Corrosion destroys equipment, decreasing readiness and reliability while causing safety hazards and increasing maintenance and other ownership costs. The Department of Defense (DoD) estimates corrosion costs the department over $23 billion annually. In addition, the Army attributes more than 50 aircraft accidents and 12 fatalities to corrosion since 1985.* The NDCEE is working to support corrosion control efforts across the equipment lifecycle – from design and materials selection through operation and maintenance.
The NDCEE is assisting the Department of Defense (DoD) with reducing its energy-related vulnerabilities. As the nation’s largest energy user, spending an estimated $19 billion in 2013 on fuel and electricity, the DoD has substantial energy requirements and faces complex energy sustainability risks.1 The NDCEE finds and transitions energy solutions that promote operational and installation readiness, have lower energy requirements, and mitigate security risks. Our solutions assist the DoD and its Services in meeting their energy goals as delineated in DoD Directive 4180.01, DoD Energy Policy, as well as in each Service’s energy strategy.
The NDCEE is helping the Department of Defense (DoD) and its installations achieve the goal of attaining a safe and healthy work environment and zero preventable incidents. Unsafe work environments can cause injury, illness, and death. Even if people are unhurt in an accident, accidents can negatively impact military readiness through loss of team cohesiveness, equipment damage, and valuable time spent conducting investigations. They can also degrade mission capability and effectiveness. We place a special emphasis on identifying, evaluating, managing, and mitigating those hazards which cause workplace injuries – providing for safer working and training conditions.
Giving Users More Sustainable Product Choices
Biobased products are derived from renewable plant resources and are generally more environmentally benign than their petroleum-based and synthetic counterparts. The Department of Defense (DoD) has decreed the use of biobased products is important to national security, by increasing America’s independence with domestic suppliers. For several years, the NDCEE has supported the DoD in decreasing its reliance on petroleum-based items by validating the contents of biobased products and establishing the real costs – from cradle to grave – of product use.
The NDCEE is assisting Department of Defense (DoD) installations to combat both water scarcity and water quality concerns. Many installations are located in areas where consumption is higher than the rate of natural replenishment. Contaminated water is a health and safety risk to military personnel, their families, the community, and wildlife. Various mission operations, including industrial and maintenance, also rely on quality water to perform their functions.