Joint environmental site assessments in support of global basing.

As the US Army becomes more expeditionary and establishes forward operating bases in new locations, the need to document environmental conditions becomes paramount in the protection of the health of deployed service members and the US government from potential claims. The same holds true for exercises where the US presence may only be for a week, however, the potential impacts on force health protection and environmental claims linger for years. Balancing and synchronizing these multiple demands and requirements can be daunting. Over the past 3 years, the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine - Europe has been working closely with the US Army Europe Deputy Chief of Staff, Engineer, and the US Army Claims Service Europe to conduct joint environmental assessments in support of command exercises and forward basing initiatives. The synergy and partnerships forged during this process ensure that environmental assessments are conducted to document environmental conditions, protect human health, and protect the US government against claims.