WEBVTT 00:02.380 --> 00:05.599 The threat is real . It absolutely is a 00:05.610 --> 00:08.159 national security issue and no military 00:08.170 --> 00:10.779 installation is safe . We are at an 00:10.789 --> 00:13.460 extraordinary time in our nation's 00:13.470 --> 00:15.303 history . We're seeing increased 00:15.303 --> 00:17.303 extreme temperatures . We're seeing 00:17.303 --> 00:19.303 changes in precipitation patterns . 00:19.303 --> 00:21.979 We're seeing more severe weather events 00:21.989 --> 00:24.156 if the United States is to continue to 00:24.156 --> 00:26.290 compete with and surpass near peer . 00:26.299 --> 00:28.132 Adversaries in both physical and 00:28.132 --> 00:30.549 virtual domains , learning to adapt to 00:30.559 --> 00:32.781 the environment at a more advanced pace 00:32.781 --> 00:35.330 is critical . Look no further than 00:35.439 --> 00:38.459 Napoleon , what stopped him on the way 00:38.470 --> 00:40.360 to Moscow . It was the weather . 00:45.840 --> 00:49.639 Our installations are combat 00:49.770 --> 00:52.889 projection platforms . Every Air Force 00:52.900 --> 00:56.090 mission originates and terminates at a 00:56.450 --> 00:59.209 installation from the devastation at 00:59.220 --> 01:01.387 Tyndall Air Force Base due to flooding 01:01.387 --> 01:03.279 and a category five hurricane to 01:03.290 --> 01:05.720 wildfires near Beale Air Force Base . 01:05.730 --> 01:08.400 Every installation is at risk and 01:08.410 --> 01:10.800 engineers are seeing the value in 01:10.809 --> 01:12.920 planning for extreme weather while at 01:12.920 --> 01:15.142 the same time , increasing capabilities 01:15.142 --> 01:17.365 and reducing reliance on fossil fuels . 01:17.365 --> 01:19.531 Well , in the climate action plan , it 01:19.531 --> 01:21.587 identifies , you know , the negative 01:21.587 --> 01:23.531 impacts that the climate change is 01:23.531 --> 01:25.865 having on our facilities . And you know , 01:25.865 --> 01:27.698 the Air Force is , is one of the 01:27.698 --> 01:29.920 primary users in the Federal government 01:29.920 --> 01:32.269 of fossil fuels and by reducing our use 01:32.279 --> 01:34.390 of fossil fuels and our impact on the 01:34.390 --> 01:36.501 environment . We can help to minimize 01:36.501 --> 01:38.668 those impacts going forward . And it's 01:38.668 --> 01:40.335 really a , you know , mission 01:40.335 --> 01:43.489 imperative . The Air Force is 01:43.500 --> 01:45.444 addressing inclement , weather and 01:45.444 --> 01:47.779 natural disasters head on outlining 01:47.790 --> 01:49.901 what moving forward looks like in the 01:49.901 --> 01:52.209 climate action plan . A framework 01:52.220 --> 01:54.276 released by the Secretary of the Air 01:54.276 --> 01:56.164 Force which focuses on addressing 01:56.164 --> 01:58.053 climate change through three main 01:58.053 --> 01:59.942 objectives , reducing emissions , 01:59.949 --> 02:02.239 increasing capabilities and reducing 02:02.250 --> 02:05.000 reliance on fossil fuels . The climate 02:05.010 --> 02:08.619 action plan is designed to ensure that 02:08.630 --> 02:11.699 we can maintain air and space dominance 02:11.880 --> 02:13.936 in the face of the pacing challenges 02:13.936 --> 02:16.102 and the threats we face . But how will 02:16.102 --> 02:18.360 the climate action plan do this and why 02:18.369 --> 02:20.470 the urgency I can tell you with 02:20.479 --> 02:24.009 veracity my first day on the job a year 02:24.020 --> 02:26.039 and a half ago , the in tango fire 02:26.050 --> 02:28.217 occurred on the day that I reported in 02:28.830 --> 02:32.440 with that , it came extremely 02:32.449 --> 02:35.059 clear to me and you know , in very 02:35.070 --> 02:38.250 stark terms that we needed to make sure 02:38.259 --> 02:40.481 that we were doing everything we can to 02:40.481 --> 02:43.389 mitigate things like fuels , to reduce 02:43.399 --> 02:46.449 the dry grass that is in the in the 02:46.460 --> 02:50.029 local area to understand that the 02:50.800 --> 02:53.729 the infrastructure for energy that we 02:53.740 --> 02:56.830 had needed to have upgrades and needed 02:56.839 --> 03:00.020 to ensure that we would be able to have 03:00.029 --> 03:02.899 uninterrupted power coming to the base 03:02.910 --> 03:04.521 in the event of that kind of 03:04.521 --> 03:07.279 climatological threat by embracing new 03:07.289 --> 03:09.169 technologies and fundamentally 03:09.179 --> 03:10.960 rethinking everything from 03:10.970 --> 03:12.929 infrastructure to workflow . The 03:12.940 --> 03:15.149 climate action plan leaves nothing off 03:15.160 --> 03:17.382 the table . For instance , when Tyndall 03:17.382 --> 03:19.271 Air Force Base was decimated by a 03:19.271 --> 03:21.740 category five hurricane engineers had 03:21.750 --> 03:23.694 their work cut out for them play . 03:23.694 --> 03:26.059 We've looked at climate models to 03:26.070 --> 03:28.789 anticipate what would , what would 03:28.800 --> 03:31.520 future storms do and how would we 03:31.529 --> 03:34.039 incorporate those future storms and sea 03:34.050 --> 03:36.217 level rise into the designers , timber 03:36.217 --> 03:38.383 land force space . So one thing we did 03:38.383 --> 03:41.699 was we designed um the the minimum 03:41.710 --> 03:45.330 floor levels to be between 14 and 19 ft 03:45.339 --> 03:47.339 above mean sea level to account for 03:47.339 --> 03:50.009 those increased sea levels . We've also 03:50.020 --> 03:53.470 incorporated Miami Dade code to 03:53.529 --> 03:55.696 ensure that the facility can withstand 03:55.696 --> 03:58.259 100 65 mile per hour , wind speeds 03:58.490 --> 04:00.712 beyond infrastructure . Other important 04:00.712 --> 04:02.934 factors are considered like how the air 04:02.934 --> 04:04.990 force conducts business . Well , our 04:04.990 --> 04:07.320 Deputy Secretary of Defense has um uh 04:07.330 --> 04:10.130 has asked us to look at fuel demand and 04:10.139 --> 04:12.195 make sure we make demand reduction a 04:12.195 --> 04:14.867 priority . The air Force is the fuel 04:14.876 --> 04:17.043 user in the federal government , which 04:17.043 --> 04:18.709 is one of the reasons why the 04:18.709 --> 04:20.876 department is prioritizing alternative 04:20.876 --> 04:23.846 sources of fuel micro grids , um 04:23.856 --> 04:26.189 photovoltaics , you know , solar arrays , 04:26.189 --> 04:28.486 things like that backup power areas so 04:28.497 --> 04:30.726 that if if we lose our primary source 04:30.736 --> 04:32.997 of power , that the the mission can 04:33.006 --> 04:35.062 continue because they've got another 04:35.062 --> 04:36.673 source of power available on 04:36.673 --> 04:38.506 installation . Several promising 04:38.506 --> 04:40.562 alternative fuel source technologies 04:40.562 --> 04:42.673 have the attention of the Air Force . 04:42.673 --> 04:44.728 Well , we're taking a look at a game 04:44.728 --> 04:46.617 changing technology , small micro 04:46.617 --> 04:49.664 reactors that improve efficiency of the 04:49.674 --> 04:51.785 base , offering a redundant source of 04:51.785 --> 04:53.896 power in the event of an outage . The 04:53.896 --> 04:55.854 air force is also concentrating on 04:55.864 --> 04:57.954 solar power . One air force base in 04:57.963 --> 05:00.384 particular offers strategic advantages 05:00.394 --> 05:02.273 that make solar power especially 05:02.283 --> 05:04.781 inviting the one thing . Edwards has 05:04.920 --> 05:07.490 significant amount of , of open 05:07.501 --> 05:09.723 property and something to the effect of 05:09.723 --> 05:12.311 95% illumination throughout the entire 05:12.321 --> 05:14.631 year . Very few clouds . Once you have 05:14.640 --> 05:17.321 alternative energy sources and you're 05:17.330 --> 05:19.497 employing them at your installations , 05:19.497 --> 05:21.497 it adds another layer of redundancy 05:21.497 --> 05:24.191 that