Leaders from communities, the military and their partner organizations are preparing for Installation Innovation Forum 2020 in San Antonio next month. On Base asked Lucian Niemeyer, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, what he is looking forward to at IIF.
What stand out to you as the top issues facing Navy bases, sailors and their families, and the defense communities that host them?
In one word? “Resilience.” Our National Defense Strategy specifically directs our installation commanders managing weapon system platforms to be ready for attacks here at home, across all domains, to prevent us from projecting power. In response, we have all hands on deck across a range of programs to aggressively improve our security posture, while meeting the demands of new generations of warfighting capabilities. Any defense community wanting to know what we are focused on should read our testimony to the Hill from last October on installation resilience.
Why are you looking forward to IIF20?
As in past years, IIF20 offers us an outstanding forum to discuss the future of military value and where defense communities, states and industry can help preserve or enhance that value. Because of the gathering of so many key community leaders, I plan to attend the entire three days and am looking forward to engaging with other thought leaders without the constraints of daily life in the Pentagon on ideas to address the mutual interests of the attendees.
What are the installation partnerships and innovations you are most focused on this year?
We are doing exciting things to seize the future now. We will use IIF20 to update communities on our efforts to improve the command oversight of privatized housing. We will roll out implementing guidance and the need for community partnership on the development of base and range 5G capabilities. We’ll also unveil a new Department of the Navy energy strategy which will need the collaboration with local service providers to implement. I’m also excited to discuss bold initiatives recently developed by the Navy to improve our leveraging of assets around the country with support from our new Acquisition Modernization Office within [Naval Facilities Engineering Command], established to expand our use of intergovernmental support agreements and other public-private partnerships.
What issues should ADC members and partners be prepared to talk about in San Antonio?
I’m looking forward to hearing ideas, concerns and opportunities to move down the path to a future installation. I hope Navy and Marine Corps defense communities will view IIF20 as the ideal venue to collectively collaborate on ways to get things done for the future of continued Naval supremacy.
Navy photo from Naval Base San Diego by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Austin Haist