13 Sep 2024

The Built Environment of the US Air Force All-Volunteer Force: Preliminary Analysis of Building Trends: Preliminary Analysis of Building Trends

Purpose: July 1, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the all-volunteer force (AVF). At this time, buildings, structures, and other elements of the US Air Force’s (USAF) built environment associated specifically with the AVF will be potentially eligible as historic resources under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The relationship between the AVF and the USAF built environment, however, has not yet been examined, and no historic contexts exist that provide guidance on how to identify and evaluate properties that may be associated with the built environment of the USAF AVF and offer recommendations on management of these properties to assist USAF installations in complying with the NHPA. As a result, it is unclear if, and to what extent, buildings, structures, and other elements associated specifically with the AVF exist that may require management under NHPA. The USAF desires to better understand the relationship between the AVF and the USAF built environment and has requested the Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) conduct a built-environment analysis of existing USAF real property. This research is intended to support USAF decision-makers in determining if further research is warranted and how best to plan for managing AVF-related buildings, structures, and other built environment elements under NHPA. Results of this analysis indicate a relationship exists between the AVF and the USAF built environment; 42 built-environment feature types with construction rates higher than the overall average during the AVF period are identified.