Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Environment & Energy), Mr. Jack Surash (Left), along with members of the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Garrison command team and DPW leadership, participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly renovated 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team’s barracks complex, which were renovated prior to the unit’s redeployment.

FORT STEWART, Ga. — The acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Environment & Energy), Mr. Jack Surash, visited Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield June 17 -18 to discuss energy resilience initiatives, environmental achievements, and Fort Stewart’s Facility Investment Program.

During his visit, the Fort Stewart Team discussed energy, water, and sustainability initiatives and their alignment with the Army’s Installations Strategy and the Army Installation Energy and Water Strategic Plan which focuses on energy and water resilience, efficiency and affordability. The team also provided information on Fort Stewart’s resilience capabilities to support energy requirements for critical missions for three to 14 days in the event of a grid power outage.

“Visits like this one are important in order for them to see firsthand the great strides Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield is making towards environmental restoration and energy resilience,” said Garrison Commander Col. Bryan Logan. “We are one of the leading Department of Defense installations, not only for cultural resource management, but also in energy and water efficiency.”

Surash said he was impressed with Fort Stewart’s energy initiatives to include the 30 megawatt solar project that was a result of collaboration between Fort Stewart, the Office of Energy Initiatives and Georgia Power.

The acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Environment & Energy), Mr. Jack Surash, Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Garrison senior enlisted leader Sgt. Maj. Bryan Buchanan and Directorate of Public Works' Planning and Engineering division chief Kyle Wemett examine one of the recently renovated 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team’s barracks rooms, June 18 on Fort Stewart.

Directorate of Public Works' Planning and Engineering division chief Kyle Wemett outlines the recent updates made to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team’s barracks complex to the acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Environment & Energy), Mr. Jack Surash and members of the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Garrison command team, June 18 on Fort Stewart.

The grid-facing energy generation project has been operational since January 2017 and produces power that feeds into the regional power grid. It improves resilience by adding distributed generation sources and diversifying the power supply chain. GPC financed, owns, operates, and maintains the project.

Surash also attended a ribbon cutting at a 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team’s barracks complex, which were renovated prior to the unit’s redeployment.

“Before the renovation, each Soldier who occupied these barracks had 76 square feet of living space,” Logan said. “The Army standard is 90 square feet of living space and the newly renovated barracks now have about 110 square feet. It’s a good living space for our service members.”

Fort Stewart representatives also briefed Surash on Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield privatized utility system, energy savings performance contracts, water resilience capabilities to support water requirements for critical missions for greater than 14 days in the event of a water utility outage, climate and extreme weather resilience plans, status of the Installation Energy and Water Plan, cybersecurity assessments, as well as energy resilience and conservation investment program projects.