize its energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint, aligning with the DON’s Climate Action 2030 goals. This collaboration promises to drive forward the Navy’s mission while ensuring that critical infrastructure remains robust and resilient in the face of evolving environmental challenges.
Intergovernmental Support Agreements are public-public partnerships designed to support the DON by allowing state and local public entities to partner with installations to receive, share, or provide installation support services. All the Navy’s Southeastern Installations, along with their surrounding communities, are expected to benefit from this Intergovernmental Support Agreement.