allows you to prevent the impacts 05:24.200 --> 05:27.411 of climate change from reducing your 05:27.420 --> 05:30.220 emission capable rates , dry hot 05:30.230 --> 05:32.859 conditions with fields of overgrowth , 05:32.869 --> 05:35.619 make wildfires a real danger on some 05:35.630 --> 05:38.019 military installations . They can take 05:38.029 --> 05:40.459 down flight line operations and destroy 05:40.470 --> 05:43.290 assets but some air force bases have a 05:43.299 --> 05:45.450 low tech solution that is highly 05:45.459 --> 05:48.480 effective . We actually lease space on 05:48.489 --> 05:50.640 the installation so that we can bring 05:50.649 --> 05:53.170 the famous beale cattle , the beale 05:53.339 --> 05:56.940 cows to our installation 05:56.950 --> 05:59.179 especially in times like this where we 05:59.190 --> 06:02.130 have a robust and healthy set of 06:02.140 --> 06:04.809 grasslands for those cattle to be able 06:04.820 --> 06:07.829 to graze another climate action plan 06:07.839 --> 06:09.506 initiative . The Air Force is 06:09.506 --> 06:11.672 addressing is how vulnerable bases are 06:11.672 --> 06:14.690 to grid power outages . Beale Air Force 06:14.700 --> 06:16.922 Base was one of the first to simulate a 06:16.922 --> 06:19.089 power grid failure while maintaining 06:19.100 --> 06:22.299 daily operations . On 2 November 06:22.309 --> 06:25.489 2022 we executed an energy resilience 06:25.500 --> 06:27.769 readiness exercise on Beale Air Force 06:27.779 --> 06:30.480 Base . And we actually did two things 06:30.489 --> 06:32.790 simultaneously . One , we did some real 06:32.799 --> 06:35.021 world work on our high voltage system . 06:35.549 --> 06:37.920 And two , we shut off deliberately the 06:37.929 --> 06:40.609 power on the installation to test our 06:40.619 --> 06:43.220 ability to operate with limited power 06:43.230 --> 06:45.549 capability issues like backup , 06:45.559 --> 06:47.910 telecommunications functionalities and 06:47.920 --> 06:50.309 time limitations on diesel backup power 06:50.320 --> 06:52.609 generation came to the attention of 06:52.619 --> 06:54.952 base leaders so they could be addressed . 06:54.952 --> 06:57.549 These are great learning opportunities 06:57.559 --> 07:00.799 to determine whether or not you can 07:00.809 --> 07:03.609 operate in a limited power scenario . 07:04.130 --> 07:06.390 Other installations are also working on 07:06.399 --> 07:08.566 ways to become more efficient . So the 07:08.566 --> 07:11.510 meep program is the mission execution 07:11.519 --> 07:14.200 Excellence program and it's aimed at 07:14.209 --> 07:16.959 looking at our operational efficiency . 07:17.109 --> 07:19.480 The meep program at Travis Air Force 07:19.489 --> 07:22.220 Base incentivizes ideas on ways to 07:22.230 --> 07:24.630 improve workflow , everything from 07:24.640 --> 07:26.584 flight line operations to reducing 07:26.584 --> 07:29.600 paperwork . It is trying to find those 07:29.609 --> 07:32.299 innovative ideas that help people save 07:32.309 --> 07:35.350 time which ends up saving fuel in the 07:35.359 --> 07:37.581 long run . And one of the best parts of 07:37.581 --> 07:39.415 the mission execution excellence 07:39.415 --> 07:41.470 program is that the monetary savings 07:41.470 --> 07:43.630 are reinvested back into the unit 07:43.640 --> 07:46.350 responsible for the improvement idea as 07:46.359 --> 07:49.660 you are having these energy efficient 07:50.100 --> 07:53.500 minded processes be improved . We are 07:53.510 --> 07:57.179 receiving a few x number of 07:57.190 --> 07:59.357 dollars per pound that we are saving . 