Col. Matthew F. Kelly (right), commander, U.S. Army Environmental Command, welcomes Brigadier General Zeyad AlHajri, commander, Kuwait Weapons of Mass Destruction Defense Command, during a visit in San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 2. A delegation of Kuwaiti officers visited the command to gain insight on USAEC and its environmental mission.

FORT HOOD, Texas - This sprawling Central Texas Army installation stands out as a leader in reducing waste and ensuring compliance, while balancing environmental stewardship and mission readiness. The post’s successes have been recognized by the state of Texas and Department of Defense and serve as a model environmental program for others to emulate.

When the U.S. Central Command was approached by the Kuwait Weapons of Mass Destruction Defense Command for assistance with structuring its Environmental Directorate, USCENTCOM recognized Army Environmental Command and Fort Hood as mirroring the needs of the Kuwait WMDDC.

“The U.S. plays a strong role and example for international partners,” Chad Harreld, program manager for Kuwait and Lebanon, USCENTCOM J5-C, said. “By showing that example of what we perceive right to look like, it gives them an optic example to go by. It’s hard to explain, but seeing it and living it is where it is at.”

The U.S. Army Environmental Command command team, Col. Matthew F. Kelly (right), and Command Sgt. Maj. Tremayne Robbins, discuss environmental processes and regulatory requirements with a delegation of Kuwait Weapons of Mass Destruction Defense Command, Environmental Division officers, Dec. 2, in San Antonio, Texas.

Brigadier General Zeyad AlHajri, commander, Kuwait WMDDC, Brigadier General Ali AlFadhli, school commander, Kuwait WMDDC and a group of Kuwaiti officers kickstarted their visit to U.S. Army Environmental Command in San Antonio, Dec. 2. Col. Matthew F. Kelly, commander, USAEC, Command Sgt. Maj. Tremayne Robbins, USAEC command sergeant major, and USAEC division chiefs shared the Army’s environmental mission, processes and explanations of regulatory requirements.

The delegation from Kuwait WMDDC and representatives from USAEC and USCENTCOM then travelled to Fort Hood, Dec. 5, and were welcomed by Col. Chad R. Foster, commander, U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Hood, and Timi Dutchuk, chief of the post's environmental programs.

Col. Chad R. Foster, commander, U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Hood, welcomes the Kuwait Weapons of Mass Destruction Defense Command and representatives from U.S. Army Environmental Command and U.S. Central Command during a visit to Fort Hood, Texas, Dec. 5.

“Welcome everyone to Fort Hood – America’s best military installation in our country,” Foster said. “We will show you many things and hopefully it will all be something helpful, as you establish your program in Kuwait.”

The newly developed Kuwait WMDDC Environmental Directorate will oversee the environmental monitoring of all Kuwaiti and U.S. military facilities in Kuwait, advise the Kuwait Ministry of Defense on environmental matters and coordinate with civil agencies for remediation.

“We have a long relationship between the United States and Kuwait Army. We continue to build and sustain that relationship in all fields,” AlHajri said. “As a new unit working on environmental efforts, we wanted to look at the experts here to try to implement it in our system.”

Providing an overview the installation’s environmental programs, Dutchuk highlighted areas of natural and cultural resources, energy, recycle and compliance.

“Fundamentally in DPW (Directorate of Public Works), we are the consultants for the installation,” Dutchuk said. “Key to that is the environmental compliance assessment team, who goes out into the units to see what is right and wrong.”

Foster emphasized the importance of ECAT and their critical role in assessing every motor pool on the installation, identifying successes or areas for improvement and holding commanders accountable for their unit’s environmental program.

Alphonso Mills, environmental protection specialist, Fort Hood Directorate of Public Works, provides a tour of Pollution Prevention Services and explains the environmental services provided to support motor pool operations at Fort Hood, Texas, Dec. 5.

“We have about 40,000 Soldiers on Fort Hood with many different units,” he said. “If our military units don’t do things the right way, it can cause serious problems from fuel spills to improperly handling hazardous materials.”

Traveling to Fort Hood Recycle, the 48th Chemical Brigade motor pool, the Classification Unit and Pollution Prevention Services, the inclusive tour provided insight to single-stream recycling; motor pool operations; management of hazardous, non-hazardous and universal waste; aboveground storage tanks; and services for used oil, used fuel and parts washers.

Dutchuk added how the DPW Environmental Division works with commanders and Soldiers to reduce environmental risks and promote environmental excellence to ensure compliance.

Stephen Spencer, environmental compliance assessment team lead, Fort Hood Directorate of Public Works, hosts a tour at the 48th Chemical Brigade motor pool and provides insight to unit’s environmental program and processes, Dec. 5, at Fort Hood, Texas.

“The key to everything we do is pollution prevention, which addresses the potential concern before it turns into pollution. Our fundamental goal is clean air to breathe and clean water to drink,” Dutchuk said. “With 40,000 Soldiers, keeping them educated and engaged is primary so outreach and education is essential to our success.”

Foster thanked the Kuwait WMDDC for their interest and presented the Soldiers with Keep Texas Beautiful coins.

“This coin is symbolic of what Fort Hood and the environmental team does to ensure that our land and natural resources in Texas are preserved and protected,” he said. “I extend an invitation to come back once your program is established because we could learn from your experiences, as well. The friendship between the United States and Kuwait is strong and valuable. Whatever we can do to support you, we are very anxious to do.”

The visit concluded with AlHajri presenting Dutchuk with a plaque for hosting the tour, sharing resources and providing insight to an established environmental program.

“Fort Hood’s environmental operation is a big step for us to reach the level that you are at,” AlHajri said. “We are a just a beginner, crawling, but hopefully, soon our environmental program can catch up to you.”