The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) conducted the Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR) to assess the impacts that current and future climate hazards could have on four counties and three military installations in Northern Virginia, one of the fastest growing areas of the country, and a region where the economic impact of the Department of Defense (DoD) exceeded $54.5 billion in 2022. Given the DoD’s widespread economic impact both state-wide and in Northern Virginia, an understanding of climate risks is essential for ensuring climate and economic resilience as well as military readiness. The report was accepted at the Commission's May 25th meeting.
The NVRC was the primary project sponsor for the MIRR, which involved the following installations and counties: Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico; and Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford counties.
The study followed six primary phases: project initiation; data collection; threats and vulnerability analysis; strategy development and refinement; implementation factors; and draft and final report. The process evaluated extreme heat, coastal flooding, inland flooding, energy demand, winter weather, wind, drought, and wildfire hazards.
The outcome is 129 strategies that go beyond climate hazards to address issues related to emergency management, regional connectivity, and access that emerged during the planning process. The strategies aim to break down silos and improve coordination and information sharing between the installations and counties so that future technical analyses and the development of infrastructure solutions to combat climate change are coordinated among federal and local partners and result in shared benefits.
The final MIRR report is available at https://www.novaregion.org/1571/Military-Installation-Resilience-Review
About the MIRR
The study was prepared with financial support from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. The content reflects the views of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.