07:59.500 --> 08:02.369 So um that money does come back to the 08:02.380 --> 08:05.149 wing to then grow more efficient 08:05.160 --> 08:07.739 programs . Another way Travis Air Force 08:07.750 --> 08:09.750 Base is meeting climate action plan 08:09.750 --> 08:11.472 objectives is through software 08:11.570 --> 08:13.709 specifically , a program called puck 08:13.720 --> 08:16.359 board which digitizes flight operations 08:16.369 --> 08:18.940 that in the past relied on a huge 08:18.950 --> 08:21.559 physical board using software to 08:21.570 --> 08:24.140 optimize flight line operations . Teams 08:24.149 --> 08:26.049 are able to deconflict training 08:26.059 --> 08:28.760 requirements and personnel availability , 08:28.929 --> 08:31.260 reducing downtime and unnecessary 08:31.269 --> 08:34.080 delays that can waste resources . It 08:34.090 --> 08:36.090 used to be a giant white board with 08:36.090 --> 08:38.146 actual physical pucks that you could 08:38.146 --> 08:41.689 allocate um people to a specific 08:41.698 --> 08:44.888 aircraft to a specific mission so that 08:44.898 --> 08:47.120 you can properly account for everyone's 08:47.120 --> 08:49.268 ground training , everyone's doctor's 08:49.278 --> 08:51.334 appointments , dental appointments , 08:51.929 --> 08:54.049 reducing emissions and reliance on 08:54.059 --> 08:56.320 fossil fuels is a huge part of the 08:56.330 --> 08:58.580 climate action plan . One seemingly 08:58.590 --> 09:00.757 small idea the air force is working on 09:00.757 --> 09:03.390 may have a huge impact on fuel costs 09:03.400 --> 09:06.020 for legacy aircraft , 3D printed micro 09:06.280 --> 09:08.169 vs attached to the fuselage of an 09:08.169 --> 09:10.719 aircraft like the C 17 can reduce drag 09:10.729 --> 09:13.515 by one percent . So we're talking on 09:13.525 --> 09:15.636 the order of millions and millions of 09:15.636 --> 09:17.636 gallons of fuel annually saved as a 09:17.636 --> 09:19.858 result of this . If you click on that , 09:19.858 --> 09:22.155 you'll see that a video will pop up 09:22.344 --> 09:24.674 another technology that's having a huge 09:24.684 --> 09:26.294 impact air force wide while 09:26.304 --> 09:28.415 simultaneously meeting climate action 09:28.415 --> 09:30.715 plan objectives is virtual reality . 09:31.669 --> 09:33.725 You can put VR on and it tells you , 09:33.725 --> 09:35.780 hey , do this . If you do not , this 09:35.780 --> 09:38.070 will happen . VR has the potential to 09:38.080 --> 09:40.302 increase skill levels while saving fuel 09:40.302 --> 09:42.820 costs and reducing emissions . If 09:42.830 --> 09:45.052 you're not using an aircraft to train , 09:45.052 --> 09:47.108 you're not burning fuel , but it has 09:47.108 --> 09:49.219 additional benefits too as it allowed 09:49.219 --> 09:50.830 them to adapt their in-house 09:50.830 --> 09:53.380 qualification to just be an approval um 09:53.409 --> 09:55.599 through virtual reality , the vertical 09:55.609 --> 09:57.609 pilot system is another way the Air 09:57.609 --> 09:59.831 Force is meeting objectives . In simple 09:59.831 --> 10:02.179 terms , it's a rack that allows cargo 10:02.190 --> 10:04.919 to be stacked , increasing payload area 10:04.929 --> 10:06.929 and reducing the number of aircraft 10:06.929 --> 10:09.150 needed for transportation , reducing 10:09.159 --> 10:11.419 emissions and fossil fuel use . While 10:11.429 --> 10:13.400 increasing capabilities is part of 10:13.409 --> 10:16.059 being climate informed . A decision 10:16.070 --> 10:18.330 making process championed by leaders 10:18.340 --> 10:21.099 Air Force . Y it takes past and 10:21.109 --> 10:23.650 projected climate factors and extreme 10:23.659 --> 10:25.659 weather events into account to help 10:25.659 --> 10:27.659 with planning and possible emission 10:27.659 --> 10:30.039 impacts from high tech to low tech . 10:30.049 --> 10:32.169 The Air Force is open to any and all 10:32.179 --> 10:34.469 solutions that fall within the purview 10:34.479 --> 10:36.650 of the climate action plan . Being 10:36.659 --> 10:38.603 climate informed with our decision 10:38.603 --> 10:40.770 making is going to be crucial if we're 10:40.770 --> 10:42.890 going to be successful as a military 10:42.900 --> 10:43.609 force .