Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program

Legacy Program Mission

Strategically invest in natural and cultural resources to minimize regulatory constraints and natural hazard risks to mission-critical operations.

U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operators conducting dive operation — U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operators conduct dive operations off the coast of Key West, Florida. Maintaining intact marine environments ensures the natural settings needed for realistic warrior training. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Katie Cox.)

About the Legacy Program

The Department of War (DOW) depends on realistic training to build a more lethal and ready force. This training requires warfighters to have unrestricted access to open lands that mirror combat environments. Without healthy ecosystems, these lands degrade – along with military readiness.

The Legacy Resource Management Program (Legacy Program) supports DOW training requirements by funding strategic, cost-effective projects that sustain vital training areas. Through partnerships with Military Services, federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academia, the Legacy Program advances innovative resource management solutions to ensure long-term access to mission-critical lands. Sustained investment in these ecosystems is essential to preserving the environments that enable realistic training and national defense.

Legacy Program Strategic Investments

The Legacy Program invests in projects that support the Department’s mission, enhance readiness, and advance resource management goals. The Legacy Program works with the Military Services to set investment priorities which are updated regularly to address DOW’s dynamic resource management challenges and align with Pentagon guidance.

A brush fire at Pōhakuloa Training Area. — Brush fires at Pōhakuloa Training Area have increased due to the proliferation of non-native Fountain Grass into what was once a forested ecosystem. The risk of these wildfires limits the number of live-fire exercises held at this installation (photo courtesy of U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa).

Eligible Projects

Since its establishment, the Legacy Program has funded over 3,400 projects for a total funding amount of $405 million benefitting over 300 military installations worldwide. In 1997, the National Defense Authorization Act expanded the Legacy Program to authorize DOW-wide coordination of natural and cultural resource management. Eligible activities must have broad military significance, support legal or operational requirements, enhance installation resilience, be best managed at the DOW level, and lack a designated lead agency.